North West Regional College, 10 Derry Road, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 8DX

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached four-bay two-storey stone former house, built c.1880, facing east on the west side of Derry Road. T-shaped on plan, with a lean-to section to rear and a former coach-house to an enclosed yard to the northwest.

Pitched artificial slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and yellow brick chimneystacks to all gables with clay pots. Decorative timber barge-boards (possibly replacement) with finials to all gables and timber lined eaves. Replacement metal guttering to eaves with rafter feet visible and replacement metal downpipes.

Walling is rough-hewn limestone roughly coursed with a rubble-stone plinth and sandstone off-set. Walls formerly rough-cast rendered, with dressed sandstone ashlar to quoins and all openings. (Rough-cast render remains to first floor of rear west gable).

Windows are segmental-headed with dressed sandstone ashlar surrounds, keystones and sills and single-pane timber sash windows with convex horns (some upper sashes have a single glazing bar).

Front east elevation comprises a two-bay two-storey advanced gable to the left and a two-bay two-storey section set back to the right. To the inner corner is a segmental-headed front entrance, with surround matching that to the windows. Replacement timber panelled door and original glazed overlight, opening onto a concrete platform. An original bronze foliate door bell is set in the stone door surround.

South side elevation is four bays wide with an off-centre single-bay gabled projection having a segmental-headed door opening to the right cheek. Replacement timber panelled door and original glazed overlight opening onto a concrete platform.

West rear elevation comprises a two-bay two-storey advanced gable to the right with a further two-bay section to the left with a single-storey lean-to to an enclosed yard.

North side elevation comprises a single large gable with three windows to the ground floor, two windows to the first floor and a single window to attic level. This elevation is abutted by a tall rubble-stone wall with a pair of stone piers supporting steel gates giving access to the former coach-house to a small yard.

Setting:
Set back from the road within its own grounds enclosed from the road by a low rubble-stone wall with stacked coping and a pair of piers supporting a pair of replacement gates. Bitmac short drive and large parking area to the south.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Rough-hewn limestone / dressed sandstone
Windows Timber sash
RWG Replacement metal

Historical information

The building is first shown on the third edition of the OS Map in 1905, captioned “Strabane Academy;” in the subsequent OS Map edition of 1951, it is captioned “Academy Boys Primary School.”
In 1883, “Strabane Academy” is added to the Valuation Revisions (1860-1931), which revises the occupier to Amos Kerr in 1885, and the property is described as a “school house and land” valued at £28 and leased from the Duke of Abercorn.

Further historical information submitted by Strabane History society : The Academy, as it was known locally, was set up by a number of leading business men and professional people in the late 19th century. They leased a plot of land on the Derry Road from the Duke of Abercorn, the Academy was set up as a “finishing school” to provide a more complete education for those students intending to progress to higher education through the growing grammar school movement. The first principal in 1895 was Mr Aeneus Kerr and the main subjects in the curriculum were Greek, Latin, English, French and Mathematics. It was a fee paying school and pupils were entered for the entrance examination for the Belfast Grammar Schools such as Methodist College and Belfast Institute. The local press published names of those who had been successful. It was non-denominational and sought to bridge the gap between what the local primary schools could offer and what was required to progress to higher education.
Changing demographics and the institution of free grammar school education from 1948 made the role of the academy more difficult to sustain. It closed in 1964, following the opening of the new secondary school, the outgoing principal, Mr Sam Stirling became principal of the new amalgamated primary school.
Since closing the building has been used as a centre for educational administration and local meetings.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/5/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/5/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/5/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4. PRONI VAL/12/E/187/1/2 -Valuation Revision Map (1874-1908)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/31A-M -Valuation Revisions (1860-1931)

Secondary Sources

1. Strabane History Society

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Former Strabane Academy, as it was known locally, was set up by a number of leading business men and professional people in the late 19th century. They leased a plot of land on the Derry Road from the Duke of Abercorn, the Academy was set up as a “finishing school” to provide a more complete education for those students intending to progress to higher education through the growing grammar school movement.
A stone building, of local interest, formerly rendered and in 2009 used as a music school. Whilst the overall composition remains intact with some internal features remaining, alterations and layout changes have reduced its architectural interest.