ST. COLUMBA'S BOYS SCHOOL,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single-storey rendered classical Georgian-style schoolhouse. Built in 1912-14 to designs by Daniel Conroy. Irregular plan form with a hipped slate roof and modern extensions to the South East side constructed in 1985. Former entrance and principal elevation faces North West overlooking a triangular graveyard and St. Columba's Church beyond Long Tower Street; current school entrance is on the South East overlooking a small green area and adjacent playground. The school is set behind a high brick boundary wall to the East side accessed via Bishop Street Without having a large rendered archway with a broken pediment with double-curved sides, and date stone of '1904' at apex topped by a painted ball finial, the tympanum contains traditional signage with the word 'Albert Market' within a moulded surround. Below the moulded projecting cornice the letters 'Longtower P.S' (with 'the letter P' missing) are attached to the walling, there is a pair of decorative iron gates within the square headed arch opening, the latter with chamfered corners; either side of archway on the brick boundary wall is a carved stone circular plaque; the school is enclosed by a high wall to the NE side and by a high boundary hedge to the West side; there is pedestrian access from the North West corner via a balustraded entrance to Long Tower Street containing a large pedimented classical Doric gateway, cement rendered with a complete entablature including triglyphs and metopes, within the semicircular arched opening is a decorative wrought iron gate. Located to the South East of St. Columba's Church, Long Tower Street (HB01/18/003).

Hipped slate roof having black clay ridge tiles and kneelered gables extending above the roof line with stone copings, original building has four two-stage rendered chimney stacks, centred on ridge with deep projecting cornices and buff clay pots to each; cast-iron rainwater goods with ogee guttering terminating to a circular cast-iron downpipes.

Principal elevation faces North West, seventeen bays wide, divided by a three-bay pedimented breakfront (former) entrance and three-bay pedimented projecting gabled wings at each end; pedimented entrance bay has the words 'St. Columba's Boys National School' engraved into the tympanum with entablature and moulded cornice below supported by a square and a circular column on pedestals to either side of a semicircular arched door opening with moulded surround to arch and decorative keystone. Door case contains a pair of raised-and-fielded five panel timber doors with integrated sidelights and glazing bars to fanlight above; semicircular arched window with moulded architrave to arch on a painted masonry sill between the square and circular column to each side; entrance is approached by a short flight of stone steps. Semicircular arch headed window bays have Georgian glazing bars to timber casement windows with open-able lower section and moulded architrave to arch with moulded keystone.

There are two large extension wings to the South East side of the four rear wings of the main building which form three small courtyards to well-lit classrooms within; extensions have a hipped slate roof and a large projecting gabled bay to the SE side, square headed timber 6/6 sliding sash windows with glazing bars on painted masonry sills, original raised-and-fielded painted four panel timber entrance door. Right side extension gabled bay has kneeler stones to the foot of coping and ball finial at apex, three bays wide with semicircular arched heads, central larger bay has a rendered surround and keystone having a 6/6 timber sliding sash window and a smaller window of the same style to either side on painted masonry sills; circular carved stone plaque above to apex is inscribed with the words 'St. Columba's Girls 1893'; left side extension gabled bay has detailing mirroring that of right side gabled bay, circular carved stone plaque to apex is inscribed with the words 'St. Columba's Boys 1914' with the lettering above and below spelling 'Longtower Primary School'.

Between the two extensions on the SE side is a small kneelered gabled entrance porch having a semicircular rendered arch and keystone over a square headed door opening, plain architrave timber surround to a pair of four-panel timber doors; above the rendered arch is a rectangular small sign board with the 'Main Entrance' written; stone inscribed plaque above with the words 'Long Tower Primary School 1988' engraved.

Setting:
Located to the South East of St. Columba's Church, Long Tower Street. Principal elevation faces North West overlooking a triangular graveyard set behind a low stone balustrated boundary wall with trees behind. Current main access is via large pedimented archway off Bishop Street Within.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast Iron
Walling Rendered
Windows Timber casements & Timber sliding sashes
Doors Timber

Historical information

The former Boys' School at Long Tower, a single-storey classical Georgian-style schoolhouse located on the grounds of St. Columba’s Church at Long Tower (HB01/18/003), was designed in 1912 and opened in 1914.

St. Columba’s Church was constructed in 1784-86 and was the first Roman Catholic Church to be constructed in the city following the Reformation. The first schoolhouse at the site (HB01/18/001) was constructed in c. 1825 and was incorporated into the National School System in the mid-19th century. Following the construction of the Gothic girls' school (HB01/18/002) in 1893, the original national school was utilised as a school for infants. The boys' school building was constructed only four years after the extension of St. Columba’s Church in 1908. The extension of the church was necessitated due to the growth of the congregation and was designed by the city’s most prominent Roman Catholic architect, Edward J. Toye (1857-1932).

The boys' school at Long Tower was designed by Daniel Conroy (c. 1867-1912), a local architect who practiced in the city from c. 1895. The UAHS guide for Derry records that ‘Conroy did not design many major buildings; the Long Tower Boy’s School and the Star Factory (HB01/17/004) are the only ones whose attribution is certain.’ The design of the schoolhouse at Long Tower was one of Conroy’s final contracts before his early death in 1912. His obituary in the Derry Journal noted that ‘the architectural profession has lost one of its ablest and most esteemed members … he possessed exceptional skill and generally high qualifications … and had a dowry of gifts beyond the common, indeed a young man of brilliant parts and as an artist in which relation he shone and was at his best, he might be said to have been a genius.’ Conroy designed the boys' school in a classical style (that contrasts with the neighbouring Gothic girls' school) and also designed the classical pedimented gateway which provided access to the school from Long Tower Street. Tenders were invited for the erection of the school in August 1912 but the date plaque at the site indicates that the school was not opened until 1914 (UAHS guide, p. 42; DIA).

Calley states that the school ‘makes an interesting comparison to the girl’s school … and demonstrates the swing from Gothic to Georgian Revival in only twenty years.’ The pedimented gateway at Long Tower Street possesses Doric columns and a wrought iron gate and was described by Calley as ‘one of the most attractive small architectural features in the city (Calley, p. 260). Upon its completion the boys' school was valued along with the adjoining church and infant’s school at £260. The building originally consisted of the classical and pedimented façade with four projecting wings to rear. The modern extensions and new classrooms surrounding the original building were not added until the 1980s. The value of the schoolhouse appears to have remained combined with the adjoining school throughout the First and Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern (1936-72).

In 1970 the UAHS guide for Derry described the boys' schoolhouse at Long Tower in the following terms: ‘The school itself is interesting only for its plan form, with main corridor with classrooms continuously on one side, and on the other single projecting classrooms forming three separate courts … the whole is typical of Conroy’s work, and finished entirely in rendering’ (UAHS guide, p. 42). The boy’s school was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was subsequently listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the modern school extensions and additional classrooms (located to the south and east sides of the original building) were erected in 1985. The boys' schoolhouse underwent an extensive renovation in 1988 that included the reslating of its roof in welsh slate, the installation of cast iron rainwater goods, the replacement of its sliding sash windows and the replacement of its timber floors (NIEA HB Records). During the Second Survey the former boy’s school continued to be utilised as part of Long Tower Primary School.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
3. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/19 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/3A-1C – Annual Revisions (1898-1929)
5. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
6. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
7. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
8. First Survey Record – HB01/18/004 (1970)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB01/18/004

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013 – including Londonderry Corporaton Map (1857).
2. Ferguson, W. S; Rowan, A. J; Tracey, J. J., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in and near the city of Derry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970.
3. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.
4. ‘Londonderry Historic City Conservation Area Booklet’ Department of the Environment, 1977.
5. ‘A Design Guide for the Historic City Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2012.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A single-storey rendered Georgian-style school house, built in 1912-14 to designs of Daniel Conroy and located to the South East of St Columba's Church, Long Tower Street (HB01/18/003). The principal elevation faces North West onto a triangular graveyard set behind a low balustraded stone boundary wall and is accessed via a pedimented classical Doric gateway to the North East corner of the site via a flight of steps leading from Long Tower Street. The school grounds can also be accessed from Bishop Street through the rendered Albert Market arch with its broken pediment and double-curved sides. Despite internal alterations, the exterior of the school building retains historic detailing including a large pedimented gabled entrance porch. The school is a significant architectural feature of the Long Tower setting and has group value with St Columba's Church (HB01/18/003) and St. Columba’s Girls’ School (HB01/18/002), located on the opposite side of Long Tower Street.