Public Library

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A Venetian Gothic-Revival multi-bay two-storey former national school, now library; built in two stages the first portion in 1862 (datestone) to plans by Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon, with the addition of a clock tower and adjoining hall in 1877; with further additions dating from c.1870 and 1902. Located to the south of High Street in the centre of Holywood.

Main block (1862) is square on plan with square tower, abutted by entrance porch and single-storey wing (c.1870); clock tower, stair tower and adjoining hall (1877) to east, abutted by two-storey gabled return (1908) to designs by Young and Mackenzie.

Pitched natural slate roof with fish-scale bands; terracotta ridge tiles and raised stone verges: towers have pyramidical roof; west tower having blue/black ridge tiles and finial, clock tower is taller with weathervane. Roof of west return is hipped natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on sandstone eaves. Walling is Flemish-bonded polychromatic brick in pale yellow with strips of red and black, decorative diamond motifs to north elevation; sandstone string-course and stone trim. Brick buttresses with sandstone offsets to all sides at ground floor. Variety of pointed and cusped-headed timber-framed windows (mix of fixed lights and casements) with sandstone heads to ground floor (red sandstone in 1877 section) and decorative polychromatic brickwork relieving arches to second floor; all have chamfered stone sills.

The principal elevation faces north; comprising gable and projecting tower to left, main block with entrance tower and single-storey wing set back to right. String-course has following inscription: “Holywood National Schools/ Built by Robert Sullivan LLD 1862”. Main block from left: entrance bay accessed up a double flight of five stone steps; timber-sheeted door in cusped arch surround; slender window to first floor: to right are a pair of gabled bays; gabled bay to left has a paired window to each floor; that to right has two pairs of windows to ground floor with triple cusped lancets with rosettes over. Entrance tower with timber sheeted door accessed by two stone steps; double cusped lancets surmounted by centred oval aperture to first floor; decorative moulded, pierced and carved frieze.

The 1877 addition at east comprises projecting three-stage clock tower with gabled bay to east corner. Clock tower has double lancet to both floors; exposed section to west and east has clock only, south has blank roundel; yellow brick ‘box-band’ frieze to all sides. Gabled bay to left has triple lancet to each floor, that to first floor with rosettes over Gothic tracery formation.

The east elevation of the 1877 extension is blank; behind this, the elevation of the main block is double-pile with paired windows to first floor gables. The north gable is abutted at front by the stair tower in the return angle with the clock tower at north. The south gable is abutted at ground floor by a modern red-brick single-storey linking bay which connects to the 1902 return to east.

The rear south elevation of the main block has two sets of paired square-headed windows to right; to left is a gabled bay with tripartite windows to both floors; abutted by a single-storey porch having replacement timber door and accessed by two concrete slab steps.

The exposed section of the return to east is seven windows wide: slightly recessed bay to north (1877) is partially concealed; this is abutted to the stair tower and single-storey linking bay. The return (1902) is abutted to south by a single-storey modern brick extension with paired timber doors. Gable contains fire-exit to first floor.

The single-storey wing to left (c.1870) is exposed to both sides; the gable is blank. Exposed section to east and west is three sets of paired windows wide; windows are square-headed with ashlar sandstone lintels and sills; the west section has a gabled bay (this section dates from 1862) to left containing paired windows and a central projecting porch opening to north with diminutive window to west; trefoil moulding to gable, skylights to roof.

The west elevation of the main block is abutted to right by entrance porch with timber sheeted door opening to north, above catslide roof of porch is a diminutive window; tower to left having deeply recessed cusped arch window to ground floor; first floor window as described in north elevation.

Setting

Prominently situated in the centre of Main Street in Holywood town centre the building is an integral to the streetscape of the town’s main thoroughfare. Surrounded to west and south by red-brick terraced housing. To south there is a tarmacadam car-park with access from Downshire Road to west via modern cast-iron gates. Enclosed to south and west by a high basalt rubble-stone wall.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: brick
Windows: timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The building is dated 1862 (datestone). According to Merrick, the Sullivan National School was completed in April 1862 at a cost of £2,000, which was donated by Dr Robert Sullivan (1800-1868). Sullivan, who was born in Holywood, the son of a publican, was a celebrated educationalist. The building was designed by Messrs Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon, the most likely designer being W.H. Lynn. The contractor was John Ross of Great George’s Street, Belfast. (Merrick, p.67-8, Spectator)

Sullivan was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Trinity College Dublin. When national education was introduced in Ireland, he was appointed an inspector of schools in 1832 and in 1838 became professor of English literature at the teacher training college for national schools in Dublin. From 1840 to 1868 he was professor and superintendent of training and model schools. He was the author of numerous school textbooks which were used in England as well as Ireland, his most important being ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’. His best seller, ‘Spelling Book Superseded’, sold over two million copies. (www.oxforddnb.com, Specify)

In Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) the building is listed as ‘National School Ho (in progress) and yard. Dimensions are given for the house, returns and a tower. ‘In progress’ is deleted during the lifetime of the book and the new building receives a valuation of £60. The building is drawn onto the valuation town plan dating from c.1860. A single storey infants’ school wing to the rear of the Lower Sullivan School, was added c.1870 when an Inspector’s report advised that accommodation for the infants was inadequate, but this is not reflected in the valuation records. (Auld, p.57)

A clock tower and adjoining hall were built abutting the eastern facade of the building in 1877, also for £2,000, the money having been left by Dr Sullivan as a bequest. The earlier part of the school then became the Lower Sullivan School and the newer part the Upper Sullivan School, corresponding to today’s primary and secondary. According to Merrick, the single storey wing at the rear was the infant’s school, the lower floor was for boys and the upper floor for girls, each fitted with eight desks and accommodating 56 pupils on each floor. Three ‘sittings’ were taught each day, so providing instruction for 168 pupils on each floor. The school first appears on the third edition OS map of 1900-02 captioned, ‘Sullivan School’. (Merrick, p.67-8)

In 1902 new laboratories in connection with the Technical Instruction Dept were opened. These had been designed by Young and Mackenzie, the contractor being William Millar and the cost approximately £600. They are shown abutting the rear of the upper school building on the valuation town plan dating from 1898 to 1916. The upper school was, in error, not valued until 1903 when the valuer gives a plan and dimensions of the building and values it at £35, estimating the cost at £1900. (Builder)

In 1911 the upper school made an application for exemption as a charitable institution and the valuer notes at this time that there are 23 free places, 17 at one third rates and 7 at full rates.

In 1939 the Sullivan Upper School moved to another site on the Belfast Road and their former premises was taken over as a Technical College. The Lower Sullivan School appears to have remained in the building until 1954 when a new primary school was built adjacent to the parish church. (Spectator, Auld, p.58, 64)

The building was a further education centre between 1970 and 1975 and then fell into disuse. Repairs were made in 1983-4 by Heritage Repairs Ltd and the building was fully restored in 1995 by the Southern Education and Library Board, under the supervision of its chief architect, S K Savage. The restoration involved the removal of the boundary railings and the remodelling of the interior. It is now in use as a public library and further education centre. (Brett, p.233, Spectator, Specify)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18A – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
5. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/53 – Valuer’s Notes
6. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/54 – Valuer’s Notes
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/123/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1860-c1866)
9. PRONI VAL/12/E/123/2/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1867-1900)
10. PRONI VAL/12/E/123/4- Annual Revisions Town Plan (1898-1916)
11. Builder, Vol 83, 8 November 1902, p.423

Secondary Sources

1. Auld, C. “Holywood Co Down, Then and Now” Holywood: Con Auld, 2002
2. Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002
3. Merrick, Tony “Buildings of Holywood” Holywood: Holywood Advertiser, 1986
4. www.oxforddnb.com – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online
5. Spectator, 19th January 1984
6. Specify, September 1993, p.63-4
7. Ulster Architect, Vol 11, Iss 1, Oct/Nov 1993, pp44-5

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A Victorian-Revival polychromatic multi-bay two-storey former national school, now library built in 1862 with additions dating from 1877 to plans by Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon; later addition to plans by Young and McKenzie. Named after the well-known educationalist and philanthropist Dr Robert Sullivan who funded the building of the school and the subsequent extension; other historical associations include Robert and Sophia Rosamund Praeger who both attended the school. Restored in 1995 the building survives as an uncommon example of a polychromatic brick Victorian schoolhouse with high quality ornamentation appropriate to the style representing the development of public education in the mid Victorian era and a fine example of the work of prominent local architects.