Buildings

Perhaps the most durable physical legacy of the 1872 Act is the abundance of school buildings it produced. Buildings which changed the built environment of Scotland, and which are still readily identifiable to this day.

Compulsory education vastly increased the numbers of pupils attending school, creating an urgent need for both the expansion of extant schools and the creation of thousands of new schools and schoolhouses to accommodate teachers.

A black-and-white photo of Merkinch Primary School taken from the street in 1986. The image shows a row of stone buildings with steep gabled roofs, arched windows, and a central entrance. A white metal fence runs along the front, and a paved road is in the foreground.

Merkinch Primary School, 1986. Photo credit The Highland Council Planning Dept.

Architectural drawing of Tongue School in Sutherland, dated 1874. The image shows three views: a front elevation of the building with pitched roofs and chimneys, a section and end elevation with detailed measurements, and a ground plan with labeled rooms and dimensions. The drawings are hand-colored in shades of blue, beige, and pink.

Architectural drawing of Tongue School, Sutherland by Dingwall architect William C. Joass. 1874

Black-and-white photograph of a large stone school building with a central tower and arched windows, flanked by smaller adjoining structures. The building sits on a grassy slope with sparse vegetation. Text at the bottom reads “Higher Grade Public School, Portree.”

The original Portree High School with teachers accommodation

A handwritten and printed 1873 form requesting a grant to build Claggan Public School in the parish of Morven, Argyll. The document includes details about the district size, population, and number of families needing a school.

Application to build Claggan Public School 1873

Architectural elevation drawing of a two-story and single-story building with pitched roofs, chimneys, and a scale at the bottom.

Architectural drawing of Plockton High School

In the Highlands, one of the names most synonymous with this frenzy of design and construction is Alexander Ross who came to be known as ‘The Christopher Wren of the Highlands’ because of his outstanding architectural achievements.

At an early age, Ross came to Inverness with his father, who was also an architect. They lived in Church Street, where his father had his business office and Alexander attended Dr Bell’s Institution in Farraline Park. When Ross was 19, his father died, and at the age of 20, he became an architect in the family business.

Over the following decades Ross became factor to the MP for Ardross, Sir Alexander Matheson, who had bought the Muirtown Estates and became responsible for the development of the area between Muirtown and St. Andrew’s Cathedral, as well as the building of Union Street.

In 1881 he became a member of Inverness Town Council, and from 1889-1895 he held the position of Provost.

A painted portrait of a person wearing a dark academic-style robe with a red and blue trim and a gold chain of office. The background is a muted brown tone.

Portrait of Alexander Ross by George Reid (1896)

Dr Ross was responsible for the design of various cinemas, houses, castles, and churches throughout the Highlands including St Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. In addition, it has been claimed that he was responsible for the erection of around 450 schools following the Education Act – from the Hebrides to Moray and everywhere in between. Dr Alexander Ross died in 1925, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy. More information about his career and his impact on the built heritage of the Highlands can be found here.

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