Seymours Bridge School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached four-bay, single-storey roadside school built c.1825, now derelict, facing west and located to the east side of Ahoghill Road. Rectangular on plan, roof is pitched slated with squared ridge tiles, overhanging at gable ends, carved exposed rafter ends and brick corbel-course. Smooth rendered red brick chimneys at both gable ends with corbel-course to top. Round cast iron downpipes, and cast iron half round gutters and brackets. Walls are lime rendered random rubble. Windows are round-headed with masonry cills.

The principal elevation has entrance opening boarded to left bay and windows to remaining bays.

The left gable is blank.

The rear elevation is three-bay and has windows each bay, each boarded with timber panels.

The right gable is blank. Brick flue repairs can be seen where lime render has detached.

Setting

The site is set to the road side with vehicular access to the south. This is bound to the north and east by hedges and there is river running from north to south to rear of the building, with bridged lane access to fields behind.

Roof covering Natural Slate
Walling Lime rendered random rubble
Windows Round headed window openings (now boarded)
Rainwater goods Cast iron downpipes and gutters

Historical information

The school appears on the first edition map of the area in 1832-4 with the same plan as today. The OS Memoirs of 1838 record the school extensively, describing it as 'a good house, thatched, 22 and a half by 16 feet. Income of the teacher £5 for the last quarter, paid by the children. This school is one of the oldest in the district but was rebuilt in 1837. Books used are Manson's Primer and Spelling Book, Murray's Reader and Englsih Grammar, and Gough's Arithmetic' (p.92). A former pupil who attended the school until the time of its closure in 1936 recalls a capacity of 40 pupils, with infants separated from older children by a screen. Miss McNeill was the teacher of the younger pupils, and Mr Sams was the principal. She also recalled an outside toilet and an open fireplace in the schoolroom. Following closure the schoolhouse was used for Wednesday and Sunday prayer meetings, until the late twentieth century, since which time it has been vacant.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/1//43/1, 1st edition OS Map, Co. Antrim, 43, 1832-4
2.PRONI OS/6/1/43/2, 2nd edition OS Map, Co. Antrim, 43, 1857
3.PRONI SCH 252/1/1 Attendance Records (1867-1936)
4. OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Antrim XIII, Vol 35

Secondary Sources

1. Conversation with former pupil.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A plain and unadorned detached four-bay, single-storey roadside school house, built c.1825, now vacant and located to the east side of Ahoghill Road. The former Seymour’s Bridge School, which closed in 1935, is composed on a simple rectangular plan with pitched slated roof; the simplicity of the building is emphasised by its isolated and rather exposed setting. The interior has survived with single classroom plan layout remaining intact. It is of some interest in its current condition but proposals for its conversion would remove historic fabric and compromise its character.