Former Parish School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A five bay wide, two storey, rubble stone built former school house. Red brick trimmed openings, natural slated roofs, gabled with chimneys, small entrance porch at west gable. Consists of two storey school house with a teacher’s dwelling attached which has its own entrance and a later extension to the rear. Bay at dwelling house entrance is built of rough, squared sandstone with a straight joint between it and adjoining masonry. The dwelling house entry has been altered and a small additional window added. Walls of school porch in are red brick. Remainder of walls are finished in smooth rendering. The original two storey school has chimney at each gable and was three bays wide.

The dwelling house was added with a 4th bay same depth as school but 5th bay is two bays deep at ground floor but only one bay deep at first floor. The dwelling house and school were extended in the 20th century with additions to the rear. The west gable has a window at ground and first floor centrally placed and though there is a gable chimney here there is no evidence of internal fireplaces. Windows are of wood of casement type, divided into four panes (may not be original design), with sandstone cills. There is a broad cement/concrete barge stone on the west gable. The slates are the large Bangor blue variety typical of those supplied by the Marquis of Waterford Estate.

The building is back some 20 or so metres from the Drumsurn Road and parallel to it. To the rear are the remains of the boundary walls to the school yard and the outside privies and a store. The site adjoining to the east would also appear to be part of the school and was either the school teacher’s garden or vegetable garden. At its north east corner is a stone built, slated small building perhaps a privy with access at each gable.

Historical information

Ordnance Survey Memoirs describes the school “Ardmore, master Joseph Whyle, Protestant, free and pay school, school house slated, cost 160 pounds…. Connected with Association for Discountenancing Vice, which gives 8 pounds and the rector 2 pounds. The remaining support is private. Parish School. Ardmore, mistress Jane Woods, Protestant, free and pay school, school house the upper apartment of the male school….. connected with the London Hibernian Society, which gives 3 pounds; Mrs Scott of the Glebe House gives 4 pounds, the remaining support is private.” There is a further reference in Ordnance Survey Memoirs “A school house adjacent to the church was erected in 1825 at an expense of 180 pounds. Of this sum, 50 pounds was contributed by the Lord Lieutenant, 1 pound 10s by 2 neighbouring farmers and the remainder by the Rev George Scott, incumbent. There is attached to this house 1 acre of land”. School replaced by adjacent school (HB02/08/011) in the 1930s.

References:
0S Memoirs of Ireland 1835 Volume 9

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An early example of two storey, two classroom school with later teacher’s residence added, soundly built of random rubble stonework with red brick trims and slated roof. Part of school at later date ( late c1930s ) incorporated into residence. School yard retained with outside privy though overgrown. Does not merit listing.