Movilla High School, Donaghadee Road, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 7HA

Movilla High School is a large, modern-style school building of 1931, located at the eastern edge of Newtownards. The school’s plan is broadly ‘E’ shaped, with gabled roofs and a mix of brown and red brick construction. The original sections form a ‘C’ shape to the east, north, and south. The main front (eastern) facade features a large, full-height gabled bay with an open, ground-floor area resembling a ‘port-cochere’ and square columns supporting the upper floor. A clock set in a plaque bearing the date 1931 is positioned in the gable above the upper floor. Smaller, gabled bays are located at either end of the front facade, connected to shorter, recently added hipped-roof corner sections. The north and south wings each have two gabled bays mirroring those on the front. The front facade and the front elevations of the north and south wings are constructed in brown brick with large, uniform window openings, now fitted with modern PVC frames.

The rear, or inner, section of the school has been progressively extended. A large, gabled hall, central to the ‘E’ shape and attached to the rear of the long eastern wing, is constructed in red and brown brick and has been expanded on all sides. A gymnasium was added to the rear gable in the 1950s, and smaller single-story wings have been added to the north and south faces. Further sections, mainly with gabled roofs, have been built to the west and north, using red and dark brown brick. The original sections retain Bangor blue slates on their gabled roofs, while more modern sections have asbestos-free slates. All windows are now PVC.

The school was opened in 1932 by the Marquis of Londonderry. Extensions, including the gymnasium and classroom blocks to the north and west, were added over the years. A complete renovation occurred in 1992, coinciding with the addition of the hipped-roof corner sections.