Hall at Rademon Unitarian meeting house

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, modern looking, single storey gabled hall, built around the fabric of a small former schoolhouse of c.1840s. The building is set a few metres to the S of Rademan Unitarian meeting house, roughly 2 miles W of Crossgar.

The present building bears absolutely no resemblance to the structure it was constructed around with modern window openings and doors to all facades and very broad gables. The main entrance is to the left of the NW gable and consists of a large modern doorscreen with timber sheeted doors and large sidelights. To the right of this are five windows of varying size. To the short NE façade the SE gable and short SW façade there are more windows of varying size and a rear door to the SW. The building is finished with a dry dash with smooth render surrounds to openings and at wall edges. The roof is slated and has a small, bellcote-like, ventilation ‘turret’ to the centre of the ridge.

Historical information

This hall is constructed around the fabric of a small single storey schoolhouse, built some time between 1834 and 1858. The schoolhouse is shown on the OS map of the latter year and marked ‘National School’. The school appears to have remained in use until the mid 20th century, after which it was used as a hall for the neighbouring Unitarian (Non-subscribing Presbyterian) meeting house. The building was greatly extended in the 1990s.

At the time of the first survey in June 1978, the building was described as 'Simple hall plan containing two schoolrooms entered by gabled porch on N. side. Slated gabled roof with bracketed projecting eaves and verges (not bracketed). Walls and gable chimneys rendered lined. Windows Georgian glazed. Door sheeted, - high level only except potch [porch?] - plaque over the door 'Rademon National School' '.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/23/2 OS map, Down sh 23, 1858
2 PRONI OS/6/3/23/3 OS map, Down sh 23, c.1901

Secondary sources
1 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings…East Down’ (Belfast 1973), p.51

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, modern looking, single storey gabled hall, built around the fabric of a small former schoolhouse of c.1840s. This building is not of special architectural or historical interest.