School Design

Just before going on to look at the "new" Lundin Mill Primary School building...a step back to the origins of the old building.  The image below of Giffordtown Village Hall below has just come to my attention today. This looks to be an exact replica of the Lundin Mill School (now library) in its original form. Except, its actually the other way round, as the village hall in Giffordtown, between Ladybank and Collessie in Fife, was built in 1843 as 'Collessie Free Church'. It was sited at Giffordtown, as it was to serve Kettle as well as Collessie. This was fourteen years before the school in Lundin Mill was built. See the sketch and the image of the school further below and compare and contrast.  There's very little difference. So, why was Giffordtown Church used as a template for the school in Lundin Mill?  

The architects that worked on the development of the Lundin Estate with the Standard Life Assurance Company were James Campbell Walker and John Milne. Walker was born in Strathmiglo, 5 miles away from Giffordtown in 1821. He was a practising architect by 1842. John MIlne is recorded in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects as having carried out improvements at Collessie Free Church Manse in 1858...

http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=209180

I suspect that one or both men were involved in the original building of Collessie Free Church and re-used the design at Lundin Mill....and possibly elsewhere.  It was not uncommon to find this 'recycling' with school buildings either then or now.  The present 1974 school in Lundin Links also has 'twins' at other locations.  Anyway, all of this accounts for why the original 1857/8 version of the Lundin Mill School looked so church-like in appearance!

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Small image of school above taken from 'Largo - An Illustrated History' by Eunson and Band (2000)