Bellarena School, 260 Seacoast Road, Bellarena, Limavady, Co Londonderry

Bellarena School is a mid-19th century, Victorian school building of a T-plan form, originally designed for three classrooms. The school was constructed of basalt with steeply pitched slated roofs, originally featuring three light sandstone mullioned windows. The roofs have a pitch of 55 to 60 degrees, with bold eaves and gable overhangs that contribute to a strong architectural character. A modern extension, with a pyramidal slated roof, is neatly linked to the original school via a short, glazed link and is well-integrated into the rear of the site. The extension was constructed in 1975 by the Western Education and Library Board and required breaking the boundary wall to access estate land.

The original school building, established in 1861, bears a decorative datestone with the initials FWH and MAH, representing Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Baronet, and his wife Marianne. Prior to this, schools were located in the northern part of the parish of Magilligan. Internal alterations, particularly to the interior, have unfortunately degraded the building’s original character. Two classrooms have been combined to create a dining/assembly hall with storage, and the third has been converted into a kitchen. Some windows have been altered to suit the current room functions.

The school is set back from the boundary wall at Seacoast Road, situated centrally on a generous site surrounded by mature trees and bordering the grounds of Bellarena House. A footpath leading to the Bellarena estate, previously mentioned in the 1974 listing records, is no longer visible.