38 New Street, Randalstown, Antrim, Co Antrim, BT41 3AF

An early Victorian building originally constructed as a school and later used as a church hall, now converted to a shop, retaining considerable external character with local historical significance.

Built in 1853 as an infant school, the building became a National School in 1884. The school closed in 1937, and the building was acquired by Drummaul Church of Ireland Parish for use as a hall. It remained redundant from 1991 until its sale around 1994, when it was converted to a supermarket in 1999.

The building is a single storey structure with rendered roughcast walls painted white and a slate roof. The west elevation, facing the main street, is the principal facade, comprising a recessed main wall containing four asymmetrically positioned windows, with end bays projecting forward to form twin gables. Each gable contains two semi-circular headed timber sliding sash windows (6 over 6 with horns), set in semi-circular arched openings with slightly raised smooth rendered surrounds and projecting stone cills. The left-hand gable contains a central rectangular doorway with a two-leaf panelled door surmounted by a 2-panel blind fanlight in a timber frame. Above the doorway is a plain recessed smooth rendered rectangular panel without inscription, and above this, in the apex of the gable, is a larger rectangular recess with raised surround containing a modern shop sign. Smooth rendered quoins to the extremities of the gables are painted green. The roof is finished in Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark-toned ridge tiles. The gables feature projecting wooden eaves boards painted white, with overhanging eaves, tongued and grooved sheeted soffits, plain timber barge boards, and turned white-painted timber finials. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are present throughout.

The north elevation is rendered similarly but without quoins except for a smooth rendered vertical strip at the left-hand extremity. The roof is hipped to the left-hand side. Two windows are present: one to the left is semi-circular arched as on the front elevation; one to the right is a small rectangular timber 6-pane fixed light with a painted concrete cill.

The south elevation comprises the south gable of the main front block, with a single storey rear return extending to the right. The gable is rendered with quoins to the left-hand extremity and has an overhanging eaves with timber finial. The rear return features a modern shop front set in a modern surround of panelled timber piers, surmounted by a deep frieze displaying modern shop signs.

The rear elevation comprises the rear of the front block, a rear return, and the rear of a later extension. The rear of the front block has a rectangular doorway containing a pair of modern flush timber doors. The rear return has a flush timber door, small modern rectangular windows, and a modern rectangular opening containing metal louvres. The rear of the extension has one semi-circular arched sashed window at the extreme left. The roof of the extension is finished in synthetic slates.

Windows throughout retain their original semi-circular headed timber sliding sash design with exposed sash boxes and slightly raised smooth rendered surrounds. However, most windows are now obscured on the inside by opaque plastic film or hardboard set back from the inside face, except those of the right-hand end gable which remain clear glazed to the upper sashes. The inner side wall of the left-hand end bay contains a small rectangular timber 6-pane fixed light with a painted concrete cill. The inner side wall of the right-hand end bay contains a new rectangular timber 6-panel door.

The building stands detached within the built-up area of Randalstown, facing the main street but set back from it with a small modern brick paved forecourt bounded by a white-painted roughcast rendered wall containing a small pedestrian gateway with a modern looped iron gate set between rendered square piers. The front boundary wall terminates at its left-hand extremity in a square pier of coursed granite, which forms one of a pair with a corresponding pier to the adjacent former market house, providing an open gateway to the former market yard.

To the south of the building is the forecourt of a petrol filling station. The south boundary of the rear area is formed by a basalt rubble wall of adjacent market yard garages. A modern single storey rendered store building stands to the rear.

The listing extent includes the former school gate pier and boundary wall. Despite conversion to commercial use, the building retains its external character and remains of local historical importance as a former school and church hall.