Pavilion, gates and railings

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A red brick gateway and a two-storey red brick hipped roof building in neo-Georgian style, built for the Strandtown primary School (listed under HB26.14.012 A).

Gates:
A red brick gateway in neo-Georgian style forms the main entrance to Strandtown Primary School (listed under HB26.14.012 A) facing onto the E side of North Road.

The gateway consists of two cruciform plan red brick gate piers. Panelled to front (W elevation), with moulded cast stone cornice and plain brick coping to central part. Pseudo-isodomic rustication to side of piers which are topped by scrolled cast stone copings. The gate piers support two painted cast-iron gates. Dwarf brick walling with artificial stone coping topped by square-section cast-iron railings with arrow railing heads, top and bottom rails and plain standards.

Pavilion:
A two-storey red brick hipped roof building in neo-Georgian style dating from 1930 to designs by the Belfast-based English architect R. S. Wilshere, built as a pavilion to Strandtown Primary School (listed under HB26.14.012 A). Two storey rectangular plan building with two single storey wings. The pavilion is located to the W of the school building on a site to the E side of North Road.

Hipped red-clay tile roof with half-round red-clay hip tiles. Overhanging eaves support cast iron ogee guttering discharging to circular section downpipes. Dark toned rustic red brick walling laid to stretcher-bond. Square-headed timber casement windows with clear glazing (unless stated otherwise).

The N elevation is symmetrical with a two–storey central bay flanked by single storey wings to E and W. Square headed opening to central bay flanked by four brick pilasters with artificial stone capitals and bases that support a flush cast stone string course. Square headed door opening inside the deep recess with a painted metal double door. Three-part windows between the pilasters to E and W of the opening to GF and a four-part window to centre to FF. The elevations facing E and W have single windows to FF.Three bays to each wing; square-headed door opening to first with double-leaf glazed timber doors and four-part windows to the rest.

The E elevation of the E wing has a circular timber window to centre.

The S elevation is symmetrical with a projecting two storey central bay and single storey wings to E and W. Square headed door opening with pedimented moulded timber surround to central bay flanked by small oval windows to GF. Four-part window to centre to FF. A window to each floor to elevation facing E and two modern windows to FF to elevation facing W. Three bays to each wing with one double and two four-part windows.

The W elevation of the W wing and has a circular timber window to centre.

Setting:
The building is located in the grounds of Strandtown Primary School (listed under HB26.14.012 A) to the W of the school buildings and to the E side of North Road. Facing the large football fields of the school to N, the front of the building is tarmaced and connects with the main school lane. A small painted iron gate to SE leads to the rear yard (to S) partly tarmaced and partly lawned and enclosed by a modern steel fence to all three sides.

Materials:
Roof red-clay tiles
RWG cast iron
Walling dark toned rustic brick
Windows timber casements

Historical information

The neo-Georgian pavilion at Strandtown Primary School (HB26/14/012A), a two-storey red brick house with single-storey wings, was constructed in 1930. The building was utilised as a pavilion, a shelter and a groundskeeper’s house and was designed by Reginald Sharman Wilshere (1888-1961), a Belfast-based English architect who had been appointed by the Belfast Education Committee as its chief designer in 1926 and designed 26 schools before the outbreak of the Second World War (DIA).

Larmour wrote that Wilshere’s schools ‘range from the neo-Georgian to the outright modernistic … there are also hints of modern German, Scandinavian and Dutch work. Most are built in brick with dressings of artificial stone, and roofs covered with Roman tiles, whilst classrooms were frequently finished in varying shades of colour.’ Wilshere designed caretaker’s houses for most of his schools, ‘each one in itself a gem’ (Larmour, p. 84).

Strandtown Primary School was opened in 1930. The school and its pavilion were jointly valued at £1,000 under the First Revaluation of 1935, and in the aftermath of the Second World War this was further increased to £2,160 under the Second Revaluation (1956-72). The pavilion was listed along with Strandtown Primary School in 1994 and, at the time of the Second Survey, was utilised by the school as storage space. Field inspection of the site has found that the dwelling within the pavilion has not been occupied for over 15 years and has been the subject of vandalism. Due to the presence of asbestos, the building’s soffit was removed in recent years and replaced with the original timber boarding.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/N/9 – Annual Revisions (1916-1930)
4. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
5. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/48 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
6. Ulster Town Directories (1918-1943)
7. First Survey Record – HB26/14/012 (1991)
8. First Survey Image – HB26/14/012 (No Date)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB26/14/012 (Missing)

Secondary Sources
1. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects – http://www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A fine example of a modest two-storey hipped roof red brick neo-Georgian building dating from 1930 to designs by the Belfast-based English architect R. S. Wilshere, built as a pavilion to Strandtown Primary School (listed under HB26.14.012 A), with which it has group value. Wilshere designed caretaker’s houses for most of his schools. According to Larmour - ‘each one in itself a gem’. As with most of the lodges and outbuildings to schools designed by Wilshere the materials, architectural features and layout are carefully chosen to complement the main school buildings, whilst also being considered fine compositions themselves. It has enormous social and historical interest for the local community.

General comments

This record was previously HB26/14/012.