Former St John's Primary School, St John's Road, Hillsborough, County Down

Detached gabled single-storey rendered former school and attached single-storey with attic-storey rendered former schoolmaster's house, dated 1853. Irregular on plan facing southeast located on the east side of St. John's Road on a landscaped elevated site enclosed by rubblestone walling with a rubblestone former coach-house to the northwest. Pitched natural slate roofs with roll-moulded clay ridge tiles, two part rendered redbrick chimneystacks with terracotta pots and two slated and timber-sheeted gabled dormer windows. Cast-iron rainwater goods on iron brackets to rendered eaves course. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling with cement coping to all gables. Square-headed window openings with carved sandstone sills and uPVC windows (unless otherwise stated). Symmetrical front east elevation with pair of slender gabled entrance porches, with a later glazed lean-to extension now spanning the space between both former porches and a further flat-roofed extension. Both gabled projections have a wall plaque with the Downshire monogram and raised lettering stating; 'Girls School / 1853' to the south gable, 'Boys School / 1853' to the north gable. South elevation facing the road has a large gabled projection to the east end with a pair of tall slender window openings and a lozenge panel to the apex. The remainder of the elevation constitutes the former schoolmaster's residence and has a slender gabled entrance projection and dormer windows to either side. Blank gable to the west elevation of the former schoolmaster's house. The rear west elevation to the school has two window openings. North rear elevation to the schoolmaster's house is abutted by a pair of rendered lean-to additions dating from the early to mid twentieth-century. North side elevation of the school building comprises a large gable, as south side elevation. Setting; Located on the east side of St. John's Road on an elevated site with mature scots pine trees enclosed by rubblestone walling to the road with stacked coping and a decorative cast-iron pedestrian gate on rendered piers. To the northwest of the site is a single-storey rubblestone former coach-house with pitched natural slate roof and a pair of redbrick lined square-headed openings, that to the south having an original timber plank door. The interior to the structure has cobbled flooring. Roof Natural slate RWG Cast-iron Walling Painted ruled and lined render Windows Steel casement / uPVC