Pavilion, gates and railings, Strandtown Primary School, North Road, Sydenham, Belfast, County Antrim, BT4 3DJ

Pavilion, Gates and Railings at Strandtown Primary School

A fine example of a modest two-storey neo-Georgian red brick building with group value to Strandtown Primary School (listed separately), dating from 1930 and designed by Belfast-based English architect R. S. Wilshere. The building functioned as a pavilion, shelter, and groundskeeper's house. Wilshere was appointed chief designer to the Belfast Education Committee in 1926 and designed 26 schools before the Second World War. He designed caretaker's houses for most of his schools, each described as "a gem" in its own right. As with Wilshere's other school outbuildings, the materials, architectural features and layout were carefully chosen to complement the main school buildings whilst standing as fine compositions in themselves. The building has enormous social and historical interest for the local community.

The pavilion is a two-storey rectangular plan red brick building with two single-storey wings, constructed in dark toned rustic brick laid to stretcher-bond with a hipped red-clay tile roof and half-round red-clay hip tiles. The hipped roof features overhanging eaves supporting cast iron ogee guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

The north elevation is symmetrical with a two-storey central bay flanked by single-storey wings to east and west. A square-headed opening to the central bay is flanked by four brick pilasters with artificial stone capitals and bases supporting a flush cast stone string course. A square-headed door opening sits inside the deep recess with a painted metal double door. Three-part windows flank the opening to ground and first floors, with a four-part window to the centre of the first floor. The elevations facing east and west have single windows to the first floor. Three bays to each wing contain a square-headed door opening with double-leaf glazed timber doors and four-part windows. The east elevation of the east wing has a circular timber window to centre. The south elevation is symmetrical with a projecting two-storey central bay and single-storey wings to east and west. A square-headed door opening with pedimented moulded timber surround to the central bay is flanked by small oval windows to ground floor. A four-part window occupies the centre to first floor. Single windows appear on each floor to the elevation facing east, and two modern windows to first floor on the elevation facing west. Three bays to each wing contain one double and two four-part windows. The west elevation of the west wing has a circular timber window to centre. Windows throughout are square-headed timber casements with clear glazing.

The building is located in the grounds of Strandtown Primary School to the west of the main school buildings and to the east side of North Road, facing the large football fields to the north. The front of the building is tarmaced and connects with the main school lane. A small painted iron gate to the south-east leads to the rear yard, partly tarmaced and partly lawned, enclosed by a modern steel fence on three sides.

The gates form the main entrance to Strandtown Primary School on the east side of North Road. Two cruciform plan red brick gate piers in neo-Georgian style are panelled to the front (west elevation) with moulded cast stone cornice and plain brick coping to the central part. Pseudo-isodomic rustication appears to the sides of the piers, which are topped by scrolled cast stone copings. The gate piers support two painted cast-iron gates. Dwarf brick walling with artificial stone coping is topped by square-section cast-iron railings with arrow railing heads, top and bottom rails and plain standards.

Strandtown Primary School opened in 1930. The school and pavilion were jointly valued at £1,000 under the First Revaluation of 1935 and increased to £2,160 under the Second Revaluation (1956–72). The pavilion was listed in 1994. At the time of the Second Survey it was used as storage space, and the dwelling within has remained unoccupied for over 15 years, having been subject to vandalism. Asbestos in the building's soffit was removed in recent years and replaced with original timber boarding.