Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB26/37/002 C

Address :
Holy Cross Boys School 432 Crumlin Road Crumlin Road Belfast BT13 3BX

Townland:
Edenderry

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
13/09/2012 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
School

Former Use
School

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
129-12

IG Ref:
J3150 7580

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Owner Category

Church - RC

Exterior Description And Setting

Single-storey multi bay red-brick and sandstone school of 1913-14 by W.J. Moore. Typically Edwardian Free Style detailing - including a pagoda-like entrance, and unusual V-shaped plan. Built as a boys National School, the building ceased to function as such in the 1967 but was later partially re-used as a parish hall/social club. The school is prominently positioned at the junction of the Crumlin and Woodvale Roads within the grounds of Holy Cross RC church and monastery and north-west of the church itself. The two main wings of the school, which make up the irregular V-plan, follow the line of the roads, converging at north-west where the roads themselves merge. The area between the wings, originally the playground and completely open was built over in the 1970-80s. The building is set back from the pavement and enclosed by a low, part coursed rubble, part rendered, wall with cut sandstone coping, iron railings and gates and square cement-rendered piers. [In order to simplify the description the wing facing Crumlin Road will be referred to as north, with that facing Woodvale Road, south. Thus the ‘point’ of the V will be referred to as west, and the opposite end as east. The building is constructed in red facing brick with blue engineering brick courses, diapers and dressings for some small oculi, with sandstone employed for almost all of the dressings, mullions, transoms, lintels and for the dentilled eaves. The street-facing facades (to the north, south and west) are articulated with shallow buttresses, between which are set a series of tall flat-headed windows (now mainly boarded over); the windows to the north elevation are larger and have stone mullions and transoms. The roof is hipped to the west and part gabled to the east, with gabled end bays to the south. It is completely slated with pierced red fire clay ridge tiles and cast-iron rainwater goods. The north wing has a ridge ventilator with lead-covered fleche at the west end above the entrance bay; the south wing has a ventilator in the centre of the ridge line with small cupola and pinnacle. In the roof of the north wing there is a series of ventilator gablets, and, where the wings converge, there is a lantern. The gabled ends have skews and dressed stone copings, and to the north-western corner there is a carved griffin ‘gargoyle’. North The north elevation is asymmetrical. To far right is the main entrance, with secondary entrances to the far left and (approximately) at centre. The main entrance is set under an unusual, slate-covered, pagoda-like roof that rises above eaves level and is topped with a lead finial. Under this the doorway is set within a semicircular-headed recess with splayed reveal. Within this is a timber double door over which is a fanlight with decorative gothic tracery with cusps and a quatrefoil. Directly above is a large sandstone panel with the school’s name carved thereon. Two small windows flank the entrance with moulded hood extending from the reveal over both. To the immediate right of the main entrance is a canted bay with a continuous mullioned window and a tall brick and sandstone parapet incorporating a date stone within a shield-like panel. Three large windows to the left of this is the central entrance, with the remaining entrance a further four windows to left again. Both of these entrances are similar, and much plainer than that to the far right, with doorways to the side set within deep segmental-headed reveals, small windows to each of the other sides and a parapet broken by an oculus-like motif. West The short west elevation is relatively plain, with three sets of paired windows (narrower than those on the main elevations) with buttresses between. The south elevation repeats the sequence of the west (with six pairs of windows), but has large gabled end bays with triple window groupings with a decorative lintel. There is a single (left of centre) entrance to this side, which has an overlight with cusped’ tracery. South The south elevation repeats the sequence of the west (with six pairs of windows), but has large gabled end bays with triple window groupings with a decorative lintel. There is a single (left of centre) entrance to this side, which has an overlight with ‘cusped’ tracery. East The east elevation comprises the ends of the north and south wings linked by the flat roofed utilitarian 1980s extension set between. The end of the south wing is blank but has some decorative string courses and diapers whilst the gabled end of the north wing has a triangular hipped roof projection with oculi and contrasting brick surround and string courses as before. A tall boundary wall extends from this projection as well as a relatively recent brick and concrete block extension. Most of the window frames survive and these include some sliding sash (2/4) with hopper openers over and fixed lights also with hoppers. Setting The school is set in the narrow northern triangle of the grounds of the 19th century Holy Cross Church. Grounds to the south are well tended in character. The triangle on which the school rests is bounded by the Crumlin and Woodvale Roads; these are major arterial routs leading north from Belfast city centre. Here the building is essentially street fronted and urban in character. The site slops north to south. Settings are essentially unaltered and these continue to contribute to the character of the school. Roof natural slate Walls brick Windows timber RWG cast iron

Architects

Moore, W J

Historical Information

This school, originally Holy Cross Boys National School, was built in 1913-14 to designs by W.J. Moore of Belfast. It replaced an earlier smaller schoolhouse of 1869, which was located along the southern portion of the site (facing what is now Woodvale Road). Previously the ground had been occupied by a long low pre-1832 dwelling, 'Edenderry Cottage', with a larger pre-1857 two-storey residence, 'Edenderry Lodge' to the immediate west; adjacent to this house was a toll gate - the 'Edenderry Turnpike', which remained in operation until c.1860. The previous school had been built by the Passionists, who acquired the triangle of land between the Crumlin Road and what was then the Shankill Road in 1868, building a new church on the site in the same year, with £600 expended on the school the following year. Edenderry Lodge was utilised as a retreat house, until a new purpose-built retreat - the first monastery in Ulster since the Reformation - was completed in 1881, whilst the original church was replaced by the present much grander edifice in 1902. The original school of the 1860s had catered for both boys and girls, but in 1902 the girls were transferred to a new school in Chief Street to the south leaving the old building solely for boys. Growing pupil numbers lead to the construction of the present building in 1914, which was officially opened by Joe Devlin, the then MP for Belfast West. In 1959 a new boys primary school was completed in Butler Street (now Butler Walk - to the eastern side of Crumlin Road) and the building was vacated. It did not remain idle for long however, reopening days later to cater for the overflow of girls from Chief Street. The school continued in this role until 1967 when it finally closed. Since then the building has acted as parish hall and social club, with the former playground between the main wings built over to provide additional accommodation. Part of the building was damaged by fire c.1995. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS6/1/60/2 OS 6in county map 1857 2 OSNI OS8-30-3A-13 OS town plan of Belfast, 1883-84 3 OSNI OS10-1-60-8-3 OS 25in town plan of Belfast, 1931 4 OSNI OS11-129-12-1 OS 25in town plan of Belfast, 1964-65 Secondary sources 1 Holy Cross Girls' School 40th Anniversary, (Belfast, Shanway Press, 2009) 2 Information supplied by caretaker, December 2011 Websites 1 http://holycrossparishbelfast.com/schools.htm (Accessed 2011.12.15)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Single-storey multi bay red-brick and sandstone school of 1913-14 by W.J. Moore. Holy Cross Boys National School is a example of Edwardian Free Style architecture, blending diverse but finely-worked design elements such as a notable pagoda-style entrance, gothic overlights, and gargoyle-like carving. Largely intact both externally and internally it is a prominently located building of undoubted interest both in terms of character and social history. It is a good example of an unusual style and of the building type and its relationship with the neighbouring Holy Cross Church and monastery adds interest.

General Comments

Recorded in the 1st survey as HB26/37/003

Date of Survey

28 November 2011