Three pitched classrooms grow from distinctive triangular plans, giving this small 1960s school a playful geometry connected by HES to sails and its seaward setting.
Quick facts
- Date
- Designed 1963–1967; opened 1968; extended 1978
- Architect / designer
- Baron Bercott and Associates
- Type
- Late Modern primary school with triangular classrooms
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB52379)
- OS grid reference
- NS 04648 26761
Architecture and continuing use
The single-storey building alternates pitched classroom roofs with white triangular projections, linked by a lower flat-roofed corridor. Rendered concrete, timber boarding, orange roof covering and many window types create a deliberately colourful composition. The irregular classroom plans remain legible inside, while a 1978 library and classroom extension forms a flatter south-west wing.
Its story
Baron Bercott and Associates designed the school between 1963 and 1967 to replace an earlier building on the same site. It officially opened on 5 June 1968 and gained an extension in 1978. Inspection in 2015 found the internal arrangement substantially legible, and its unusual post-war educational design led to Category C listing in 2016.
Why it is included
It gives the cohort a rare, source-rich example of post-war modernism and demonstrates how new educational ideas shaped both classroom plans and a coastal exterior.
What to notice
- Triangular classroom forms beneath separate pitched roofs.
- Contrasting white projections and coloured roof covering.
- The right-angled play shelter at the southern end.
Reading the surroundings
Observe only from ordinary public routes, without entering the grounds or photographing pupils. Research visits require advance authorisation from the school.
Timeline
- 1963–1967 Baron Bercott and Associates developed the unconventional school design.
- 1968 The completed building officially opened on 5 June.
- 1978 A library and classroom wing extended the south-west side.
- 2016 The school entered the statutory list for its architectural interest.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The designation documents 2015 interior survival, not the condition of every fitting today. School access remains controlled.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Whiting Bay Primary School, LB52379 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- North Ayrshire Council: devolved school management scheme — Current council education document identifying Brodick and Whiting Bay among the operating Arran primary schools.
- Trove: Whiting Bay Primary School — National collection entry for the designation identity, mapped location, related records and available archive material.
- North Ayrshire Council: AED register — Current council register corroborating the operating identities and addresses of Brodick Hall and Library, Brodick Primary and Whiting Bay Primary.
Location
OS grid reference NS 04648 26761 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies component extent, terrain and access. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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