Survey Data
Reg No
30411808
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Social
Previous Name
Boley Dominican Convent
Original Use
School
Date
1860 - 1900
Coordinates
185449, 207567
Date Recorded
10/08/2009
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached single-storey national school, built c.1880, on site of earlier school, having four-bay front elevation and eight-bay rear elevation, with recent boiler house to north-west gable. Currently not in use. Pitched slate roof with cement rendered chimneystack to middle of roof, and some cast-iron rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls to front (north-east) elevation with rendered plinth course, smooth rendered walls to south-east elevation with tooled stone plinth course. Pairs of square-headed window openings to middle bays of front elevation, with raised render reveals, painted stone sills and six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed doorways with timber battened doors to end bays of front elevation and to rear elevation. Bounded to north by wrought-iron railings on cement rendered plinth wall, with wrought-iron pedestrian gate, and wrought-iron double-leaf pedestrian gates flanked by rendered piers. Wrought-iron vehicular gate to west, with cement rendered piers and boundary wall, rubble limestone wall to boundary with graveyard to south.
Appraisal
This national school, although not currently is use, retains much of its original fabric, including timber sash windows, timber battened doors and its name plaque. Set well back from the road the school forms part of a distinctive group of buildings which includes the local Roman Catholic church and Boula House. The vertical windows set high in the walls, to allow light in but not views out, was part of the typical National School design in the late nineteenth century. The symmetrical elevations reflect the separate entrances for boys and girls.