Former Kilmore school, 166 Old Kilmore Road, Craigavon, BT67 9LR

Former Kilmore School

This rural schoolhouse, built between 1837 and 1841, is a two-part rubble-built structure combining a master's residence with a schoolroom, set into sloping ground on the south-west side of Old Kilmore Road, approximately 100 metres south of the M1 motorway and 4 kilometres north-east of Lurgan town centre. The building is notable for its exceptional plan form and single point of access—a feature that appears to be unique among rural schoolhouses of this size and period. The entrance serves both the master's accommodation on the upper levels and the schoolroom below, creating a split-level layout that manages to maintain symmetry and proportion despite negotiating level changes.

The structure is basically rectangular, orientated on a north-east to south-west axis. The north-east end, facing the road, rises two storeys (the former master's quarters), while the rear south-west end drops to a single storey (the schoolhouse section), with the building set against sloping ground. The walls are rubble construction with rough sandstone quoins and brick dressings to the openings. A brick eaves course and rendered base course complete the external finish. The roof is hipped to the north-east, appearing to be gabled to the south-west, and is covered in natural Welsh slate with two back chimneystacks positioned at each end of the ridge. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present.

The south-east elevation features four large high-level windows towards the left and centre (serving the classroom), with a ground-level doorway to the far right. The windows contain timber mullion and transom frames, likely early 20th-century replacements, while the doorway is fitted with a panelled timber door and overlight. The north-east elevation is symmetrical, with two windows to the ground floor and two smaller windows aligned above them on the first floor. The ground floor windows have ten-pane timber frames (possibly casements) and panelled shutters, while the first-floor windows have six-pane versions. These frames may also be early 20th-century replacements. The north-west elevation displays four large windows similar to those on the south-east elevation, positioned towards the centre and right. The south-west elevation is largely obscured by thick shrubbery, though map evidence suggests a small projection exists on this side.

The fenestration notably adapts to the building's internal functions: single-storey windows serve the schoolroom, while two-storey windows light the master's residence. The interior's simple open rectangular form remains largely original.

The school's history is documented through historical sources. The site appears vacant on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map, and the August 1837 OS Memoir records no school or public building in this part of Shankill parish. The Parliamentary Gazetteer, published in 1846, records that a National Board school existed at Kilmore by 1843, suggesting construction occurred between late 1837 and 1843. The building appears on the revised 1858 OS map marked as "Kilmore School" and is noted in the c.1863 valuation as part of the National system. The school continued to be mentioned in newspaper reports until at least 1953 but appears to have closed sometime between then and the following decade, being marked simply as a "hall" on the 1964 OS map. In addition to its educational function, the building served as a meeting place for local Orangemen prior to the construction of the neighbouring Orange Hall in late 1886.

The building's rural setting has largely been maintained, and it retains considerable architectural and historical significance as a rare example of a combined schoolhouse and master's residence with distinctive planning characteristics and an important role in local social and cultural development.