The village charity school was endowed in 1773 by Charles Jennens (who was a forge master based at Furnace End and a friend of the composer Handel).
The school was extended following to 1870 Education Act when two new wings were added in 1877 allowing room for 150 pupils. A school house was built for the headmaster in 1912 after the central portion of the school was converted from a house to an additional classroom. A dining kitchen was not added till 1947. From 1952 (for a few years certainly beyond 1956) the mission room (tin hut) was used for the education of the infant children as there was not enough room in the school. A new temporary classroom was finally added to the school in 1973 and remained in use till its closure. The school was subjected to a variety of closure attempts from the mid 1970's which eventually led to the closure of the school in 1987. This ended 214 continuous years of education in the village school. The building was subsequently sold and is now a private house.
More to follow - this page is still under construction
The school was extended following to 1870 Education Act when two new wings were added in 1877 allowing room for 150 pupils. A school house was built for the headmaster in 1912 after the central portion of the school was converted from a house to an additional classroom. A dining kitchen was not added till 1947. From 1952 (for a few years certainly beyond 1956) the mission room (tin hut) was used for the education of the infant children as there was not enough room in the school. A new temporary classroom was finally added to the school in 1973 and remained in use till its closure. The school was subjected to a variety of closure attempts from the mid 1970's which eventually led to the closure of the school in 1987. This ended 214 continuous years of education in the village school. The building was subsequently sold and is now a private house.
More to follow - this page is still under construction
Mr Patterson and Mrs Hicken circa 1956 (all left to right)
Front Row - x,x,x,x,x,x,x
Middle Row - x,Sue,x,Sue Dryden,Val Coggins,x,x,x,x,x,x
Top Row - x,x,x,x,x,Jim Wheeler,x,Phil Hawthorne,x,x
Standing teachers - Mr. Patterson, Mrs Hicken
Source Jim and Sue Wheeler December 2018
Front Row - x,x,x,x,x,x,x
Middle Row - x,Sue,x,Sue Dryden,Val Coggins,x,x,x,x,x,x
Top Row - x,x,x,x,x,Jim Wheeler,x,Phil Hawthorne,x,x
Standing teachers - Mr. Patterson, Mrs Hicken
Source Jim and Sue Wheeler December 2018
Mr Patterson and Juniors circa 1964
Front Row - Susan Nabbs, Christine Wyatt, Penelope Blewitt, Eleanor Stevenson, Jean Griffith, Norma Smith, Catherine Payne
Middle Row - Mr. Patterson, Jacqueline Hill, Terence Yeomans, Stanley Mason, David Ross, Brian Pryke, Joan Griffith
Top Row - Robert ( Bobby ) Dutton, Peter Kings, Stephen Hill, George Flynn, Steven Hartin, Richard Williams.
Front Row - Susan Nabbs, Christine Wyatt, Penelope Blewitt, Eleanor Stevenson, Jean Griffith, Norma Smith, Catherine Payne
Middle Row - Mr. Patterson, Jacqueline Hill, Terence Yeomans, Stanley Mason, David Ross, Brian Pryke, Joan Griffith
Top Row - Robert ( Bobby ) Dutton, Peter Kings, Stephen Hill, George Flynn, Steven Hartin, Richard Williams.
Back row - Mrs Killips, Heather Brown, Ruth Affleck, Emily Sexton, Sharon Hayfield, Rachel Hale, Emma Pethick, Clare Dunn, Mrs Crumpton
Kneeling middle - Robert Lockhart, Clive Deeming, Matthew Edwards, Peter Carford Front row - Dean Kenna, Richard Edwards, David Naylor, Craig Samson, Nicholas Bennett, Darren Oldridge, Jason Round Picture by Quentin Howell |
Mark Samson (back to camera) and Matthew Edwards walking in white shirt.
Picture by Quentin Howell |
Service sheet for the final thanksgiving service on 5th July 1987
Service sheet for the 20th anniversary service of closure