St Augustine's School (Church Hall), Palace Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Late-Victorian two-storey red brick Tudor-Revival-style former school building built in 1884, architect not known. Set on the edge of a triangular site on the west side of the city walls. Principal elevation faces east onto Palace Street, bounded by No.8 Palace Street to the south and St. Augustine's Church to the north.

Pitched natural slate roof (half-hipped to west) with black clay ridge tiles and a ventilation cupola centred on ridge to the west with paired louvred depressed gothic openings to each face surmounted by a leaded pyramidal roof with cast-iron finial. A tall red brick chimney stack rises from the south side with a further red brick chimney stack at the junction with No.8 Palace Street.

Principal (east) gable elevation is of red brick laid in 'English garden wall bond' with stone dressings. Principal entrance door opening to far left comprises ashlar stone chamfered surround with a depressed gothic arch surmounted by a moulded stone gothic ogee arch hood mould with foliate finial above. The recessed shouldered doorway has a plain timber architrave surround to a pair of diagonally sheeted timber double-leaf doors. Stone tympanum has a central blind circular detail flanked on each side by a small blind trefoil detail. To right of door is a pair of 6/4 timber sliding sash windows with shallow pointed heads, chamfered surrounds and chamfered non-projecting stone cills (window to left is centred on the ridge). Three centrally grouped 6/6 timber sliding sash windows (smaller top sash) to first floor with window openings detailed as per the ground floor windows. Central and right-hand-side windows are aligned over ground floor windows. Stone inset above first floor windows is inscribed, 'S. Augustine' Schools'. Wide decorative timber barge boards with decorative half-timber treatment between raised timber tie and apex. Gable is surmounted by a decorative metal finial.
Red brick buttresses with kneeler stones, rising to first floor sill level to either side of gable end (that to left is parallel, that to right is perpendicular).

South elevation is abutted to far right by No.8 Palace Street (HB01/19/082) and by a modern two-storey extension with a corrugated metal roof to far left (of little historic interest); first floor of exposed section is blank, ground floor not viewed at time of survey.

West elevation is ruled-and-lined cement rendered with red brick dressings to openings and a red brick string-course to mid-point of first floor windows. Central paired multi-pane timber casement windows to first floor with operable top sections set within chamfered surrounds with shallow pointed heads. A masonry transom dressed in lead divides the top and bottom sections. Ground floor far left is abutted by a high cement rendered boundary wall with pointed concrete capping. Ground floor not viewed at time of survey.

North elevation is ruled-and-lined cement rendered with red brick dressings to openings. The first floor is six openings wide with openings grouped in pairs. Far left opening is a modern flush fire exit door and is accessed from the left via an exterior metal staircase. The remaining first floor openings have multi-pane timber casement windows. First floor far left bay has a decorative stepped red brick panel which appears to be the remains of a wall-headed chimney.
Ground floor has a vertically sheeted timber door to far right with a shallow pointed head and red brick surround. The door is flanked to left by a small 4/4 pane casement window. Far left opening has an 8/12 pane casement window directly below the first floor fire door (left reveal of window aligned with left reveal of door). Three further ground floor openings are aligned with the first floor openings and have 6/6 timber sliding sash windows with horns.

Setting:
Located within the Historic City Walls and set on the edge of a triangular site bounded by No.8 Palace Street (HB01/19/082) to the south and St. Augustine's Church (HB01/19/012A) to the north. Principal elevation faces east onto Palace Street, set behind a low red brick wall with stone coping and decorative painted metal railings above; metal decorative gate entrance to right side of east elevation with metal arch over.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast Iron
Walling Red brick with stone dressings/Cement render
Windows Timber

Historical information

St. Augustine’s Church Hall, a two-storey red brick former schoolhouse located between St. Augustine’s Church (HB01/19/012A) and No. 8 Palace Street (HB01/19/082), was constructed in 1884. The adjoining church had been constructed in 1871-72 to designs by John Guy Ferguson. The official architect to the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe from 1868, Ferguson designed the current church building in a 13th century medieval style. The new church was built on the foundations of a previous 18th century church and was consecrated on 11th June 1872.

In 1834 the Townland Valuations town plan recorded that the current site of the church hall was originally occupied by the stable to the adjoining No. 8 Palace Street. In 1884 the neighbouring cottage and its outbuilding were acquired by the Lord Bishop of Derry and the stable was subsequently demolished in order to make way for the construction of St. Augustine’s Schools which proceeded immediately. The current red brick Tudor-style schoolhouse was erected in 1884, raising the value of the church to £100 at which it remained during the First Revaluation in 1935.

The architect of St. Augustine’s Schools is not known with certainty and is not recorded in any of the major surveys of Londonderry’s historic buildings. It is possible that, as official architect to the Church of Ireland, John Guy Ferguson returned to St. Augustine’s Church in order to design the schoolhouse. It is more likely that the Tudor-Revival-style building was designed by Joseph Ballantine, a local architect and builder who was active in the late-19th century and possessed business premises on the Strand Road. Ballantine also designed the similar Arts-and-Crafts red brick terrace at St. Columb’s Court (HB01/19/007B-007F) which shares a Tudor character with the school (and also West End Park which may be another of his designs). St. Augustine’s Schools was recorded on the Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910) which depicted the hall along its current layout suggesting no major structural change to the building since the late-19th century (UTD; DIA).

The church school also consisted of a caretaker’s residence and the Derry Almanac records that a caretaker lived at the site until at least the mid-20th century.
The single-storey hall (possessing a corrugated iron roof) located to the rear of the schoolhouse, was constructed in c.1969 and resulted in the total value of the site being increased to £272 by the end of the Second General revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72). St. Augustine’s Church was listed in 1976. The adjoining St. Augustine’s Schools is now used as a church hall and was incorporated into the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/14 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/547A-F – Townland Valuations (1831)
3. PRONI VAL/1/D/5/9B – Townland Valuation Map (1834)
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/11 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
9. First Survey Record – HB01/19/012 (1970)
10. Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Palace Street)

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
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. Ó Baoill, R., ‘Island city: The archaeology of Derry – Londonderry’ Belfast: Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 2013.
4. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/
2. St. Augustine’s Church website - http://www.saintaugustines.co.uk/index.php/our-history

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A late-Victorian two-storey red brick Tudor-Revival-style former school built in 1884 and currently used as the hall for the neighbouring St. Augustine’s Church (HB01/19/012A). It is located in a fine setting within the City walls and on the south side of the church grounds. The principal elevation of the church hall faces east onto Palace Street and is bounded by No.8 Palace Street (HB01/19/082) to the south and St. Augustine's Church (HB01/19/012A) to the north. Although some alterations have occurred, its character remains relatively intact, in particular the brick and stone detailing to the front elevation. It is of local historical and social significance as a former school and current use as a hall to the historic St. Augustine’s Church with which it has group value.