Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/07/012

Address :
Leckpatrick Building Glendermott Road Londonderry Co. Londonderry

Townland:
Clooney

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
13/04/2016 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
School

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
36-8NE

IG Ref:
C4460 1655

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Single-storey twelve-bay red brick former school building with projecting gabled wings to the South-West principal elevation; all set on a concrete plinth. Built 1913 to designs by Robert Eccles Buchanan. Rectangular on plan with two projecting wings abutted by a modern red brick extension to the North-East elevation, completed c. 1980; pitched slate roof has terracotta roll-top clay ridge tiles and a ventilation cowl with a lead pyramidal roof, centred on ridge and a red brick chimney stack having two terracotta clay pots to the NW rear wing; stepped brick cornice at eaves; lead detailing and concrete coping stones to all gable ends. Windows have semicircular arched heads with timber casements set in a continuous concrete sill-band spanning the width of each elevation. Located to the North-East side of the Dungiven Road close to its junction with the Glendermott Road, on the east bank of the River Foyle. Built originally as Rossdowney Primary School, replacing the existing school of 'Stewart Memorial Hall’ located lower on Dungiven Road towards the river. The school at Rossdowney closed in the late 1970s, Leckpatrick Co-Operative Agricultural and Dairy Society acquired the building that already had been operating on an adjoining site from 1948. Principal elevation faces South-West onto Dungiven Road set behind a high rough-cast rendered wall obscuring a large section of the elevation; walling is laid in 'Flemish Bond' with red-brick dressings, elevation is twelve bays wide, the outer three bays on each side are in projecting gable-ended wings under large arched recesses with hood moulding and a keystone; small circular ventilated opening above, gables have decorative Art Nouveau inspired concrete copings; inner six bays have hood mouldings and are paired between plain red-brick pilasters. Window openings have semicircular arched heads with brick voussoirs. Timber casement windows consist of plain glazing with an arched window pane to the top which sits above a rectangular single-pane light and then two lights to the lower panes. North-West side elevation is three bays wide; uPVC square-section downpipe to right side of elevation; stepped red-brick return is of four-bays wide, three semicircular arch windows with hood moulds over to the left of a segmental arch headed doorway with hood mould over (now concealed and blocked-up with modern red-brick); uPVC square-section downpipe between doorway and right-side window bay. North-East elevation to the rear has two projecting gable-ended wings; gable-ends have three semicircular arch headed windows with a small circular ventilated opening above; flat-roof of rear modern red-brick extension abuts gable-ends. Rear elevation is enclosed by a red brick and concrete block wall with pointed coping stone. South-East side elevation faces onto a small tarmac yard; fenestration pattern matches that of North-West side elevation; stepped red-brick return contains a segmental arch headed doorway having a pair of vertically sheeted timber doors with a plain glazed transom light over; hood mould over doorway and three semicircular window bays to the right. Materials: Roof Natural slate RWG Cast Iron & uPVC Walling Red-brick Windows Timber casements Setting: Located to the North-East side of the Dungiven Road close to its junction with the Glendermott Road and set behind a high rough-cast rendered wall on the east bank of the River Foyle, situated within an area primarily consisting of modern residential developments. Principal elevation faces South-west and is approached by via an entrance just off the Rossdowney Road.

Architects

Buchanan, R Eccles

Historical Information

This structure was originally built as Rossdowney School in 1913-14. An extensive file of correspondence relating to the construction of the school is available in PRONI (ED/3/264). The earliest item in this file is a letter dating from 17 May 1909 from John Eagleson, Honorary Secretary of the Select Vestry of Clooney Parish, to the Commissioners of National Education in Dublin, expressing a desire to provide a new school building ‘more in accordance with modern requirements than the one they have at present.’ (The existing school – the Stewart Memorial National School – was subsequently turned into the parish hall.) The Derry Diocesan Board of Education offered a site at Rossdowney that had previously been occupied by an old schoolhouse. The architect of the new school was Robert Eccles Buchanan. Matters did not proceed especially quickly and it was not until February 1913 that tenders for building the new school were issued. In July 1913 Rev. Canon Goold-Adams, the incumbent of Clooney and a prime mover in having the new school built, estimated that the cost of the school would be £3,056. Arrangements with the contractor were concluded in November 1913. The school closed in the late 1970s when it amalgamated with Clooney Primary School to form Lisnagelvin Primary School. Leckpatrick Co-Operative Agricultural and Dairy Society Ltd had been operating on an adjoining site from 1948 and subsequently took over the building. In March 2014 outline planning approval was granted for the re-development of the site to include demolition of buildings, a mixed-use re-development to include a food superstore, a business innovation centre and the retention of the former school building, which is proposed to be used as a crèche. References Primary sources 1. PRONI, ED/3/264, Rossdowney National School, 1909-1917 2. 79th Report of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland for 1912-13. 3. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1933, OS/6/5/14/4 4. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1954, OS/6/5/14/5 5. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1964, OS/6/5/14/6 Secondary sources 1. Avril Thomas (ed.), Irish Historic Towns Atlas, no. 15, Derry~Londonderry (Dublin, 2005) 2. Dan Calley, City of Derry: An Historical Gazetteer to the Buildings of Londonderry (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013) 3. Brochure on Leckpatrick Co-Operative Agricultural and Dairy Society Ltd Online sources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects (www.dia.ie)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building

Historic Interest

S. Authenticity R. Age V. Authorship Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance X. Local Interest T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A single-storey twelve-bay red brick former school building of 1913 to designs by Robert Eccles Buchanan. It is located on a corner site and set behind a high rough-cast rendered wall on the North-East side of the Dungiven Road on the east bank of the River Foyle. Originally built as Rossdowney Primary School, it operated as a school until it closed in the late 1970s. The building is rectangular on plan with two projecting gable-ended wings facing the Dungiven Road elevation and is abutted by a modern red brick extension to the North-East elevation. The interior plan form is largely intact although some historic detailing has been lost. Much detailing to the exterior remains and of particular note are the Art Nouveau-inspired concrete copings atop the projecting gables and the arched windows under brick hood-mouldings. Despite the addition of a flat-roofed extension in c.1980 to the rear, this is a fine example of a simple, well-proportioned and decoratively detailed red-brick former school building of its time.

General Comments

Date of Survey

30 September 2014