Bryophytes and Buildings: Preston Street School


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Preston Street School

Preston Street School Preston Street School, situated on the corner of East Preston Street and Dalkeith Road, is one of the schools built in the late 19th century in the Southside. The Education (Scotland) Act passed in 1872, resulted in the formation of the Edinburgh School Board whose first members were elected in 1873
	The Bell Tower This was one of several schools built by the Edinburgh School Board to alleviate the overcrowding problems existing in other local schools. Probably the most notable feature of the school is the magnificent bell tower.
Education and Her Child A common feature of schools built by the Edinburgh School Board was the inclusion of a sculpture of "Education" with her children. This one can be seen on the school wall that faces Holyrood Royal park.
	A Shortage of Stone During this period of construction of schools in Edinburgh, local stone quarries became exhausted and there was a serious shortage of suitable building material. Contractors now had to go further a field for suitable stone and this led to the appearance of red Permian stone from Ayrshire and Dumfriesshire and the grey limestone series from Northumberland.
A Caring School Preston Street School continues to serve the educational needs of the children in the local community and provides a lively, caring, sustaining and safe environment for their development.