Former Hollybush Primary School, 270 Culmore Road, Londonderry, BT48 8JL

This is a late 19th century primary school, likely built around 1891 under the auspices of The National School Board, and incorporating a teacher’s residence. While not of particularly high architectural or historical quality, it is an interesting example of a small school building.

The school comprises a single storey, originally two-classroom structure with a natural slate roof. A single red brick chimney, gabled at one end and half-hipped at the other, rises from the roof. The walls are finished with Tyrolean plaster. A projecting porch abuts a two-pile teacher’s residence, and the roofs combine at the rear into a single gable. A gabled canopy, supported on brackets, covers the entrance door to the residence. The residence features a pair of segmental arched windows centered on the ground floor of each gable, with a similar single window above. Yellow brick chimney stacks are present on each gable. The teacher’s residence retains its original timber sash sliding windows, though the school windows have been replaced with PVC sliding sash windows. The school playground has remained largely unchanged. The building's external form and accommodation closely resemble those of Culmore Primary School (HB01/27/006), suggesting possible influence from the Irish Society in the design.

The school opened in October 1891, when Culmore was part of the Roman Catholic parish of Muff. Mr John Dillon was the first teacher. The Irish Society provided the site, and upon the school’s closure in 1991, the site and building reverted to the Society's ownership. The Society then sold the premises to the current owners in 1991.