Moyle District Council Offices

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A former secondary school building converted to offices and leisure centre and consisting of 1 and 2 storey blocks with flat roofs.

The L plan building fronts onto Mary Street with a central entrance on NE façade. To the right of the entrance hall a 2 storey classroom block converted to offices. To the left a former assembly hall come gymnasium converted to leisure facilities. To the rear a single storey practical wing converted to back-up leisure activities. There are 2 shorter 2 storey wings providing office accommodation.

The wall entrance screen with glazed doors has a floor to ceiling window divided into 15 panes. The offices block to the right which is 10 bays long has a series of windows at ground and first floor some divided into 9 panes, other 6 panes in typical school fenestration. To the left a former assembly hall 5 bays long, each bay divided into 9 large square panes and beyond that a staircase with 2 blank walls and one glazed. The NE elevation is the only well organised elevation and the others are a conglomeration of smaller projecting blocks.

The walls are finished in smooth rendering, reconstructed stone and concrete bricks. The eaves of the flat roofs. The grid structure of the building is precast concrete not unlike the Orlit form of structure.

The façade looking NE enjoys a marvellous panorama of sea, island, bold headland and distant view of the Scottish coastline.

Historical information

These offices and recreation centre of the Moyle District Council were formerly St Mary’s Intermediate School and designed and built in 1954-7 and would be among the early secondary intermediate schools introduced by the Education Act of 1947. The need for quick erection and to meet the demands of a large building programme attracted specialist construction such as Orlit Ltd, who produced precast concrete structural system with insitu concrete joints, precast concrete roofs, cladding etc. In the reorganising of secondary schools in the Ballycastle area in the late 1970s St Mary’s became redundant and was purchased by the Moyle District Council in c1980s. A successful change of use.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1972 (1:1250) Antrim 8-8 SE-3
2. Notes : 1st Survey EHS Hill St. Belfast

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A competent secondary school building of the c1950s which presents an orderly elevation in a clean modern style to Mary Street. Unfortunately the other elevations are untidy and haphazard. It is unrelieved modern style presents a relatively boring form to an attractive panorama of Ballycastle Bay and promenade