Gainsborough Primary School: Masterplan and phased transformation of a Victorian school site
Gainsborough Primary School, a Grade II listed Victorian Education Board school, anchors the heart of Hackney Wick with its proud architectural presence. Root And Erect was commissioned to produce a comprehensive masterplan and deliver phased interventions across the site, which includes the historic main school building, caretaker’s house, children’s centre, and multiple outbuildings. The strategy involved stitching together these varied structures with a cohesive public realm and landscape vision, while addressing contemporary educational needs. At the front, the entrance landscape was reimagined as a series of stepped terraces that double as teaching, play and performance spaces. Inspired by the robust base of the Victorian school, red pigmented concrete grounds the design, while inhabitable boundary fences double as play structures, softening required separations between age groups.
Throughout the scheme, nature and context inform both materiality and spatial composition. The River Lea, which borders the site to the east, inspired a planting scheme of reeds, birds and riverine colour palettes that weave through the playground and courtyard spaces. Phase 2 introduced a sensory-rich retreat area for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, offering calm without isolation.
Phase 3 transformed the children’s centre interiors, opening up visual connections and spatial flexibility to accommodate both nursery-age children and 'stay and play' programmes. Across all phases, the design maintains a sensitive dialogue with the school’s heritage, enriching the site through layered interventions that foreground inclusion, identity and joyful learning.
