St Mary's Church of Ireland School

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Double-height former school, built c.1885 to designs by architect W.H. Lynn. Rectangular-on-plan aligned east-west; gabled projections at centre and east and west ends on north elevation, and to east and west ends on south elevation. Building contains church hall, kitchen and meeting rooms; west end occupied by doctor’s surgery. Located on the south side of Crumlin Road, Belfast with St Mary’s Parish Church (HB26/36/002A) directly at north.

Pitched natural slate roofs with blue/black clay ridge tiles, lead-valleys, stone verges supported on corbelled kneeler stones, cast-iron ogee rainwater goods, coursed tooled sandstone chimneystacks with bellcast ashlar coping and clay pots. Polychromatic coursed tooled sandstone with projecting plinth course with chamfered ashlar capping. Walling is mainly white tooled sandstone with three tooled red sandstone stringcourses. Square-headed openings with stepped ashlar jambs contain timber casement windows with external metal screen protection to glazing (unless otherwise stated); those to projecting bays have tooled polychromatic relieving arches over. Doors are square-headed timber vertically sheeted timber contained within chamfered stepped ashlar surround with tooled relieving arch over (Doors have aluminium checker plate attached to external face to prevent vandalism, fixed with traditional style forged hinges).

Principal north elevation comprises central gabled projection with paired chimneystacks over, containing entrance door with transom light over at left, flanked by window at mid-level at right and larger window at centre at first floor level, surmounted by glazed oculus at apex. Entrance door (accessing church hall, kitchen and meeting rooms) is accessed via a flagged ramp and steps with stone plinth wall and concrete coping supporting painted mild steel handrail. Left and right cheeks are blank. Central projection flanked by a series of four windows at either side. Gabled projection at left contains paired windows on north gable surmounted by glazed oculus at apex; left and right cheeks are blank. Gabled projection at right extends further than left and contains two windows on north gable surmounted by blank oculus at apex and gable chimneystack. Left cheek is abutted by single-storey lean-to extension. Right cheek contains two windows. Single-storey extension is detailed as main building with lean-to natural slate roof. East elevation contains entrance door at left; single window (diminished) at right; single window at north. Entrance door (accessing doctor’s surgery) is accessed via a flagged ramp with stone plinth wall and concrete coping supporting painted mild steel handrail.

East gabled elevation contains paired windows at centre with glazed oculus at apex and acroter. Entrance door at left in rendered ruled-and-lined surround. Abutted at south-east corner by single-storey-with basement extension of similar detailing. East gabled elevation extends beyond the main east elevation and contains paired (diminished) windows at centre with glazed oculus over; entrance door at right (north) cheek, accessed by stone steps with half landing connecting to pavement on Silvio Street. Left (south) cheek adjoins a two-storey-with-attic red brick house (former rectory), now derelict.

South elevation (facing into an enclosed yard only accessible through the building) contains central wall-head gable with paired windows at first and second floor surmounted by blind oculus at apex. At right a series of five windows is interrupted by entrance doors (each having diminished window over) at first and fourth openings (from left). Door are accessed via tooled stone steps with ashlar coping (steps at left are entirely concrete construction, steps at right are raised by cased concrete and surmounted by painted mild steel handrail). Windows flanked at left by wall-head chimneystack. Single-storey-with-basement extension abuts at left, left cheek contains replacement door at basement level, two windows at first floor (left window occupies former door opening now partially blocked). South gable adjoins a two-storey-with-attic red brick house, now derelict, and enclosing east side of yard. Left section of main south elevation is abutted by engineering brick single-storey extension adjoing left gable projection. Left gabled projection is blank with partially rendered façade, indicating that a formerly attached building is now removed). Right cheek was not visible, left cheek contains four windows.

West gabled elevation projects slightly forward from adjoining projecting bays (described with N and S elevations), contains four windows surmounted by blank oculus and gable chimneystack.

Setting

Sited south of and within walled grounds of St Mary’s Church (HB26/36/002A), to the south of Crumlin Road, Belfast. Surrounded on adjacent streets by terraced housing. Car parking between church and former school is accessed at east and west via painted cast-iron gates supported roughly coursed basalt rubble piers with sandstone pyramidal caps. East stone steps are enclosed by cast-iron gates and roughly coursed basalt walling.

Roof Natural Slate
Walling sandstone
Windows Timber
RWG Cast-iron

Historical information

St Mary’s Schools were built in 1882-84 to the designs of Belfast Architect W.H. Lynn, on land to the rear of St Mary’s church.

The original school building is first shown on the third edition OS map (1901) and is listed in the Belfast Street Directory (1887) as St Mary’s National Schools, with a Mr. Hugh Jennings noted as Principal. Prior to construction, the contemporary Street Directories (1880) indicate that the site formed part of the church grounds and was undeveloped. Annual Revisions (1882-96) value the schools and yard at £120, with Elizabeth Logan noted as the lessor.

The Belfast Revisions (1900) estimate the cost of construction as £3,000. Up to this time the building comprised five rooms; additional structures to rear, which included a Sextons House and yard, are combined in the valuation.

In 1903-4 the architect Samuel P. Close made additions to the school, enlarging the western side, in a style similar to Lynn’s original building (Larmour). The additions can be seen on the fourth edition OS map (1920-31).

During the 19th century the church had taken on pastoral duties including education. Under the National Schools system, established in 1832, children were often taught in schools of their own denomination. Following the Education Act of 1923 Public Elementary schools were created as a nondenominational system, with the church henceforth having less influence on educational matters (Boal, Royle). The Street Directories (1918-70) indicate that St Mary’s school made the transfer from National School to Public Elementary School in the 1930s and following post-war educational reforms it became St Mary’s Primary Schools in 1949.

In 1957 the General Revaluations (1956-72) show the school building was used by St Mary’s Church. Although it continued to be listed as a ‘school’, it would appear that educational reforms of the 1950s rendered the building unviable for school purposes. Lying vacant in the mid 1960s, the building became the ‘Parochial Hall’ of St Mary’s Church in 1967 until the end of the 20th century (Street Directories). Following this the building was refurbished; the western half converted for use as a doctor’s surgery and the eastern part as church halls (HB File).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/60/1 First Edition Os Map (1832-33)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/60/2 Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/60/3 Third Edition OS Map (1901)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/60/4 Fourth Edition OS Map (1920-31)
5. PRONI OS/6/1/60/5 Fifth Edition OS Map (1920-38)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/7- Annual Revisions (1863-81)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/14- Annual Revisions (1882-96)
8. PRONI VAL/7/B/11/1- Belfast Revaluations (1900)
9. PRONI VAL/7/B/11/6- Belfast Revaluations (1900)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/M/3 - Annual Revisions (1906-15)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/M/4- Annual Revisions (1906-15)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/M/7- Annual Revisions (1916-30)
13. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/17- First General Revaluation (1935)
14. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/35- Second General Revaluation (1956-72)
15. Belfast and Ulster Street Directories 1925-1988
16. HB File (HB26/36/002 B)

Secondary Sources

1. Walker, Simon “Historic Ulster Churches” QUB, Belfast (2000)
2. Byers, Robert “The Parish Church of St Mary, Belfast” (1968)
3. Boal, Frederick & Royle, Stephen “Enduring City: Belfast in the Twentieth Century” Blackstaff Press, Belfast (2006)
4. Larmour, P “Belfast, An Illustrated Architectural Guide” Friars Bush Press, Belfast (1987)
5. Brett, C.E.B “The Buildings of Belfast 1700-1914” (1985 ed.)
6. www.dia.ie - Dictionary of Irish Architects online
7. Ventures, Hatty “St Mary’s Parish Church- History” (2011) http://www.stmarysparishchurch.btck.co.uk/About%20us

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A double-height former school, built c.1885 to designs by W.H. Lynn. Comprising sports hall, doctor's surgery and ancillary accommodation, the original plan form is still distinct. This school is distinct in style from other national schools built during this period and much fabric of architectural interest survives, including the fenestration and detailing. This building represents the development of education as a national school from 1885, then a public elementary school until 1949, ceasing to function as a school c.1955 when it was taken over by the adjacent St Mary's Parish Church (HB26/36/002A). The school has group value with the associated church. It is a good example of the work of a notable architect.

General comments

This record is part of a group listing. Refer to HB26/36/002B