70 Ballyrashane Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached asymmetrical multi-bay single-storey-with-attic, former Victorian school, built in the Arts and Crafts style c.1897. Rectangular on plan and punctuated by breakfront gabled bays and wall-head attic dormers to long axes. Located on the north side of Ballyrashane Road, the building previously functioned as a school until the mid-late 20th century when it was altered for use as a church hall. In recent decades the building has been extensively remodelled for use as a private dwelling.

Steeply pitched slate roof with angled terracotta ridge-tiles; two brick chimneys with multiple terracotta pots to far-west and west-of-centre; third large brick chimney projects from north wall, east-of-centre, breaking through eaves. Ridge also punctuated by metal-clad square-base pointed lantern having curved and slated lower proportions, merging with those of main roof. Modern skylights to north. Ogee uPVC rainwater goods to overhanging eaves, mounted on exposed rafter-tails; plain timber fascia to gables. Walling is unpainted roughcast with red-brick quoins. Windows have plain architraves, red-brick camber-arches over and projecting, largely concrete or reconstituted-stone sills. Windows are generally replacement (like-for-like) timber casements; 6/6 to attic and 8/2 to ground floor.

Principal elevation faces south, eight openings wide across ground floor and three to attic (west-of-centre). Right-of-centre contains single window to attic dormer and three below; left-of-centre has advancing gabled bay with window to attic and large window to ground floor; both cheeks are blank. Far-right has single-storey gabled advancing bay with 8/1 window to centre; cheeks are blank and remaining elevation to right has a 8/2 window. Far-left side has a window to attic dormer over a large 12/2 window, with a four-panelled replacement timber door to right having a four-light transom above.

West gable is blank.

North elevation dominated by two replacement windows to centre with projecting slated timber-framed mono-pitched canopy over, supported on squared timber posts. Timber sheeted half-door to right having a four-pane glazing insert to upper half and vertical pairs of 6-pane casements to each side. Far right-bay recessed with two multi-pane casements to left. Advancing full-height gabled bay to left-of-centre (with minimal brick detailing); 12/3 casement over replacement double-leaf six-panelled door with narrow plain glass timber casement to right; similar narrow casement to right cheek and 8/1 casement to left-cheek. Remainder of north elevation to far left is blank.

East gable contains a large timber-panelled and glazed patio door (late 20th century); double-leaf door to centre with each leaf having glazed upper half with margin lights; corresponding transoms above and matching leafs to outer sides.

Setting

Located to the north-east of Coleraine on a prominent corner site at the junction of the main Ballyrashane Road and Creamery Road. The south and east perimeter is bounded by a squared rock-faced black-stone capped wall which is pierced to the south by a modern metal pedestrian gate; mature trees bound to the north. Primary access is via a pair of circular, stone capped piers supporting cast-iron gates. A bitumen drive leads to a yard at the north side which also contains a monopitched roughcast outbuilding (garage) having double leaf timber sheeted doors and multi-pane metal frame windows. A concrete/paved path encircles the perimeter of the house, with planted lawns to the east and west; the majority of elevations have some ivy growth. A modern house is located to the west of the site and Ballyrashane Presbyterian church to the south-east.

Roof Slate
RWG Replacement uPVC
Walling Roughcast
Windows Replacement timber casement

Historical information

The current dwelling house was built as Ballyrashane School in 1897 by Ballyrashane Presbyterian church and is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1904 captioned ‘School’.

The school was entered into valuation records in 1897 at £10 and 15s for the associated garden. Valuer’s notes show that the structure to the left was the teacher’s house, while the school was to the right. To the rear, adjoining the schoolhouse was a sexton’s house (now gone) and a schoolyard covered with corrugated iron. The first teacher at the school was John McDowell, followed in 1926 by Miss E J McIvor. Census records show that John McDowell of County Down lived at the house with his wife Agnes and their three young sons employing 18-year-old Jane McNeill as a nursemaid for the children. By 1911 two daughters had been added to the family (1901, 1911 census).

Valuer’s notes of the 1930s list the accommodation in the teacher’s house as three bedrooms, two receptions, a kitchen and two pantries but comments that all the rooms were small. The dwelling obtained water from the pump in the school yard and the house was lit by oil lamps and had a dry privy. The occupier was able to avail of a grass tennis court, however. The sexton’s house comprised a reception and kitchen with two bedrooms on the first floor and the rent for the one and a half storey dwelling was 1s per week.

The school building itself comprised main and small classrooms, a cloakroom, a pump in the yard, a dry privy and a coal store. This part of the building was also lit by oil lamps. Numbers of pupils on the register were 77 but the building had capacity for 97.

A new school was built in 1955 and the former Presbyterian church school was used as a hall for a period before being converted into a dwelling house in recent years.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/8/1 First Edition OS Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/8/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-53
3. PRONI OS/6/5/8/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/8/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1922-3
5. PRONI OS/6/5/8/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1950
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/14A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/P/3 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. Griffith’s Valuation online
10. 1901/11 census

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An asymmetrical, detached single-storey-with-attic former Victorian schoolhouse, built c.1897 in a style influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Functioning as a church hall during the late 20th century, the building has been extensively modified in recent decades for use as a private dwelling. Following the substantial alterations to form, layout and internal fabric, the building is not considered of special architectural or historical interest.