Scholar's Bar/Primary One

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached three-bay single-storey gable-fronted rendered former National school, dated 1868. Rectangular on plan, facing south set back from the road within its own triangular-shaped site at the junction of Castlefinn Road and Kilclean Road.

Pitched artificial slate roof, synthetic ridge tiles, lead valleys and a single stone ashlar chimneystack to the rear. Replacement timber box fascia to the pair of gables with relacement metal rainwater goods and two pairs of stone corbels to both gables at eaves level. Painted ruled-and-lined render walling and smooth render plinth course. Square-headed window openings with masonry sills and single-pane timber sash windows.

Symmetrical three-bay front elevation with pair of slightly advanced gables and principal entrance to the centre. Fluted render corner pilasters flank both gables with a tripartite window opening to each gable formed in stop-chamfered stone surrounds and flush stone relieving arch above. Within the relieving arch is an oculus opening with plate tracery windows. Pointed-arched central door opening formed in chamfered stone surround with shouldered stone lintel and inscribed stone plaque to the tympanum…'CASTLEDERG, NATIONAL SCHOOLS, ERECTED, 1868', and pair of painted diagonally-sheeted timber doors opening onto concrete universal access ramp.

West side elevation has a single window opening and a single door opening with replacement hardwood panelled door opening onto concrete universal access ramp.

Rear elevation is obscured by single-storey extension which now connects both school buildings, built c.1980.
East side elevation is three windows wide.

Boys' School to the rear, built c.1897, is largely obscured by the late twentieth-century extensions with its decorative rafter feet to the eaves constituting the only remaining original feature.

Roof Pitched artificial slate
Walling Painted ruled-and-lined render
Windows Single-pane timber sash
Rainwater goods Replacement metal

Historical information

The ‘Schools’are first shown, captioned, on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1905 captioned. On the fourth edition (1939) they are captioned public elementary schools.

A ‘National Schoolhouse’ is first entered into Annual Revisions in 1870, replacing a ‘site of schoolhouse’ dated 1869. The land is leased from John G Smyly and the building is valued at £9.10s and 10s for the schoolyard.

The Catholic schoolhouse that was built in 1868 eventually became the girls’ school when a boys’ school was built behind it, to the north, in 1897. Father James Connolly, parish priest of Urney, had the school built and the first principal was Peter O’Neill. (Donnelly, p.116)

After 1934 the occupiers are the Trustees of Castlederg Public Elementary School who lease the school from C F Smyly. The valuation is raised from £10 to £45. There is accommodation for 235 pupils and 224 pupils on the roll. The accompanying plan and dimensions show a school building with cloak rooms, porch, and fuel store to the rear, together with a separate W.C. A further school building (the boys’ school) to the north has an outdoor earth closet.

A photograph of the school dating from c.1900-20 is held at PRONI.

National Schools were initiated in Ireland as an early form of ‘integrated’ education, “In 1831 the National School system was established to provide primary education for the poor. Under the terms of the ‘Stanley letter’ ( so called after its author Lord Edward Stanley, the Irish chief secretary), a Board of Commissioners of National Education was empowered to distribute funds for the building of schools, employing of inspectors, training of teachers and providing grants for school requisites. Applications for aid to the board had to be made by local school patrons and, as the aim of the board was to encourage religious harmony, and the ‘mixed education’ of Catholic and Protestant children, it looked with ‘peculiar favour’ on ‘mixed’ applications. Religious instruction was taught separately from moral and secular instruction and strict rules to avoid religious proselytism were laid down. Despite opposition from, and distrust among the churches, the National School system developed steadily through the century, albeit, after the 1830s, with each religious denomination applying for its own schools.

By 1900 there were 8,684 National Schools in existence, and the illiteracy rate in Ireland dropped from 51 per cent in 1841 to 14 per cent in 1901. The Powis Commission (1870) on primary education in Ireland recognised that though de jure the National School system was non-denominational, de facto it had become a denominational one.” (McCormack, p.191)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/16/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1905)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/16/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1939)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/35/6A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1924)
4. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/1E/3 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)
5. PRONI VAL/3/G/138/2 – First General Revaluation Town Plan
6. PRONI D/1422/B/23/8 – Photograph of National School, Castlederg (1900-20)

Secondary Sources

1. Donnelly, T. Philip. “A History of the Parish of Ardstraw West and Castlederg.” Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Mourne Art Printing Co.,
Market Square, 1978.
2. McCormack, W.J. “The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture”, Blackwell, 2001

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three-bay single-story gable fronted former National School, dated 1868. Positioned at the convergence of five roads, this building occupies a prominent site and is considered a local landmark. Whilst the external character of the Girls' School remains largely intact both these former schools have had most internal fabric and detailing removed and a large extension has been added to form a public bar complex thus degrading their overall historic character.