Model School House Education Offices, 28 Dublin Road, Enniskillen BT74 6HN

This is a handsome two-storey hipped-roofed former headmaster's residence, built between 1865 and 1867 to the designs of Enoch Trevor Owen. It was constructed as part of the Enniskillen Model School, the last Model School to be built in Ulster, which opened in September 1867. The building is located on the north-eastern side of Dublin Road on the south-eastern outskirts of Enniskillen, set back behind a lawn enclosed from the pavement by masonry walling and railings. It is now used as educational offices for the Western Education and Library Board.

The structure is built in red and orange clay brick with a canted rock-faced squared rubble base and plinth. The walls to the rear are faced with squared rock-face rubble with brick quoins. The building is roughly E-shaped in plan, with a main rectangular section and three rear returns—the centre one single-storey while those to the ends are two-storey. Two later single-storey extensions have been appended to the two-storey returns.

The west front façade features a symmetrical design with a prominent central breakfront. At the centre of this breakfront is an elaborate projecting door surround with a replacement timber panelled door set within a semi-circular arched opening. The plain fanlight rests on a projecting stone cornice that extends around the surround as a stringcourse. Voussoirs alternate with cut stone and radial bricks. The surround is topped with a stepped cut stone inscribed plaque reading 'District National Model School'. The plaque and stone cornice have recently been topped with lead flashings.

Fenestration to the front and side façades is regularly arranged, while to the rear façade it is less formal. Window openings to the first floor of the west façade are semi-circular arched, arranged both as single openings and in pairs. The voussoirs alternate with cut stone and radial bricks; sills are cut stone. Openings to the ground floor are segmental-headed with radial brick arches, keystones, and decorative imposts set rather low, resting on a cut stone sill course. All openings retain 6/6 painted timber sash frames. Openings to the later extensions generally have painted timber casement frames.

The main and return roofs are hipped and slated with red fireclay ridge tiles. The tall, almost Tudoresque brick chimneystacks have been removed at some point in the mid to later twentieth century. Rainwater goods are cast-iron, with round downpipes secured with decorative cast-iron brackets.

A pedestrian gateway with replacement steel gate is symmetrically arranged in front of the main front door. Brick gate pillars and piers to the wall are topped with pyramidal stone caps. A wide modern gateway to the right side is shared with the adjacent school.

The building was designed to serve as the headmaster's residence for Enniskillen Model School. In addition to living quarters for the headmaster and his family, it also contained a dormitory on the south side of the upper floor, presumably to accommodate boarding pupils. The residence was separated from the school by large playgrounds but connected to it by long walls and an open shelter. The contractor for the work was William Hague of Cavan, though a 1967 history of the school credits Matthew McClelland of Londonderry with responsibility for the work.

The original Model School building was extended in 1934-35 and demolished in 1973, being replaced with the present school building. Around the same time, the residence was taken over for use as offices by the Western Education and Library Board. Despite the loss of its chimneystacks, the building has been well-preserved and remains a prominent and eye-catching structure with good quality boundary walling and railings. It possesses considerable social and historical interest for the local community as an important survivor from Enniskillen's educational heritage.