Former school house

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Irregular single and two storey school with master’s house of c.1810-20, extended in the early 1900s and now with projecting gabled bays and porch. The property, which is now a private dwelling, is set on the E side of the small village of Seaforde, next to the drive to the C of I parish church.

The building is roughly in the shape of a mirror image of lowercase letter ‘t’, with the foot of the t to the south single storey and originally the school room, and the ‘upright’ and shallower projection to the N the former master’s residence.

The front façade faces W and is asymmetrical. To far left on the ground floor is a panelled door (the entrance to the former master’s house- now the main entrance). Above this is a slightly crude granite hood. To the immediate right of the doorway is a large gabled bay with large double sash window to each floor (all with Georgian panes- 6/6).

To the right of the bay is a single sash window, as previous but with label moulding. To the right of this is the large, gabled, former school house projection. This projects much further than the bay to the left (N). Set within the angle created by the projection (to the immediate right of the window referred to above) is a three sided flat roofed porch, which was undoubtedly originally the entrance to the school. To the broad central (NW) face of the porch is a timber sheeted door and to the smaller W face is a very small plain sash window. Both openings have linked label moulding. The porch roof has a slight overhang with exposed rafter ends.

To the N face of the larger projection (to the immediate right of the porch) is a sash window, same as that to left of porch. The gable of the projection has a similar window, with two more to its S projection. The S facing gable to the right of the last two windows is blank.

The N elevation largely consists of a gable. A large portion of the right side of this gable is set back. The gable has two small gothick windows both set at a high level (but not at the same level- probably stairwell windows). The lower (right-hand) window has label moulding over.

The rear elevation cannot actually be observed as a whole, for a high rubble wall abuts the façade and separates the area to the rear of the former school from that to the rear of the former master’s residence. To the left of the elevation (i.e. the former school) there is a timber sheeted door, (with fanlight), to far left and three sash windows to the right. To the immediate right of the last window the façade is abutted by a single storey extension with a mono-pitched roof and modern window and door to its S face. This extension backs into the wall which divides the elevation.

The right portion of the rear elevation has a squat double sash window (6/6, 6/6). Directly above this is a single sash window (as front) set into a gabled half-dormer. To the right of these windows the façade projects. To this section there is a single ground floor sash window- as before.

The façade is finished in lined render and painted. The extension is finished in rough cast. The gabled roof is slated and has two rendered chimney stacks. Cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

The building is shown on the OS map of 1834 without the larger projection to the south end. The valuation records of 1836 tell that the property, which was probably built around 1800, contained a ‘bible repository and schoolhouse for male children’ as well as a master’s residence. The contemporary OS Memoirs the state that the bible repository was under the direction of the Reverend Mr Gordon, who distributed bibles ‘at half the usual prices’, and that school at that point was attended by 62 girls as well as 38 boys, on account of the fact that the girls’ school within the village (to the south- now the Masonic hall) was then closed for refurbishment.
By c.1860 the building served solely as a school with master’s house.

At some point after this the large projection to the south was added, allowing for another classroom. The building of this extra room was probably linked to the closure of the abovementioned girl’s school and [probable] transfer of its pupils to this building.

The school closed in c.1970-71 and the former school section was then used as the church hall for the near by C of I parish church. In c.1990 the whole building was sold, and since then has been a private dwelling.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.366 Forde papers
2 PRONI OS/6/3/37/1 OS map, Down sh 37, 1834
3 PRONI VAL/1B/387 1st valuation, Loughinisland, 1836
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/19 Valuation plan of Seaforde, 1836-38
5 PRONI 2nd valuation, Loughinisland, c.1860 [in print]
6 PRONI VAL/2D/3/14 Valuation plan of Seaforde, c.1860
7 PRONI OS/8/152/1 OS plan of Seaforde, 1904
8 PRONI VAL/3G/95/1 Valuation plan of Seaforde, 1935-56

Secondary sources
1 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings….East Down’ (Belfast UAHS 1973), p.30

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Irregular single and two storey school with master’s house of c.1810-20, extended in the early 1900s and now with projecting gabled bays, angled porch, hood and label mouldings and a mixture of flat arch and gothick windows. The building is now a private dwelling and is an important building within the collection of buildings built by the Seaforde estate..