Lower Ballinderry Primary School, 1a Crumlin Road, Ballinderry, Lisburn, BT28 2BF

Lower Ballinderry Primary School

A Grade B1 listed building of historical and architectural significance, this former school at 1a Crumlin Road, Ballinderry, Lisburn was constructed in 1827. The building exemplifies late Georgian design and continues to be an important landmark in the local community.

Architectural Description

The building is a two-storey structure with semi-basement at lower level, constructed of roughcast rendered masonry on a rectangular plan. It is topped with a hipped roof of natural slate and features a single red brick chimneystack on the north wall. The principal symmetrical elevation faces south and comprises five 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash windows at both ground and first floor, surmounted by a central gablet. All windows are set within square-headed openings with painted projecting masonry sills. The west elevation is blank. The north elevation contains a replacement timber-sheeted half door at ground floor level and a replacement 8/8 timber sliding sash window with horns at left, with two windows at first floor. The east elevation is now abutted by a two-storey extension with lean-to roof, added circa 1990, which is accessed at upper level through a timber-sheeted door and at undercroft level through another timber-sheeted door; this extension contains a single narrow timber casement window.

The south and west elevations are enclosed by original wrought-iron railings mounted on a low rendered wall. Gutters are replacement metal, though cast-iron downpipes remain intact.

Setting and Access

The building occupies a prominent corner site at the junction of Lower Ballinderry Road and Crumlin Road, positioned on a low-level site. Access is from the south via Lower Ballinderry Road. The upper floor opens onto a concrete parking area to the east, whilst timber fencing and a gate at the north provide access to a raised terrace from which steps lead down to the undercroft. The south elevation is considerably overgrown with vegetation. The extent of listing includes the former school building, walling, railings and gate.

Historical Context

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1833–38 document that the schoolhouse was built in 1827 at a cost of £273, collected by subscription. The Marquis of Hertford granted the school grounds and liberally subscribed towards the building's construction. The memoirs describe it as "a handsome slated house, one-storey high in the front and two-storey in the rear, and divided into two divisions, one for the males and the other for the females … lit by seven oblong windows … the lower storey consisting of two rooms, and a kitchen is fitted out for the male and female teachers lodging. Attached to the school is also a good garden for the use of the teachers … the house also accommodates a Sunday school in the summer."

The Townland Valuation of the mid-1830s recorded the school as a 1a class "School House" measuring 44 feet by 20 feet and 17 feet high, valued at £5 13 shillings. The building is depicted as a single oblong building on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1832, with little change recorded by the second edition in 1858.

Griffith's Valuation of 1859 valued the building at £5 and noted it was let by the Church Education Society. This valuation remained unchanged until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1928. In 1901, a separate teacher's residence was listed in the Annual Revisions, valued at £9 10 shillings and occupied from 1901 to 1928 by James Leinster, a National School Teacher who lived there with his wife, their two children, and his father-in-law. The 1911 Census recorded the house as the property of the Board of Works.

The schoolhouse was also used as the meeting place for the Ballinderry Temperance Society, established in 1838 by John Thompson, which met monthly in the school room.

Later History and Conversion

The building was listed in 1979. In 1980 it was converted from school use into a bakery and shop, and restoration work with grant assistance was undertaken in 1981. By 1987, the building had become derelict and was badly vandalised. It was subsequently purchased by Geida Spence, who converted it into a private dwelling, with a two-storey extension added to the east side of the house circa 1990. Renovation work on the bedrooms and bathroom was carried out in 1998. An application for grant funding for further works was submitted in 2005. The school operated continuously from 1827 until 1980.

The schoolhouse is a significant building in the local history of Ballinderry, demonstrating good style and proportions characteristic of the late Georgian period, with largely intact external architectural detailing including original timber sliding sashes and wrought-iron railings.