JAMES GILLESPIE’S CONSERVATION PLAN
Location: Edinburgh
Client: City of Edinburgh Council
Programme: Completed 2011
The City of Edinburgh Council commissioned SSM to prepare a Conservation Plan for James Gillespie’s High School to inform the proposals for rebuilding the school on the same site.
SSM developed the Conservation Plan in accordance with Historic Scotland’s guidelines. Its purpose is to record and assess the cultural and historic significance of the site and buildings and to identify how they should be managed and conserved.
The existing school was a mix of 1960s buildings surrounding and connected to the Category A listed Bruntsfield House. Areas of significant landscape and boundary walls remain, but the site also accommodates playgrounds, sports pitches and primary and nursery schools.
SSM carried out an historic analysis of the entire site including buildings, landscape and boundaries, with a focus on the 17th Century Bruntsfield House. All internal and external areas were reviewed and their significance catalogued. Extensive photographs provide a comprehensive record of the condition of the site and buildings.
Areas were identified for potential demolition and areas for retention, with recommendations on necessary restoration and repair.
The Conservation Plan allows current and future proposals for the site’s development to be assessed in relation to its historic significance.