Magheradartin School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached two-bay single-storey with attic-storey stone and redbrick former school house, dated 1853. Rectangular on plan with front and rear gabled porches, set on the south side of Windmill Road facing north, extensively renovated c.1995 and 2010.

Pitched natural slate roof with roll-moulded ridge tiles, replacement rendered chimneystack and original circular sandstone pots and sandstone coping to either gable end. Replacement cast-iron guttering on cast-iron brackets to redbrick eaves course and cast-iron downpipes. Random rubble snecked basalt walling with redbrick quoins, cement pointing and redbrick window and door surrounds. Square-headed window openings formed in redbrick with mostly original bipartite Gothic-arched latticed iron casement windows on splayed sandstone sills with sandstone hood mouldings.

Two-bay front north elevation is three windows wide with off-centre gabled entrance porch. Porch has sandstone coping to the gable with sandstone shield depicting carved crown, monogram ‘D’, ‘MAGHERADARTIN SCHOOL’ and ‘1853’ below. Tudor-arched door opening formed in chamfered redbrick with recessed original vertically-sheeted timber door and sheeted panel above, door opens onto two stone steps. Slender square-headed window opening to both cheeks of porch with single Gothic-arched window with plain glazing.

East gable now abutted by modern circular plan extension having a quatrefoil stone opening to the apex and a single lancet window below having plain fixed pane and arched hood moulding.

Two-bay south rear elevation is four windows wide with gabled entrance porch to the left end and lean-to conservatory. Central opening has double-leaf timber glazed doors opening into conservatory. Entrance porch has Tudor-arch (as per front porch) with replacement vertically-sheeted door and over-panel, opening onto three stone steps.

Single-bay west gable has a square-headed window opening to each level with replacement bipartite pointed-arched window to the attic level.

Setting:
Enclosed front garden with pedestrian gate to Windmill Road with laneway to the west, enclosed by low rubblestone wall, giving rear access to cobble-lock yard enclosed to the east by multi-bay two-storey rendered double-garage with residential accommodation incorporated, built c.2010.

Roof Natural slate
Rainwater goods Replacement cast-iron
Walling Random rubble basalt / redbrick
Windows Original iron casement

Historical information

Dated 1853, Magheradartin School was built at the expense of the 5th Marquis of Downshire in 1853 and first appears on the Ordnance Survey maps after 1858 situated beside Cabragh Bridge on the Windmill road. The school was built half a kilometre from an earlier school in Cabragh Townland that appears on the survey maps in 1833 but was unoccupied by the period of Griffith’s valuation. The schoolhouse was valued at £3. 10s. and the small school yard of 2 Roods was valued at ten shillings. The schoolhouse was constructed with stone and lime, a one storey building with slate roof and suitable privies were attached by 1879. The building measured 30 feet in length, 18 feet in breadth and 14 feet in height. The sole classroom was used exclusively for lessons and was fully furnished for pupils use including essentials such as furniture for teacher and pupils, a blackboard and a clock. A small residence for the teacher of the school was attached to the end of the school house, presumably constructed in 1853 along with the rest of the structure.

The school was originally funded by the Church Education Society; however by June 1879 the school was not in connection with any society and was funded solely through private donation and school fees. In 1871 the Will of Joshua Harrison, a farmer from Magheradartin, lists John James Teuton as a School Teacher at Magheradartin School. After Teuton the school was closed for some time until a new schoolteacher was appointed on 1 June 1879. James Boyd was a 21 year old Presbyterian, who upon his appointment immediately organised the school along the principles of the National School system, and in June applied for a grant ‘for aid towards payment of teacher’s salary and for supply of books etc.’

At that time there were around 40 families residing within half a mile of Magheradartin School. The School roll consisted of 33 males, and 25 females, a total of 58 pupils. The average attendance for June - July 1879 was 22 males and 20 females; although at that time James Boyd expected an increase in students of around 20 pupils in the future if the school received aid.

Boyd requested around £33 aid from the National School Board. Until June 1879 the teacher’s support was provided ‘at the pleasure of Lord Downshire’ and through the collection of school fees ranging from 1s.6d. to 4s.6d. dependent upon the class of student and the circumstances of the parents. A number of pupils who were too poor to pay the fees were ‘admitted gratuitously by the authority of the manager.’ The Manager of Magheradartin School at that time was the Justice of the Peace for Co. Down and agent for Lord Downshire, Major Henry Stanley McClintock of Kilwarlin House, Hillsborough.

Although the teacher was a Presbyterian, Magheradartin School was not connected to any religious establishment in 1879 and no denominational symbols were present in the classroom, except during religious instruction, in keeping with the principles of the National School System.

In 1879 Magheradartin School was criticised by local Presbyterian clergy ‘on the ground that is [was] not needed and that its establishment would intentionally injure the existing national schools at Ballykeel –Edenagonnell and Legacurry.’ This appears to be the case as of the 42 pupils attending Magheradartin in 1879 as ‘2 [pupils] were from [indistinct school], 9 from Ballykeel-Edenagonnell and 22 from Legacurry.’ The District Inspector assigned to investigate Boyd’s grant application recommended that the school should not receive aid as the school ‘is not needed: the pupils attending it could conveniently attend existing National Schools.’ However, the application for aid was accepted and James Boyd was granted £38 annual salary, probably due to the connection of the school to the Marquis of Downshire and the general good repair and suitability of Magheradartin as a school building.

The Annual Revisions show us that 1907 the value of the school remained at £3. 10s. until 1907 when the School house was decreased in value to £2. 5s. due to the building being ‘very old and bad.’ The valuation records that before 1907 a Mary Payne owned the building and after 1907 it came into the possession of her son Hamilton Payne, an ‘agricultural labourer’. The 1901 Census return for Mary Hamilton shows that she lived in Magheradartin but did not reside in the old school building, rather, the building is described as a ‘national school,’ albeit one that is ‘not used.’ In 1901 the Marquis of Downshire is listed as the landholder, however, by 1911 it had fallen into other hands. Until the revisions end in 1929, the value of the building did not change, and Hamilton Payne continued to be listed as the lessor.

It is uncertain whether the old school building was inhabited from 1929, but the recorder states that when the current occupant came into possession of the building in 1993 it had laid derelict for some time. In 1993 the new owner restored and refurbished the house, raising the floor level and adding a second floor. The old schoolmaster’s residence is now used as a kitchen. In 2009 the owner added a large extension to the house, used as a garage with bedrooms on the upper floor.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/21/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/21/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/21/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1902-1903)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/21/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1919-1920)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
6. PRONI VAL/12B/20/5A – Annual Revisions (1866-1879)
7. PRONI VAL/12B/20/5B – Annual Revisions (1880-1892)
8. PRONI VAL/12B/20/5C – Annual Revisions (1893-1914)
9. PRONI VAL/12B/20/5D – Annual Revisions (1915-1929)
10. PRONI ED/1/20/82 – Magheradartin School Grant Application (1877-1889)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached two-bay single-storey with attic-storey stone and redbrick former school house, dated 1853. Rectangular on plan with gabled porches, the building is richly detailed in Tudor style with Tudor-arched door openings, circular chimney pots and Gothic-arched latticed windows. Despite the loss of much original fabric to the interior during renovations c. 1995 and 2010 and a modern extension to the east and south, the building retains much of its overall composition and character externally. Sitauted near a country crossroads in the outskirts of Hillsborough, with its original enclosed front lawn, it retains its rural setting and makes an imporatant contribution to the heritage of the area.

General comments

Critera R also applies.