21 School Lane, Castlerock, Co. Londonderry, BT51 4RJ

Detached asymmetrical one-and-a-half-storey stone former school, dated 1872, with full-height gabled front entrance porch. Located on a narrow lane to the north of Freehall Road on an elevated site. Gutted by fire c.1990, extensively renovated for use as a dwelling house c.2000, with lean-to sunroom added to the front elevation. Steeply pitched natural slate roof with black clay roll-moulded ridge tiles, timber bargeboards and exposed timber rafter feet to timber sheeted overhanging eaves. Two dormer windows inserted to the rear pitch with catslide roof extending across rear projection and two skylights to the front pitch. Replacement cast-iron guttering and downpipes. Random coursed rock-faced basalt ashlar walling with tooled and squared sandstone quoins and cement pointing. Pointed-arched window openings with stop-chamfered tooled sandstone surrounds, sandstone sills, basalt relieving arches and replacement timber casement windows (unless otherwise stated). Symmetrical front elevation is three windows wide with a central full-height gabled entrance porch abutted by lean-to sunroom to the southwest re-entrant angle. Circular sandstone datestone to the apex of entrance porch stating build date ‘DOWNHILL NATIONAL SCHOOL 1872’. West gable abutted by lower single-bay gabled wing. Trefoil circular sandstone panel to the apex of principal block with voussoired basalt surround. Pointed-arched window opening to west gable of gabled section, detailed as per front elevation. Rear elevation has an off-centre projection with a single square-headed window opening formed in chamfered tooled sandstone surround with replacement timber casement window. East gable abutted by gable-ended single-bay entrance porch, added c.2000, built in rubble basalt with salvaged sandstone quoins and window and door surrounds. Replacement vertically-sheeted timber door to the south cheek with a square-headed window opening to the gable having a concrete lintel and bipartite timber casement window. To the apex of the principal east gable is a circular plaque, as per west elevation. Setting Located to the south of School Lane at a bend on the road with its rear elevation fronting onto the road. Lawns to the south and cobblelock to the remainder enclosed by rubble basalt walls with stacks coping and replacement stone piers to the west. Roof Natural slate RWG Replacement cast-iron Walling Random coursed rock-faced basalt ashlar Windows Replacement timber casement