Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School, Newtownkennedy/ Springhill, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82 8NQ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large modern style two and three-storey school complex built in 1958-59 to designs by Corr & McCormick and extended to the south side in 1981-82. The school is set off the north side of Newtownkennedy / Springhill.

The school consists two long flat-roofed blocks, one two-storey, the other three-storey set roughly on a N-S axis, with a smaller two-storey gabled block located to the W of these. All of these blocks are set parallel to each other and linked by means of single and three-storey corridors / stairwells. To the S of these are two large square three-storey flat-roofed blocks, added to the site in 1981-82, and to the S again a much lower freestanding gabled block, which appears to have been part of the original complex.

The larger of the original blocks to the N have long rows of glazing to their upper floors with some timber cladding set between each floor level. Their end walls finished in painted roughcast and their tall recessed bases are finished in plain painted render. The gabled two-storey block to the W of these has a more even window to wall ratio, with rows of relatively small windows to the S end. There are some flat-roofed projections to the N and S ends of this block, those to the N timber-clad.

The two square block extensions to the S have a more utilitarian appearance with unpainted roughcast and rendered walls with a series of large windows to the W elevation of the block to the W.

Historical information

This school, originally ‘Our Lady of Mercy Girls Voluntary Intermediate’, was built in 1958-59 by the nuns of the neighbouring Convent of Mercy. Designed by the firm of Corr & McCormick and built at a cost £145,000, it was officially opened on 6 February 1960 by Bishop Farren. The school originally catered for 600 pupils.

References- Primary sources
1 EHS OS map (1:10,000 scale), sheet 72 (1983)

Secondary sources
1 Bradley, Jim, et al, ‘The Fair River Valley: Strabane Through the Ages’ (Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2000)
2 Information supplied by the staff of Our Lady of Mercy High School (November 2004)

Other
references
1 EHS HB10/14/028 First Survey report (c.1992)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large modern style two and three-storey school complex built in 1958-59 to designs by Corr & McCormick and extended to the south side in 1981-82. An intersting example of the International Style but not of listable quality.