Former Strabane Technical College,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey Technical college, built 1937, located to the east side of Derry Road with Art Deco influences . U-shaped plan around court with lower two-storey extensions to interior of court; one-and-a-half-storey hall to east abutted at north and south by single-storey extensions.

Roof is hipped natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles; red brick chimneys; rendered parapet wall to principal west elevation. Walls are red brick laid in English garden wall bond over smooth rendered plinth with painted rusticated quoins, smooth moulded string course at first floor level and plain rendered frieze to eaves. Steel rainwater goods including ogee-moulded guttering and box-hoppers with geometric motif. Window openings are square-headed with replacement aluminium casement windows and painted concrete sills.

Principal west elevation with a central projecting breakfront containing principal entrance and surmounted by an oversized Art Deco stepped pediment. Square-headed entrance opening accessed via concrete steps with rendered retaining wall and terminating ball finials; timber-panelled double-leaf doors surmounted by transom light; flanked by smooth rendered pilasters and surmounted by closed pediment supported on Art-deco style rendered brackets; single window at right and left with four windows to first floor. Plain rendered frieze to eaves level has projecting string course with raised parapet having felt covering. The central breakfront is surmounted by a painted concrete stepped pediment containing a square-faced clock (with glazing) flanked by a pair of Art-Deco console brackets. The pediment is surmounted by a further central stepped corbel with felt covering. To either side is a plinth block with concrete ball finial.

North elevation is fourteen windows wide with regularly spaced windows on two floors separated by a painted string course.

South elevation is thirteen windows wide and detailed as the North.

East elevation is abutted by various flat-roofed single and two-storey rendered structures and a central five-bay one-and-a-half storey rendered hall with hipped slate roof, rusticated quoins, painted rendered walling and round-headed window and door openings with uPVC windows and doors.

The internal elevations of the U are rendered with regularly spaced windows and are largely intact. Within the U shaped courtyard there is a symetrically arranged flat roofed toilet and cloakroom block detailed as the rest of the internal elevations.

Principal entrance from Derry Road is aligned with the front entrance and has a pair of red brick piers with rendered quoins, cement capstones and ball finials with steel gates.

To the right of the entrance is a single-storey former caretaker's house built in the same style as the college. It is square-plan with pitched natural slate roof, terracotta roll-moulded ridge tiles and plastic rainwater goods (cast-iron to rear). A painted rendered parapet wall rises to form a rendered gable to both north and south elevations, while the road-fronted west elevation contains a two-bay breakfront with a raised Art-Deco style concrete pediment with central stepped corbel and flanked by a pair of cement ball finials. Gold lettering is applied to the west and north gables stating… 'The Old Schoolhouse'. Red brick walling laid in English garden wall bond with painted cement rusticated quoins and projecting string course to eaves level. Square-headed window openings with painted concrete lintels and sills and uPVC windows with timber shutters. Square-headed door opening to north elevation with four-panelled timber door, rectangular overlight and flanked by rendered pilasters and plinth blocks with a projecting cement pediment supported on Art-Deco console brackets. Door opens onto concrete disabled access ramp with steel railing.

Site bounded from road at west by low roughcast wall with coping and to rear with large open grassed sports grounds.

Two lightweight construction classroom blocks have been constructed in 2010 at the rear of the college.

Roof Natural slate, terracotta ridge tiles
Walls English garden wall bonded red clay brick
Windows Aluminium casements
Rainwater goods Iron ogee profile gutters and round downpipes

Historical information

The ‘Technical School’ first appears, captioned, on the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map of 1951.

Valuation records of 1936 list the ‘Technical School’ in course of erection as a site owned by the Strabane Regional Education Committee. “Building is in early stage of erection and will not be near completion till June or July 1937”. The valuation is £35, later raised to £57. In 1938/9 the building is listed as exempt.

A brass plaque in the entrace hall reads: 'Strabane New Technical School. This Technical School was opened on 15th September 1937 by Lady Herdman. The following took part in the opening ceremony. Captain J C Herdman D.L. Chairman Strabane and Castlederg Regional Education Committee. Very Rev. Edward Clarke M.A. D.D. Chairman Technical School Committee of Management Thomas J Carroll Principal Technical School Strabane.'

On 30th November 1937 the ‘caretaker’s house’ to the front of the school is listed as ‘newly erected’ and is valued at £15 later reduced to £12. The occupier is Henry Donaghy, later changed to Elizabeth Montgomery and then Kathleen Reid. The house comprises a kitchen, scullery, [pantry], sitting room, two bedrooms, a bath and W.C. There is a small yard with an open store for coals. It is of brick with stone quoins and slated. Valuers comment, “Caretaker’s house excellently planned and constructed and in good situation within the curtilage of the school” and “Solidly built house, rather ornamental exterior, interior is fair.”

Kennedy sets out some of the history and personalities associated with the school, “From the early 1920s technical education had been available at the Technical School at Upper Main Street…for some years under Miss Galvan, the Principal. In 1927 Mr T. J. O’Carroll succeeded her as Principal. He is well remembered as a great teacher and strict disciplinarian who used the phrase ‘d’ye see? d’ye follow?’ Under his dynamic and inspired leadership the enrolment of the school increased and soon it became necessary to find and develop another site. In 1937 the new Technical School was opened on spacious grounds at Derry Road. This school offered basic technical subjects, woodwork, engineering, commerce and domestic science, at both day and night classes. A modern gymnasium, the first in Strabane, was erected at the rear of the building, adjacent to the new playing fields. In 1942 Mr T.J. Carroll was dismissed by the Strabane and Castlederg Regional Educational committee, after attempting to set up a Gaelic language class in the school. He was succeeded as principal by Mr Sam Rainey. In 1972 the Technical School came under the management of the Western Education and Library Board and Mr Sean Diamond was appointed Principal. Classes continue on this campus, although in 1988 it was incorporated into the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education.” (p.61-2)

Two lightweight construction classroom blocks have been constructed in 2010 at the rear of the college.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/5/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1951)
2. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/9A/9 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Kennedy, Michael G. “By the Banks of the Mourne: A History of Strabane.” Strabane, Co. Tyrone: Strabane Historical Society, 1996.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A large two storey purpose-built Technical School executed in a free style with distinctive Art Deco elements complete with matching former caretaker's house now used as a restaurant. The simple repetitive elevations are enlivened on the principal elevation facing Derry Road with an oversized Art Deco pediment and stylised neo-classical doorcase, and by the hipped roof former gynnasium block at the rear. This school, one of the few significant historic buildings remaining in Strabane town, is a landmark on the Derry Road, and it has considerable social history for the local community.