Mountpottinger National Schools, Paulett Avenue, Belfast, BT5 4HD

Mountpottinger National Schools

This two-storey red brick building with a natural slate roof was originally constructed around 1860-61, then raised and redesigned in 1886, the date that appears above the entrance door. It stands to the north of First Ballymacarrett Presbyterian Church, with a tarmac car park to its front, a communal passageway to the rear serving the terrace properties of Templemore Avenue, an enclosed yard to the north (which replaces a previous single-storey extension), and the church transept abutting its south side.

The main west-facing elevation features a shallow full-height gabled breakfront entrance bay, positioned slightly off-centre to the right. The original entrance has been altered to a square-headed opening with an exposed concrete lintel and steel roller shutter. An alternating chamfered dentil corbel string course with a projecting quarry tile separates the ground and first floors. Centrally above this string course sits a rectangular red sandstone plaque inscribed "Mountpottinger National Schools 1886", with tripartite lancet windows above it—the central window is one third taller than the flanking windows, all with flush chamfered red sandstone cills and stained timber frames. The gable features stepped corbelled brick detailing.

To the left of the entrance bay, the elevation is five openings wide. The far left ground floor opening is square-headed with an exposed steel lintel spanning onto a steel column in the boundary wall, supporting the first floor corner of the school. This opening is chamfered on plan and provides external access to the north of the site. The second, fourth and fifth openings from the left at ground floor are tall square-headed windows with red sandstone chamfered lintels featuring chamfered stop ends, projecting sandstone cills, and stained timber casement windows with horizontal glazing bars. The third opening from the left is a blocked doorway with a concave shouldered red sandstone chamfered lintel with chamfered stop ends, topped by a red sandstone shield plaque inscribed "Boys". First floor openings are positioned directly above those at ground level, except the third opening, which is a square-headed steel door within a segmental arch (with modern red brick tympanum on an exposed concrete lintel), accompanied by a steel bracketed landing—the remains of fire escape stairs.

To the right of the entrance bay, the elevation is four windows wide at ground floor level. The first and third windows from the left have windows directly above at first floor level; the fourth window has a door opening above it, featuring a square-headed steel roller shutter door within a segmental arch (with modern red brick tympanum on exposed concrete lintel) and a steel landing supported on steel cross-braced cast iron columns. An escape staircase with steel tubular handrails (top and mid bar) extends from this landing, exiting to the right to a half landing, then turning 90 degrees to ground level, with a steel top flight and brick with concrete treads at the bottom flight.

The north gable elevation was originally abutted at ground floor by a single-storey building, now demolished. The first floor has two segmental arch windows symmetrical about the ridge, and the gable has stepped corbelled brick detailing.

The south gable is abutted at both ground and first floor by a flat-roofed red brick building with raised parapet walls topped with flat projecting red sandstone copings. The remainder of the exposed gable is blank, with stepped corbelled brick verge detail and a red corbelled brick chimney at its apex. The south elevation of the flat-roofed building is entirely abutted by the church transept. Its west elevation contains a square-headed door opening with an exposed concrete lintel and steel roller shutter at the bottom left, with the bottom right abutted by the first flight of external escape stairs. A blocked square-headed window opening with red sandstone lintel and projecting cill sits at the top right, partially obscured by the top flight of the external stairs. The east elevation has a bricked-up opening at the bottom right, a bricked-up window opening at the bottom left (with a stainless steel flue emerging from the opening and extending beyond the full height of the wall, retaining a projecting sandstone cill), and a single blocked-up and rendered window opening at the top left, retaining its sandstone lintel and projecting cill.

The rear (east) elevation is seven openings wide on both ground and first floor levels. The second opening from the right at ground floor is a blocked doorway; the remaining ground floor openings are boarded-up windows. All ground floor openings have red sandstone chamfered lintels with chamfered stop ends. All seven first floor openings are windows positioned directly above the ground floor openings, featuring timber casement frames with horizontal glazing bars and segmental arches formed in brick. A tall red brick boundary wall abuts the rear elevation to the right, containing a single blocked square-headed doorway at the junction with the gable.

The building features cast iron rainwater goods and corbelled brick detailing to the eaves and first floor string course, with sandstone lintels, cills and plaques throughout.

The school is situated at the end of Paulett Avenue with no frontage visible from Albertbridge Road. It forms part of a complex of buildings on a site partially enclosed by a tall red and orange brick wall and partially by adjacent buildings. Access is through a modern steel gate, though remains of the original iron railings survive.