Former National School, St John's Roman Catholic Church, Castle Hill, Gilford, Co Down

Detached multi-bay single-storey stone and brick former school, dated 1879, with gabled entrance porch. Rectangular on plan facing north with lean-to extension to rear and set within the grounds of St. John's RC Church (HB17/01/011A) to the west of Castle Hill. Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and uPVC guttering supported on timber fascia with uPVC downpipes. Generally coursed rough-hewn and snecked greystone walling with rough-hewn squared granite quoins. Window openings with gauged heads, slightly cambered, brick jambs, stone sills and horizontally-glazed bipartite 2/2 timber sash windows with timber mullion. Front north elevation is seven openings wide and abutted by an off-centre gable-fronted entrance porch having decorative timber bargeboard and finial and a slate wall plaque to the gable inscribed; 'Castle Hill / National School / AD. / 1879'. Bipartite timber sash window to the gable and a square-headed door opening to the left cheek with redbrick surround and replacement sheeted hardwood door with overlight opening onto two concrete steps. East gable is blank. Rear elevation abutted to the east end by a flat-roofed cement rendered lean-to extension, added c.1990. Two original bipartite timber sash windows to the west end only. West gable is blank with redbrick to the centre serving former chimneystack. Setting Located on the west side of Castle Hill within the grounds of St. John's RC Church (HB17/01/011A) to the east gable with bitmac parking area to the front. Site enclosed by rubblestone walls with stacked coping and a decorative cast-iron pedestrian gate to the east. Roof Natural slate RWG UPVC Walling Coursed and snecked rough-hewn basalt Windows Horizontally-glazed 2/2 bipartite timber sash