Lisnascreghog School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The building has been demolished and a modern two-storey dwelling built on the site. The first survey description reads: "A three bay building, roughcast and whitened with plain raised surrounds to multi-paned windows. There is a semi-circular headed window in west gable and small gabled porch projects on E. gable. Occupies centre of "Lisnascreghog" rath. The roof is slated there is one chimney on W. gable. Dressings to extremities. Now used as dwelling".

Historical information

‘Lisnascreghog School’ was demolished in the late 1970s. (HB file) The former school is shown captioned ‘School Ho[use]’ on the first edition OS map of 1831-2. The rectangular structure is situated in the centre of a rath, which formed the school playground and the Townland Valuation (1828-40) lists the school house at £2.6s and 6s.6d for the small amount of land. In the 1830s the fort was known as ‘Lisnacreagh’ and this was also the name of the schoolhouse, as described in OS Memoirs.

The school was built in 1826 by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers and the Kildare Street Society with parishioners assisting with some of the labouring work. The east gable bore a stone with the inscription ‘GVS 1826’. These are the initials of the Rev George Vaughan Sampson who was instrumental in having the school built. Rev Sampson’s father, also Rev George Vaughan Sampson and rector of the parish, was the author of the ‘Statistical Survey of the County of Londonderry’. (OS Memoirs)

The one-storey slated school house is described in some detail in the Memoirs. The building was 33 feet by 18 feet 3 inches, with one door and seven windows. Its income was received from a number of sources: from the Education Board £12, from the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers £6 and pupils contributed £1. All but one of the 122 pupils were Catholic, as was the master Patrick McNichol and the school was visited by the local Catholic clergy with the catechism taught on Saturdays. All ages of pupils were taught and 21 of the pupils were over 15, but only 40 of the total number were female. (OS Memoirs)

The rath forming an enclosure round the school was an ancient feature of interest to the late Georgians and is described in the OS Memoirs. The fort ‘stands on an eminence and is enclosed by a moat and three parapets. The third or outside parapet is faced with stones and thorn quicks. The moat and middle parapet is planted with various kinds of forest trees.’ (OS Memoirs)

The second edition OS map of 1853 shows the building captioned ‘Lisnascreghog National School’ and the school-house, garden and playground are valued at ££2.5s and leased from the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. No further changes are recorded in Annual Revisions.

The school and playing field were revalued in the 1930s at £8 and a plan is given in the associated valuer’s notes showing the schoolhouse, consisting of a single room with porch, and two external privys on each side. The school building was said to be ‘in a fair state of repair’.

The building was listed in 1977 at which point it had been converted for use as a dwelling house. Shortly afterwards, in 1979, permission was given for it to be demolished and replaced with a newly-built dwelling house. (HB file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/26/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/5/26/2 Second Edition OS map 1853
3. PRONI OS/6/5/26/3 Third Edition OS Map 1905
4. PRONI OS/6/5/26/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1925-7
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/56 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/19A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/3 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/U/4 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. HB file – 03/02/028

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A., P. McWilliams, English L., eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Londonderry VIII, 1830, 1833-7, 1839, Vol. 27.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Lisnascreghog School was built in 1826 by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers and the Kildare Street Society with parishioners assisting with some of the labouring work. The east gable bore a stone with the inscription ‘GVS 1826’. These are the initials of the Rev George Vaughan Sampson who was instrumental in having the school built. The building has demolished in the late 1970's and a modern two-storey dwelling built on the site.