Ballymacallion Former School, Legavallon Road, Dungiven, Co Londonderry

This is an early 19th century school building, now derelict, located on the Legavallon Road near Dungiven, County Londonderry. It ceased operating as a school in 1902, and since then has remained largely undisturbed though affected by the passage of time.

The building is a single-story, gabled structure originally containing one classroom. It has a chimney stack on the south gable and another on the east wall. The south gable features a centrally placed window with a semi-circular head, and a chimney at the apex topped with a sandstone cap. The walls are smooth rendered. The west wall has three former square-headed windows, though the west gable itself is partially obscured by a derelict shed. The east wall includes a door opening at the southern end, a chimney rising from the eaves in the centre, and a projecting gable porch at the northern end. The roof is slate-covered, with several slates missing. Rainwater goods are absent. The east and west walls are finished to match the south gable. The building sits on a small, overgrown site at the junction of the Legavallon and Gelvin roads.

Historical records indicate a classical school existed in Ballymacallion as early as 1821. A school was established on the current site in 1829 by the Kildare Street Society, costing approximately £25. The building was constructed of stone and lime, slated, and cost around £32 or £40, including furniture; the Kildare Street Society contributed £25 towards the building costs. After its closure as a school, the building was used as a dwelling in the 20th century by a local family named McCallion, and it’s thought this use ceased in the 1960s.

Primary source references include an Ordnance Survey map of 1832 and the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland (1824, 1833-5).