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Back Row: Bill Myshrall, Bernie Prior, Ray Cross, David Patrick, Hamilton, Paul Arnold, Mick Peace, Bridges, Ian Gray
Middle Row: Harvey, Tim Hollis, Hunt, Philip Hutchinson, Paul Ratcliff, Oliver Plecan, Michael Aspley, Paul Aston, McKinnon
Front Row: Mick Barrett, Hugh Jones, Tim Watson, John Goodhall, Leslie Roe, Roy Sutton, Philip Mann, Andrew Bexon, Ian Bell
By now, Mr. Robinson had been replaced by Sydney Wilson as headmaster. The school had ceased to be independent and was now a state run school but had a good name for sound, solid work.
The number of boys at the school had now reached three hundred. Pupils now sat for ‘School Certificates’ and ‘Higher School Certificates’ which had been introduced a few years prior. In 1933, twenty-eight School Certificates were awarded together with ten Higher School Certificates. Bearing in mind that a year would have consisted of around fifty boys, this will give some idea of the national success rate, Burton having well above average performance.
Typical Classroom
Art Room
By 1912, the school had become well established. From an initial sixty-seven pupils and five staff, the numbers had risen steadily to one hundred and sixty-eight pupils, headmaster, eight teaching masters and two part-time staff.
The headmaster was Mr. Robinson who had taken the helm in 1900 and the school was enjoying results that gave it a high placing within the country’s result table. Generally, things were running smoothly; no-one could have forseen that war was just around the corner or have conceived that a number of pupils would soon be lost in the war effort.
Headmaster’s House (which caused much controversy)
Main Entrance in Bond Street (also including some later additions)
West view of school facing Lichfield Street
Art-Room (up in the ‘Attic’)
Woodwork Workshop
1912 Cricket Team
1912 Rugby Team
Many years later than originally expected, in 1877, Burton Grammar School was at last transferred to the newly erected Bond Street School.
The above picture was taken just prior to the opening of the new school and shows the school staff and their wives.
Fortunately for us, Mr Tripp had the foresight to have the above picture taken which shows the entire school, pupils and staff, at the time of transfer. This included the grand total of sixty-seven, all boy, pupils.
The majority of students at this time still had to pay a £8 per annum fee. Scholarships were available from the Local Education Authority to boys who had passed a satisfactory examination, although only four such scholarships were available each year.
Subjects on opening included: Mathematics, Geography (political and physical), English (grammar, composition and literature), History (ancient and modern), Natural Science, Latin, Economics, Art and Drawing, Vocal Music and one foreign, European language.
When Bond Street school opened in 1877, there were sixty-seven pupils. By 1953, there were five hundred and six. The ATC headquarters had long since been absorbed into the school to provide more space, a hut now contained two classrooms, the main hall served at least four different roles; the congestion and inconvenience within the school was described by the headmaster as deplorable. The preparatory forms were discontinued because there was no room to accommodate them. Probably even more significantly, more than twenty-five percent of students that achieved the required entry standard had to be denied and the sixth form was becoming very constrained. A new school had passed becoming desirable, it was now a necessity.
In 1918, 1931 and 1938, plans for a new school had looked close to coming to fruition but had eventually fallen through. A new school might have succeeded earlier had it not been for the outbreak of the second world war shortly afterwards.
Finally, in 1952, plans for a new school were accepted. A deal was worked out to exchange the land currently belonging to the school for a new four acre site in Winshill. Final plans were completed on time for March 31st 1953. By 1955, building was very well on the way and it was expected that occupancy of the new school would begin after the school holidays in September, 1956. The school buildings would belong to the Governors, chaired by Mrs Evershed; all equipment would belong to the Town.
Click here to view large image
To commemorate the end of the school, it was decided that a complete picture of the school should be prepared by Panora Limited, London, which was achieved with a mechanism that panned the camera from left to right. Famously, the picture had to be retaken after pupil, David Orme, jumped from the top left and ran to the other end so as to appear twice.
Occasionally, and I suppose inevitably, there is a ‘Story to Tell’ about Burton Grammar School; sometimes positive, sometimes negative. I have decided to feature these in a seperate section.
Select item to view:
One of the most tragic events in Burton Grammar School’s history was the case of Mr Harold Moodey, headmaster from 1941-1950.
Harold Moodey was educated at Chatham House Public school where, aside from being an outstanding scholar, he was senior prefect, captain of cricket and captain of football.
He gained an Open Scholarship to Oxford and took first class honours degrees in Natural Science and Chemistry. He entered Jesus College, Oxford and was there were war broke out. He then ‘enjoyed’ distinguished service in the Royal Air Force. Back in Jesus College after the war, he gained college colours for football and rowing and became president of a number of societies including Oxford Colleges Scientific Club.
As a post-graduate, he wrote a number of papers and textbooks and had a distinguished teaching career as second master of Chemistry at the esteemed Liverpool Collegiate School and Head of All Sciences at Hampton-on-Thames Grammar School.
… and so it goes on. Colleagues had nothing but good to say about him before he suffered some kind of mental illness and some unsuccessful procedure that had a very negative effect on his mental well-being. He went off sick just before Christmas, 1949, and was reported to be seriously ill.
One morning in May, 1950, to the shock of the school, he went to Burton Railway Station and committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train. When the police visited his Stapenhill home, they discovered the true extent of the tragedy. His wife and teenage son and daughter were all found dead as the result of head injuries.
The newspaper reported:
TRAGIC FATE OF BURTON FAMILY
HEADMASTER, WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN FOUND DEAD
Mr. H. S. Moodey Killed on Railway
POLICE FIND FAMILY DEAD AT HOME
A DISTRESSING FOUR-FOLD TRAGEDY, IN WHICH THE WHOLE OF A BURTON FAMILY DIED, WAS REVEALED TO-DAY.
Mr. Harold Stephen Moodey, Headmaster of Burton Grammar School, was killed at Burton Railway Station this morning, when he was struck by the engine of the Derby to Birmingham train which arrives at Burton at 7:20 a.m.
When police officers visited his home at 8, Clay Street, Stapenhill, later in the morning, they there found his wife, Mrs. Marjorie M. Moodey, and two children, Richard Stephen, aged 15 years, and Hilary Jane, aged 12 years, also dead with head injuries.
It is understood that shortly after seven o’clock this morning Mr. Moodey bought a return railway ticket for Tamworth and was apparently waiting for the 7.20 a.m. train to Birmingham which stops at Tamworth.
At Burton station to-day a Burton Daily Mail reporter was told that as the train approached the platform the driver of the engine, Mr. Oakell of 528, Kings Road, longstanding, saw a man. standing on the permanent way between the track and a stationary coach.
A split second after that he felt a bump at the front of the locomotive and applied his brakes, pulling up the train within a matter of yards. Mr. Moodey’s body was recovered from under the fourth coach of the train.
Police officers investigating the tragedy found the railway ticket in a pocket, and also a piece of paper bearing the name “Moodey”. In order to establish identity, police officers visited Mr, Moodey’s home at Clay Street, and on entering discovered the bodies of Mrs. Moodey and the two children, all dead, with head injuries. Members of the C.I.D. were immediately called to the scene and continued their investigations throughout the morning.
Mr. Moodey’s son, Richard was a pupil at Repton School and his daughter Hilary was a pupil at Burton Girls’ High School.
A DISTINGUISHED CAREER
Mr. Moodey, who was 52, accepted the headmastership of Burton Grammar School on March 3rd, 1942, when living at East Court Cottage, Finchhampstead, Berkshire. There were 165 applications for the post, which was rendered vacant by the death of Mr. W. Fraser, who came to Burton in 1935.
Educated at Chatham House School, Ramsgate, where he was appointed assistant master in 1916, he won an open science scholarship at Oxford two years earlier. At Jesus College he gained his M.A, (Oxon.), and first-class honours in Natural Science Chemistry in 1921.
From 1921 to 1924 he was second chemistry master at Liverpool Collegiate School, and from then until coming to Burton he was head of the science department and sixth form master at Hampton-on-Thames Endowed School (founded in 1556).
He served with the R.F.C. and R.A.F. during the first World War.
He was a keen sportsman, and obtained his college colours for football and for rowing, and was captain of the college second cricket XI. As a master at Hampton school before coming to Burton, he was in charge of the school football and cricket teams, and was Scoutmaster of the school troop of 70 boys.
In 1935 he was District Commissioner of the Hampton and District Scouts’ Association.
He was keenly interested in dramatic art, and his wife shared in this enthusiasm and held the degrees of A.L.A.M. A.T.C.L., Eloc. Mr. Moodey was a member of the Joint National Committee of I.A.A.M. and S.M.A. which compiled a memorandum on science teaching and of the conpultative panel of I.A.A.M., for chemistry and general science.
He was physics representative of the Middlesex branch of I.A.A.M., and author of a text-book “Qualatitive Analysis.”
In 1942, when Mr, Moodey came to Burton, the Hampton school had 550 boys, compared with Burton’s 350.
During the last few days of the school Christmas holiday in January this year, it was reported that Mr. Moodey was seriously ill, and he had not been able to resume his duties since that time.
On March 31st, the occasion of the Grammar School’s speech day, Mr. H. Pitchford, who has been deputising in his absence, said he was glad to report that Mr. Moodey had taken a distinct turn for the better.
An inquest will be opened tomorrow by the Burton borough coroner, Major T. H. Bishop.
It is not certain when it first came into being but there was a ‘school house’ on the site of the Friars Walk school in 1824. At that time, it was a large single classroom with a dwelling house on one side and stable on the other; it also had its own small garden. It stood next to the graveyard that served a church which occupied almost the same position as the current Saint Modwen’s church, which was itself built to replace part of the derelict Abbey.
The house at one time housed a schoolmaster but, by this time, it was no longer fit for such purpose. It was instead rented to a poor person and the schoolmaster rented a house in High Street, as did the usher – the only other member of staff.
In the early eighteen thirties, the aforementioned Parish Church needed a classroom to accommodate its Sunday school. The trustees were approached about building one but it was decided, given that the building would only be needed on a Sunday, the best proposition would be to extend the school building so that it could be used on weekdays.
The project grew to a complete, major, renovation in conjunction with the extension and including a new schoolmaster house. The plans were for the three gabled brick Tudor house more or less as it appears today.
In 1834, the extensive renovation was completed, much of the cost being borne by the church. The cost of the renovation was £600!
Thankfully, the building is sufficiently small to make it viable for modern commercial use. The right-hand section was the masters house, the left-hand section was the stables leaving the centre section for the school itself for around sixty pupils.
Colourized reproduction (by me) of drawing by Buckler, 1830, of Friars Walk building in its
former heyday before eventually being renovated to form the ‘new’ Grammar School.
January 2008 photo following recent renovation work in order
that building could be preserved as a commercial property.
At some point, to suit the new usage after ceasing
as a school, the main doorway was relocated.
In the early nineteenth century, when photography was very much in its infancy, drawings and etchings were far more available than photographs. In 1860, Rock Brothers and Payne published a collection of etchings depicting scenes around Burton upon Trent, produced in the late 1850s by G.H. Newbold.
This rare plate titled ‘Church & Grammar School, Burton on Trent’ shows the view from Stapenhill of Saint Modwens Church and the Burton Grammar School some 20 years before Bond Street School was built.
The ‘Silverway’ branch of the river Trent, a branch off which was used by the school for swimming lessons, is today little more than a brook and the view is completely obscured by trees.
