Bond Street (1956)

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.

Whole School
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.


 

Website by Kevin Gallagher