Ballynure Primary School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached multi-bay single-storey primary school, dated 1930, located between Church Road and Lismenary Road. Loose U-shaped plan around central corridor. Arrangement consists of (at south) main classroom block flanked by symmetrical lower flat roofed porches to either side. Abutted at north-east by series of flat-roofed offices. Abutted at north-west by taller hall block and lower canteen block both having pitched roofs and connected by flat-roofed storage block. Hall block abutted at east by corridor and hipped-roof classroom block to centre, and at north-west.

Roofs are hipped and natural slated to main and central classroom blocks; hipped and artificial slate to north classroom block; pitched and artificial slate to hall and canteen block; rendered chimney to main classroom block, brick chimneys elsewhere. Walls are roughcast over painted plinth. Replacement square-headed uPVC casement windows; original metal casement windows to hall and north classroom block; all have painted masonry sills.

Principal elevation is three bays wide and symmetrical, facing south. Central bay consists of three windows within
round-arched-headed openings on masonry sill course. Central opening contains signage which reads ‘Public Elementary School 1930 Ballynure’; surmounted by shallow gabled parapet. Outer bays each contain three windows over masonry sill course. Porches at left and right, each containing single window in round-arched-headed opening.

West elevation of main classroom block is abutted by flat-roofed entrance porch containing central projecting ruled-and-lined three-order rebated square-headed opening with recent double-leaf entrance doors, surmounted by original signage; square-headed uPVC window in round-arched-headed opening to right, rectangular uPVC window to left. Abutted at left by hall comprising four bays separated by roughcast piers; pair of metal casement windows located at two central bays. Further abutted at left by canteen block containing square-headed double-leaf entrance doors with transom-light to left and two metal casement windows to right.

North elevation comprises north classroom block to left, which consists of two bays, each containing five windows (uPVC to left, metal casements to right) and canteen gable-end to right containing three metal casement windows (two windows to left of east elevation). Exposed section of hall contains recent double-leaf doors.

East elevation comprises to left, porch block (detailed as west), abutted at right by flat-roofed office block containing two metal casement windows. East elevation of central classroom block has five bays, each containing uPVC window, square-headed door to left bay; abutted at left by flat-roofed corridor. To right, north classroom block is blank, abutted at left by flat-roofed corridor and main entrance; modern timber double-leaf doors with side-lights and transom light, beneath cast concrete canopy.

Setting

Set within school grounds with playground, mobile classroom and flat-roofed brick shelter to south. Bounded along Church Road by wire fencing, accessed through modern gates supported on brick pillars. Car park and mature garden to north, bounded to Lismenary Road by wire fencing, accessed through pair of gates to north-east and north-west, each supported on brick pillars.

Roof Natural artificial slate
Walling Roughcast over painted plinth
Windows uPVC casements
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

According to the Newtownabbey Borough Council website the present village primary school was established in 1930, the previous national school was built in 1856. The school is not recorded on the 1832 or 1857 OS maps.

James Boyle in ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs’ from 1840 describes the people of Ballynure as ‘anxious to have their children instructed, but only to a certain extent. Their desire for instruction would appear very remarkable from the number of schoolhouses erected by local subscription, but this is more from a wish of having them conveniently situated. They are not very particular as to the qualifications of the teachers and they seldom have their children instructed further than in reading, writing, arithmetic and perhaps a little grammar’. (p 36)

The legislative background to school building in the early twentieth century is the 1923 Education Act, which made the transition from the old national school system to the public elementary school system. The Act provided for elementary and secondary schools to be transferred to the control of the local education authority and for the building of new schools by local authorities. The legislation saw a significant rise in school attendance from the mid 1920s, further increasing the need for new schools.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/45/1 –First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/45/2 - Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/51/3 –Third Edition OS Map (1902)

Secondary Sources

1. Newtownabbey Council-Heritage Walking Trails in Newtownabbey-Ballynure. [Internet Source]. Available from: (Accessed 20th Nov, 2008).
2. Boyle, James; Ordnance Survey Memoirs -Ballynure. 1840, Vol 32, pg 36.
3. Department of Education: Background to the Selective System of Education in Northern Ireland. [Internet Source].
Available from: Accessed 25/10/08

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A detached multi-bay single-storey primary school located between Church Road and Lismenary Road. The construction of the school in 1930 represents an early example of the innovative approach to school design which was central to mid-century educational reform. The school has a loose U-shaped plan around central corridor. The school retains some original features both internally and externally, despite more recent modernisation of the building. While of local interest, it is not among the best examples of the type and has been compromised by the various alterations and additions.