Gartsherrie Primary School, Gartsherrie Road, Coatbridge

Single-storey, 13-bay (arranged 3-7-3), roughly square plan primary school with Renaissance detailing, on ground sloping to S (principal elevation); mid-20th century flat-roofed lavatory extensions to W (side) and N (rear). Squared and snecked, tooled pink sandstone rubble; ashlar dressings. Deep, splayed, bull-faced basecourse to S; moulded eaves course. Pedimented gables. Cast-iron fleche railings to S boundary wall; geometric cast-iron balustrading to principal entrances.

Gartsherrie Primary School is located in a prominent position on Gartsherrie Road (an important artery to the N of Coatbridge). The setting of the school is further enhanced by the original boundary walls and cast-iron railings which remain in their original configuration. Gartsherrie Primary School is of standard plan for the time (central hall with surrounding classrooms), but demonstrates fine architectural detailing (to the interior as well as the exterior) common to the work of James Davidson (1848-1923). Davidson was one of Coatbridge's most prolific and successful architects, designing many schools for the Old Monklands School Board between 1892 and 1914. His career as a school designer possibly stemmed from his ambitious design for Coatbridge Technical College of 1890. All of his schools present high quality finishes and demonstrate good compositions and fine architectural detailing (interior and exterior), mostly in the Free-Renaissance idiom but also presenting some of the flair found in contemporary urban architecture of Glasgow. Davidson's schools include Calderbank Public School, 1892; School, Bargeddie Primary 1894 (see separate listing); Greenhill Primary School, 1902 (see separate listing); and the largest primary, Langloan Primary School, 1914. Other prominent Coatbridge buildings by Davidson include Airdrie Savings Bank, 1920 (see separate listing); Ross Street Hall; Glenboig Union Fireclay Co; Broomknoll Parish Church. However he is best known for his design (along with J D Swanston) for the King's Theatre in Edinburgh, 1905-1906 (see separate listing). Perhaps some of Davidson's success in gaining public commissions came through his role as councillor, magistrate and later as Provost of Coatbridge during1909-12; however, his prominence did not preclude his skill as a competent and often inventive architect.

October 2010: Nominated for inclusion on the Register by a member of the public. Advised as having been ceased to function as a school in June 2010. For Investigation.

16 December 2014: External inspection finds the former school remains disused. Overall the building appears to be in fair condition but shows localised areas of dampness, particularly where metal theft has occurred. Move to At Risk.

29 March 2016: Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for change of use and associated redevelopment of former primary school to training facility and offices permitted subject to conditions (ref: 15/02482/FUL & 15/02483/LBC).

29 April 2019: A member of the public notes a number of shipping containers are now located within the school site, additionally a western extension appears to have been removed.

11 April 2023: A member of the public advises the building remains disused. The ridge is advised to be missing in sections to the roof, some pitches suggesting deterioration is advanced.

20 May 2024: Listed building consent (24/00274/LBC) was conditionally granted for the down-taking of former primary school's C-Listed sandstone façade (South Elevation) for future reinstatement, 01/05/2024. Previous consents (15/02482/FUL & 15/02483/LBC) have sought to convert the site into a training centre. The Glasgow Times reported (5/5/2023) on a fire at the site in May 2023.

4 July 2024: North Lanarkshire Council advise that they intend to undertake urgent demolition work to the building following a fire on 09/06/2024.