Former Schoolhouse, Bluestone Public Elementary School, Bluestone Road, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT63 5SH

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Freestanding single-storey four-bay former schoolhouse, built c.1820s, to the designs of an unknown architect, located on the north-west side of Bluestone Road, Portadown. Roughly T-shape on plan with projecting mono-pitched entrance porch to front, lean-to to north-east gable wall and single-storey rear return. Schoolhouse building faces directly onto Bluestone Road, separated only by a boundary wall; rural land to south-west and north-west.

Pitched roof to main volume; rear return hipped to rear end, both natural slate with angled ridge tiles; uPVC gutters on plain eaves with uPVC downpipes throughout. Walling is painted roughcast render over red brick. Window-openings are generally camber-headed containing multi-paned timber casement windows with painted masonry cills, unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces south-east; asymmetrical with three windows covered by steel window mesh. Projecting porch has plain reveals with name plaque above bearing lettering ‘BLUESTONE PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’.

South-west elevation comprises gable wall and rear return wall. Gable wall has single multi-panelled timber door with plain transom above and single square-head window opening with steel mesh over window. Redundant uPVC piping to wall. Rear return wall has two square-headed window openings with steel mesh over windows. Gable surmounted by painted roughcast rendered chimneystack with stepped masonry cornice.

North-west (rear) elevation comprises rear return wall and wall of main volume. Rear elevation windows of main volume same as front elevation; rear return has no windows and same walling as throughout.

North-east elevation not accessible due to overgrowth but mono-pitched slated lean-to with painted roughcast walling and window visible from front. Gable surmounted by identical chimneystack to that on opposite side.

Boundary wall is painted render with triangular masonry coping. Two gate piers with pyramidal coping contain wrought-iron gate over flight of steps leading down to infilled entrance. Outbuilding to rear constructed of painted concrete blocks with corrugated iron roof over timber fascia.

Roof: Natural slate
Windows: Timber
Rainwater goods: uPVC
Walling: Painted roughcast render

Historical information

The National School system was established by the British Government with the Stanley Letter in 1831 to provide education for all children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Controlled by the National Board of Education, they were to introduce "a system of education from which should be banished even the suspicion of proselytism, and which, admitting children of all religious persuasions, should not interfere with the peculiar tenets of any." Their introduction replaced the widespread illegal "hedge schools" which were deemed to be unsatisfactory because of their primitive physical conditions, the poor quality of their teachers, and the antiquated curriculum being taught. Overall, National Schools provided an excellent basic education and significantly increased literacy rates during the 19th century.

The government gave a grant which paid for almost all of the building costs of new national schools as well as the salaries of the teachers. This former schoolhouse located on Bluestone Road, Portadown first appears on the OSNI Historic First Edition Map (1835) as a rectangular-plan building labelled ‘School Ho.’ with only a handful of dwellings situated along the same road. In the OS Memoirs of September 1837 it is described as a ‘neat cottage’, although further information was ‘refused… by the master Jonathan Webb’. A subsequent entry, however, states that it was ‘built [in] 1823’ and ‘was patronised by the Society for Discounting Vice’ and had ‘about 128 scholars’; presumably all were not accommodated in the building simultaneously.

By the time of the OSNI Second Edition Historic Map (1863-64), what would appear to be the same building is shown and a Methodist Meeting House constructed almost opposite. The caption ‘school ho.’ is written further to the west on this map, just east of Lylo House, wrongly suggesting the presence of a second schoolhouse a mere stone’s throw away. The c. 1860 valuation book confirms that this structure was indeed still the school at that point, describing it as the ‘Church Education Society’s Schoolhouse & Caretaker’s rooms’, valued at £2 10s 0d. It remained as such until c. 1923, when, following the education reforms instigated by the new NI government, it became a Public Elementary School.

Modifications to the schoolhouse over time are apparent; on the OSNI Historic Fourth Edition Map (1953-55) it is L-shaped. Plans for the large return (an additional classroom), front porch, a new girl’s entrance to the north side and a separate latrine and ‘play shed’ block to the NW (all estimated to cost £635) were drawn up by architect James McKeown of Bridge St., Portadown and approved by the Department of Finance in 1927. Tenders for the contract were advertised at the end of that year and presumably the work was carried out the following year, although not under the superintendence of McKeown himself, who died suddenly in early 1928.
On the OSNI six inch to one mile map (1953-1955), following substantial educational reforms it is labelled ‘County Primary School’. The school closed sometime between the latter year and 1981 (as it is not captioned on the map of that year), and the building appears to have remained in disuse since.

References

Primary sources:
1.PRONI OS/6/2/10/1 Ordnance Survey County Series First Edition map (1835)
2.PRONI Ordnance Survey County Series Second Edition map (1863-64) – no tile reference
3.PRONI OS/6/2/10/3 Ordnance Survey County Series Third Edition map (1905)
4.PRONI OS/6/2/10/4 Ordnance Survey County Series Fourth Edition map (1953-55)
5.PRONI OS/7/182/1 OSNI six inch to one mile map (1953-1955)
6.PRONI OS Memoirs, 1837
7.PRONI VAL12B/14/7A-E (1864-1929)

Secondary sources:
1.Belfast Newsletter, 19 May 1927
2.Northern Whig, 18 August 1927
3.Portadown Times, 30 December 1927 p.7, 6 January 1928 p.1, 13 January 1928 p.1

Online sources:
1.http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/5th-+-6th-class/history/my-school-history/national-schools-in-the-1/ [accessed 07/11/19]
2.https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/irishhistorylive/IrishHistoryResources/Shortarticlesandencyclopaediaentries/Encyclopaedia /LengthyEntries/Education/ [accessed 07/11/19]
3.https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/education-primary-public-education-national-schools-1831 [accessed 07/11/19]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

This former schoolhouse is located on the north-west side of Bluestone Road, approximately 5km East of Portadown and was built in c.1820s. It is situated in a semi-rural location, on the opposite side of the road from No.9 Bluestone Road (HB14/04/010). It first appears on the first edition OS map (1835) labelled ‘School Ho.’ Single storey and with painted roughcast walls and a natural slate roof, its projecting porch has a name plaque above bearing the lettering ‘BLUESTONE PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’. It is an example of one of the larger type of rural national school buildings, and is of interest because it operated as a school for over 150 years, only closing as late as the 1980s. This is a rare example due to there being few school buildings of the pre 1830s era. It is of local and social interest.

General comments

Listing Query ref: HB/14/LQ047