Greenisland Primary School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached multi-bay single-storey modern brick primary school, built 1938, located to the east side of Upper Station Road, Greenisland. The school is built to an irregular plan form and extended in 1957 to provide a classroom wing, assembly hall and meals kitchen to the north; a further classroom wing was added to the south in 1960.

Flat roofs throughout with the exception of the assembly hall which is hipped natural slate. Concealed gutters hidden behind brick parapet walls; projecting concrete eaves course; cast-iron rainwater goods and hoppers; replacement cast-metal rainwater goods. Walling is stretcher bond red brick. Windows are largely original metal casement; some use of replacement uPVC; some contained within continuous concrete dressings; others contained in brick surrounds with voussoirs and projecting masonry cills.

The west (road facing) elevation is abutted at right by skewed entrance block built c. 1938; central entrance comprises replacement timber entrance doors surmounted by cantilevered timber flat-roof canopy; entrance flanked by four windows at each side.
At left a similarly detailed linking block with four windows connects the entrance block to the assembly hall at north. South elevation contains four double-height multi-pane metal casement windows and continuous concrete cill course; windows surmounted by uPVC sheeting below projecting timber eaves. The entrance block contains external courtyard at centre with two covered open walkways; (enclosed at east side by new staff accommodation built c.2000). Walkways have timber sheeted ceilings supported on brick piers and brick plinth walling with concrete coping. Area between walkways has felted surface which is the roof of the boiler house accommodation in the basement below.

Double-height assembly hall built 1957; is detailed as entrance block with hipped natural slate roof; blue/black clay ridge tiles; red-brick parapet with concealed gutters. West elevation contains four double-height multi-pane timber casement windows contained within continuous concrete surrounds; flanked by double-leaf timber doors at each side, contained within painted deep concrete reveals; both doors surmounted by square-single-pane window within concrete surround. North elevation is abutted by single storey extension with flat-roof, also built 1957; exposed section is blank. Rear elevation is abutted by series of single-storey extensions; most containing ancillary accommodation; south elevation is abutted by single-storey linking block connecting the assembly hall to the entrance block.

The south (1960) and north (1957) classroom blocks are aligned east-west and are similarly detailed to west entrance block; felted flat-roof; concealed rainwater goods; overhanging timber eaves boards. Double-height multi-pane windows within precast concrete surrounds and cills. South block south elevation contains fifteen windows; north block south elevation contains fourteen windows. Each block abutted at north by slightly lower (later) extension containing ancillary accommodation.

Roof Felted flat roofs; (assembly hall is hipped natural slate).
Walling Stretcher bond red brick.
Windows Metal casements; some use of replacement uPVC.
RWG Cast-iron rainwater goods and hoppers; some replacement cast-metal.

Historical information

The school is first shown on the seventh edition OS map of 1945-51 captioned ‘Greenisland Primary School’. At this date the central portion of the school with a wing to the east is shown, the other sections of the school date from post 1945/51.

Greenisland is a residential area, seven miles from Belfast, its ‘...slow rate of growth...until 1955, could in some measure be accounted for by the absence of either schools or churches’, and ‘..in the early 1930’s representations to Larne Regional Educational Committee were made by men of vision, ably led by Senator Barclay, Messrs. J Sloan, T. Carson, J. Wilson, N. Smith and J. Magee, with a view to having a public elementary school built in Greenisland’. (p. 8) The school was officially opened on the 24th June 1938 by the Minister of Education; Mr. J. H. Robb K.C.M.P. The school was built at a cost of £7,640 and could accommodate two hundred pupils. Most of the first pupils came from the old school at Trooperslane, which closed on 24th June 1938. (p. 16)

The first extension was opened in 1957, and included ‘an additional four classrooms, an Assembly Hall, Staff room, and a Medical Inspection room’. (p. 36)

A further classroom wing was added to the south in 1960. The original 1938 building was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1968 eradicating much of the original historic fabric, including the original hipped slated roofs over the principal entrance block (now replaced by a flat roof.) Few isolated historic features remain.

References:

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/52/6 –Sixth Edition OS Map (1920-22)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/52/7 –Seventh Edition OS Map (1945-51)

Secondary Sources

1. Beggs, David. "Greenisland Primary School-50 Years". Greenisland Primary School, 1988

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A detached multi-bay single-storey modern brick primary school, built 1938, located to the east side of Upper Station Road, Greenisland. Despite refurbishment throughout the school retains a few original features including original metal casement windows and parquet flooring. The original 1938 building was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1968 eradicating much of the original historic fabric, including the original hipped slated roofs over the principal entrance block. However, some isolated features which remain display the architectural and material innovations of the time. Parts of the school exhibit good proportions and detailing, however due to the fire damage and various later twentieth century additions the original design has been compromised.