August 24 2018

The future of a B-listed former school in Glasgow’s east end has been secured following the completion of extensive refurbishment and conversion works at the hands of Purcell.

Parkhead School now stands as flexible office space having been rescued from the Buildings at Risk Register by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust with Parkhead Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative and Parkhead Housing Association.

Work included insertion of a new glazed link to unify both phases of the school and conservation of period features such as decorative cornices and mouldings and removal of internal finishes affected by dry rot and fire damage.

Scott Lindsay, senior architect at Purcell said: “Parkhead School is a grand old dame and a local landmark but the school had become forgotten about and was at risk of disappearing completely like many redundant school board buildings. Purcell has given it a new life as an enterprise centre, reaffirming its position at the heart of the community, announced by its restored bell tower clearly visible again across Parkhead.”

Parkhead School was built in two phases between 1878 and 1887 and had lain vacant since 1990.

10 Comments

#1 Posted by June Stewart on 25 Aug 2018 at 13:15 PM

lovely restoration - so pleased the building has been saved. I was a pupil there from 1957-59. I remember the outside lavatories and the separate infant and senior buildings and playgrounds!

#2 Posted by terra on 25 Aug 2018 at 21:46 PM

beautiful! well done to everyone involved!

#3 Posted by Anon on 27 Aug 2018 at 20:39 PM

Well done. Not often there is a good news day on UR. Too many empty Victorian school buildings around Glasgow

#4 Posted by Liz on 28 Aug 2018 at 10:43 AM

Great to see a beautiful old building restored. As previous commentator noted, it's not often that UR has some worthy buildings to show. Why are todays architects designing boxy houses which will become tomorrow's slums - have we not learned anything from the mistakes of the 60s and 70s.

#5 Posted by Laszlo Shunt on 28 Aug 2018 at 11:17 AM

#4 - what's your evidence for the latter claim?

Nice looking job though, very tidy.

#6 Posted by Rem Koolbag on 28 Aug 2018 at 12:27 PM

#4 Do you think architects want to design boxy houses as future slums?
Do they get out of bed in the morning and set that as their goal?
Or do they go to work for clients who don't value design, can't speak about design and see only the spreadsheet bottom line?

Come on - these issues are far more complex and worthy of debate than simply architect bashing with historical examples

#7 Posted by Eric Flack on 28 Aug 2018 at 15:37 PM

I used to work in Backcauseway in 1959 and the school dinners were made at the rear. Lovely old school used to go past it every day in the 1960s.

#8 Posted by Eric Flack on 28 Aug 2018 at 15:39 PM

The former Drumchapel Primary School has been transformed into flats. See what can be done.

#9 Posted by Ruth Matheson on 29 Aug 2018 at 14:00 PM

A wonderful addition to Parkhead and the east end. But just for clarification, it has lain vacant since 1996 - not 1990 as stated. It was still being used by Glasgow City Council's Education Department (Audio Visual Services to be exact) until they vacated in '96.

#10 Posted by John on 4 Dec 2018 at 09:39 AM

I worked in that building for avs right up until we vacated in 2006 wot a great job has been done to it.

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