Former Primary School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey former primary school, built c. 1890, located to the south side of St Dympna’s Road, Dromore. Rectangular-on-plan aligned east-west.

Roofs are natural slate with blue/black ridge tiles, corbelled eaves supporting u-profile replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Walls are smooth rendered with stepped tooled quoins and projecting plinth. Square-headed replacement uPVC windows at ground floor; original 3/6 timber casements at first floor, with projecting stone cills unless otherwise stated (windows at ground floor protected by metal grilles).

Principal elevation is seven windows wide and faces south; from left, two windows with door at right followed by further three windows with door at right; both doors are replacement uPVC with transom light over; seven windows at first floor.

West gable is blank.

Rear elevation contains four windows at ground floor; (two at right are divided by stairwell with wrought-iron railing. Three windows at first floor (central diminished); square-headed timber sheeted door at right.

East gable is abutted by enclosed masonry stairwell with stone steps and wrought-iron railing; accessing square-headed timber sheeted door at first floor, right. Door contains metal signage detail which reads ‘ST MACARTAN’S /CO-OPERATIVE/ HOME INDUSTRIES SOCIETY,/ LTD.’

Setting

The former primary school is set adjacent to St Dympna’s RC church (HB11/03/001A) at west. The building is enclosed to north by high random rubble walling and gates at east gable.

The site is accessed at east via adjacent car park; accessed from St Dympna’s Road via wrought-iron gates supported by square smooth rendered piers with pyramidal coping.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Smooth render with stepped quoins and plinth.
Windows Replacement uPVC at ground floor; 3/6 timber casements at first floor
RWG uPVC

Historical information

The school first appears on the third edition OS map of 1905-6 captioned ‘Dromore School’ in the grounds of St Dympna’s RC Church (HB11.03.013A). On the fourth edition of 1938 it is captioned ‘Dromore P.E. School’.

The school is noted in the records in 1889 as a ‘National School House' and valued at £16.

St Dympna’s church had been built in 1883 and it is possible that the school was constructed at the same time. The cost is estimated in the record at £800. In 1933 the school’s value is increased to £40 and it is described as ‘Aghadarragh Public Elementary School’. It has accommodation for 140 pupils and there are 119 on the roll. A plan and dimensions are given.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/50/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/6/50/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1853
3. PRONI OS/6/6/50/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1905-6
4. PRONI OS/6/6/50/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1938
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/16A – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/8X/1 – Valuers RV Binders (1933-57)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached multi-bay two-storey former primary school, built c. 1890, located to the south side of St Dympna’s Road, Dromore. Largely intact in terms of massing and proportion, this school is unusual in that it is of two storeys and not to the normal pattern of National schools. It forms a group, though not contemporary, with the adjacent St. Dympna’s RC church (HB11/03/001A) and bell tower (HB11/03/001C).