Tirglassan School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey schoolhouse with attached teacher’s house located parallel to Tirglassan Road at its junction with Ballyhanedin Road. The master’s house is to the south west of the continuous block. It has been re-rendered in recent years, had two dormers inserted and had a door to the front converted into a window. A simple slate roof covers both parts of the building. There are three chimneys. The school building is white washed stone with five top hung original windows at high level. A new doorway has been recently broken into the school under the central window. To the north east is a lean-to shed against the gable divided into two stores. To the north west - the back of the building - the house has been re-rendered and new windows inserted.

Historical information

Built by the Fishmongers Company in the 1830s as part of improvement works to their estate. Designed by James Turnbull. Described by Ordnance Survey Memoirs as “slated house, cost 350 pounds; income: from fishmongers Company, together with school requisites… 2 Protestants, 81 Presbyterians, 3 Roman Catholics, master Robert (blank)”. According to Curl, the master’s house is an addition of 1860. The National Education Board took over the running of the school in the 1870s. It was closed in 1960. Until the early 1990s there were two doors in the south east facade at the teacher’s house. The one closest to the gable (where a window is now) afforded direct entry to the house. A tight stair climbed to the first floor on the left. The present entrance door entered a corridor to the school with the present living room door directly ahead. A side wall now gone separated the house from the school entrance.

References:
Primary Sources:
OS Map 1st Edition 1831 Co Londonderry 23

Secondary Sources:
JS Curl ' The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914' Phillimore & Co, Chichester 1986 p269- p290
'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.30. Parishes of County Londonderry X', ed Angelique Day & Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1995) p.33

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

"Architecturally these designs are of minimum interest, but they are extremely interesting in that they show the remarkable degree of seriousness with which the Company approached its commitment to educate the children of the tenants. The existence of drawings demonstrates that even the humblest buildings on the Proportion were designed”. J S Curl. Best preserved of the schools built by the Fishmongers in the Ward. It is of signifigance in the understanding of the social history of the area.