Balrossie School: Main Building, Kilmacolm

2-storey, roughly rectangular, Scottish Renaissance orphanage with gothic details. Piended roof with prominent gabled section to centre. Stepped principal frontage with towers, gable, oriel window and buttresses; 2 single-storey service wings extending from rear; bay windows to side elevations. Roughcast render over whinstone rubble with painted red sandstone ashlar dressings. Base course; deep bracketed eaves. Raised long and short quoins and window margins; predominantly stone-mullioned bipartite windows.

Built as an orphanage by the Sailors´ Orphans Society of Scotland. This was the first orphanage to be built by the society, and previous to its completion the society had housed its orphans in rented accommodation. Money for the building was donated by ´several donors´, including one anonymous benefactor who gave £3500: the deliberately obscure inscriptions on the Girls´ Villa and garden building are probably the monogram of this person. The architect of the building is given in the Glasgow Advertiser article as H and D Barclay, but as Hugh Barclay died in 1892, this is probably the sole work of his younger brother David. The Barclay brothers specialised in school design, and were responsible for a large number of schools in and around Glasgow, including Glasgow Academy; their most prominent building, however, was Greenock Municipal Buildings.

The orphanage was designed to house 82 boys and 32 girls. The principle building contained accommodation for 50 boys in the left wing and 32 boys in the right wing, each wing forming a separate house with its own dormitories, dining room, playshed and other accommodation. The central tower contained administrative offices, with stores on the ground floor and a water tank at the top. The large gabled section that runs through the centre of the block contained a large hall for assemblies, services, teaching, and other similar activities. Girls were housed separately in the villa to the North of the main building. (Historic Environement Scotland List Entry)

The site is understood to have been purchased by Glasgow Corporation in 1962 and converted for use as a residential care home (The Herald) for children.

22 July 2004: The Herald reports that the school is vacant and is being offered for sale by Inverclyde Council. Originally built as a home for the orphans of sailors, the building was purchased by Glasgow Corporation in 1962 and was converted into a residential school. The building has now lain vacant for about 8 years. The school lies within the greenbelt and development is therefore restricted to that which meets rural, agricultural, forestry or leisure needs. However, Inverclyde Council will consider any proposal which complies with the issued development brief and is willing to accept a residential development of up to 40 units through the conversion of existing buildings and a small new build element. The building is currently proposed for listing. 3 August 2004: The Greenock Telegraph reports on the building. 11 August 2004: The Paisley Gazette reports on the building. 24 April 2005: The Herald carries notice that the school is being marketed for sale as a development opportunity.

December 2008: External inspection finds the building vacant and unsecured. There is damage to roofs, blocked gutters and boarded openings to ground floor.

April 2009: Planning permission was granted in Sept 2006 for conversion to residential use with erection of dwellinghouses in an enabling development scheme. No works have started to date.

January 2010: External inspection from the roadside suggests that the condition of the school building has altered little since the last visit by SCT. The upper floor windows are now boarded over.

4 December 2012: A member of the public draws attention to a new application being sought for the site. Full Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for restoration and conversion of the former childrens' home into residential use and for the establishment of the principle of enabling development (new build) within the grounds ref: 12/0252/IC & 12/0022/LB & 12/0254/IC.
The site is currently being marketed for sale, on instructions of the joint administrators of GWM Balrossie Limited, through agent Lambert Smith Hampton.

16 July 2013: STV News report on a fire at the Balrossie School site. Inverclyde Council confirm the fire was isolated to the annex to the main school.

13 August 2014: External inspection finds the building has signficantly deteriorated since the previous site visit with badly damaged roofs, decayed windows, clogged gutters, leaking downpipes amongst other defects. Though largely secured the building is not weathertight and is subject to ongoing vandalism.

24 March 2015: Listed Building Consent for redevelopment and conversion to residential use of the former school site was conditionally granted Feb 2015 ref: 12/0022/LB. The former school remains under marketing for sale or lease through agents Lambert Smith Hampton.

17 November 2017: Listed Building Consent for the conversion of the complex to dwellings is being sought ref: 17/0038/LB and 17/0351/IC. The main building is proposed as a facade retention.

21 May 2019: A member of the public notes the deterioration at the building - a number of collapses have occurred, exposing the interior to the elements.

19 November 2021: Listed building consent (17/0038/LBC) and planning permission (17/0351/IC) conditionally granted for conversion of existing main building, annex building and water tower into residential units. Main building - facade retention to North, South and East elevations with full reconstruction of west elevation, internal floor plates and roof, new windows throughout. Annexe building - internal alterations and repairs to suit new layout. Roof overhauled/reslated, new windows throughout. Water tower building - existing ground floor walls retained with new upper floor construction to match existing.

10 December 2021: Currently being marketed for sale through Knight Frank. Accepting offers over £3 million.

17 January 2022: A member of the public contacts BARR to advise that the main building suffered a fire in October 2021 and demolition has been approved.

13 January 2023: Property continues to be marketed for sale through Knight Frank agents.

9 February 2023: An application for Listed Building Consent has been submitted for the conversion of the Main Building, Annex Building and Water Tower into residential units. The proposal is for the Main Building façade to be retained on the North, South and East elevations. It is proposed that the West elevation, internal floor plates and roof be reconstructed and new windows inserted.(23/0002/LB)

5 July 2023: Conditional planning consent was granted 03/04/2023 for the conversion of the Main Building, Annex Building and Water Tower into residential units (23/0020/IC) with conditional Listed building consent (23/0002/LB). The property continues to be marketed for sale through Knight Frank agents.

11 December 2023: The property is being marketed for sale by Knight Frank, along with the Annexe Building, Water Tower, Ancillary Building and surrounding land at a guide price of £2 million. Listed Building Concents (23/0002/LB) and revised Planning Permissions (23/0020/IC) for the conversion of existing Main Building, Annexe Building and Water Tower into residential units conditionally granted 07/06/2023. Main Building - facade retention to North, South and East elevations with full reconstruction of west elevation, internal floor plates and roof, new windows throughout.

5 February 2024: Property remains under marketing for sale. Guide price reduced to £2,000,000.