Formerschool is re-born as church hall

St. James Primary School in Kilwarlin, outside Hillsborough, which is owned by the parish of Down and Dromore, has just been refurbished with a new kitchen installed into one of the former classrooms as well as disabled toilets.

To mark the work a Praise and Thanksgiving service will be held on Sunday evening March 18 at 6.30 pm in St James’s Church.

Bailiesmills Accordion Band will be present to play items during the service and supper will be held afterwards in the former school.

St James Primary School opened in 1845 and served the local community for over a century and a half before closing for the last time in 2003. It amalgamated with St Johns and Maze Primary Schools to form Meadow Bridge Primary.

Church Warden and former Chairman of the Board of Governors Tom Martin said that since 2003 the school had been mainly used for Sunday School events, but they wanted it to be used by the wider community.

In order to encourage that, work began to refurbish the building last July and disabled toilets were built and a classroom was transformed into a modern kitchen.

“We did not change it structurally on the outside. We wanted to keep it intact as there is a lot of history behind the school, but the interior has been re-done,” said Mr Martin.

“The work is mainly completed apart from one or two minor things. It is still used as a Sunday School but we would like to see it being used by others. Probably in time a mother and toddler group might like to use it or whatever.

“We are hoping that in time more people will begin to use it again.

“We are not a large parish so it is a small community but it would be nice if other local groups could use it.

“When the school closed in 2003 there were around 150 children still at the school and a teacher for every classroom. I don’t think it closed due to falling numbers it was just that the other two schools were amalgamating so it was probably just a natural thing that St James also closed.”