Glenwood Primary School, 4-22 Upper Riga Street, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT13 3GW

Glenwood Primary School

A largely symmetrical two-storey school constructed in 1928 to designs by R.S. Wilshere. The building is arranged on a quadrangular plan, comprising four rectangular blocks oriented around a central open-air courtyard. The four blocks are connected by flat-roofed links with parapets at the four corners of the quadrangle, containing stairs, secondary exits and service rooms. The school is located in an urban residential setting on Upper Riga Street in West Belfast, on an expansive site between Tennent Street and Shankill Road.

The circulation space is oriented around the inner courtyard, with rooms arranged around the outer perimeter. Each block is abutted on the courtyard side by a projecting two-storey enclosed perimeter corridor (single storey to the east) with a clerestory over. The roofing is generally hipped and slated, with a gabled entrance block to the west featuring raised reconstituted stone verges. Dark roll-moulded ridge tiles are used throughout, with half-round cast iron rainwater goods mounted on timber fascia to the eaves course and decorative cast iron hoppers and fixtures.

The walling is rusticated brick in Flemish bond with a soldier course to the offset base-course and reconstituted stone dressings. Windows are large multi-light replacement timber casements set in reconstituted stone mullioned surrounds, painted white. The perimeter corridor to the courtyard is lit by a series of expansive timber-framed segmental-arch headed windows at ground floor level and square-headed casements at first floor.

The principal elevation of the western block is three openings wide to each floor, with a projecting entrance bay to the centre. The central opening extends through two storeys with diminishing parapets breaking the eaves. A large central mullioned and transom window to the first floor is flanked either side by 4x2 windows with decorative brick and tile sills. The entrance comprises an advancing central round-arched porch with a deeply recessed opening, with deep chamfered jambs and in-stepped head. A round-headed timber door with decorative moulding is approached from steps and ramp running along the left side of the elevation. A rectangular sandstone panel surmounts the entrance porch, featuring three carvings. Two narrow blind loops with tile detailing are positioned either side of the central opening at ground level, with a vertical window with glazing bars to each side.

The left gable contains a three-light rectangular mullioned window with a square rendered panel above reading 'TG', and a five-light window of similar style to the ground floor with blind openings to the lower half. A square brick chimney rises from the left side. The north elevation of the connecting link to the north-west has a round-arched recessed doorway similar to the main entrance with a square-headed door, surmounted by two mullioned 2x4 windows to the right-side, with a canted left-side lit by two windows to each floor.

The north block is detailed as the west block but is asymmetrical. It is five openings wide to each floor, with an entrance contained in a breakfront entrance bay second from left, having a low parapet breaking the eaves. The name 'Glenwood Primary School' is displayed in original fixed lettering over the entrance. The second opening from the right has been remodelled slightly to incorporate a door opening. A single-storey wall with a round-headed blocked opening abuts the left gable, with two first floor windows.

The eastern block has a double-height structure with a half-hipped roof. The right gable is blank, whilst the east elevation has five tall narrow casement windows with fanlights. The left gable has three similar windows with a larger centre window. The block is abutted to the south by Tennent Street Baptist Church.

The southern block has four expansive windows to each floor. The right gable is abutted by the flat-roofed connecting link to the eastern block, which contains a recessed metal door surmounted by a window. The left gable is abutted by a modern extension extending to the south-west.

The inner courtyard elevations are generally similar, comprising square-headed windows to the first floor of the perimeter corridor with clerestory windows behind, and expansive timber-framed segmental-arched windows at regular intervals to the ground floor, with central openings containing doors into the courtyard. The enclosed corridor to the east is single-storey with an exposed walkway above.

The building has been subject to alterations. The courtyard is partially infilled with an octagonal two-storey extension dating to around the 1960s. Further flat-roofed modern additions have been made to the south-west corner of the original building. The centre of the west elevation is abutted by a modern two-storey extension which advances into the courtyard, along with a brick storehouse and canopy which span much of the north elevation above ground floor level.

The school is situated in an urban residential location to the north of Shankill Road and west of Tennent Street. It is accessed via two modern gates from Upper Riga Street on the north-west corner of the site. The former pedestrian entrance to the north, with brick piers and cast iron gate, is no longer in use. The large site contains playgrounds to the north, south and west and is bounded by a combination of modern railings to the west and a dwarf wall with cast iron railings to the north. A secondary access route from Shankill Road comprises a gate with tall piers, passing beneath the modern two-storey extension, though this does not appear to be in use. A two-storey caretaker's house of brick construction is situated within the north-west corner of the grounds, containing uPVC windows, doors and rainwater goods and appearing to be of later construction date. The elevated position of the west block provides views out to the surrounding hills.