Another History lesson
Posted by Norman Dunn on 15/1/2025, 12:23 pm
Shields Daily Gazette - Tuesday 04 May 1875 INAUGURATION OF BOARD SCHOOLS AT HEBBURN The new schools at Hebburn, erected by the Jarrow School Board, were formally opened yesterday, by the Rev. G.A. Ormsby, vicar of Jarrow, in the presence of a large number of the inhabitants of the locality and visitors from a distance. The schools are situated at Hebburn New Town, where there is a population of about 7,000, with 2,300 children of a school-going age. The school building is in the form of a T, the infants' and girls' school forming the head and the boys' school occupying the stern. There are two large mixed schools rooms for the boys and two smaller for the girls; these rooms being in each case arranged in pairs, separated by a partition of a peculiar construction, so as to be practically sound proof, and the object being to prevent any disturbance being felt in one school room from the exercises going on at the same time in another; when, however, the work in the two schoolrooms is of a simultaneous character, the partition is so arranged as in a single moment to allow of the sound passing through, so that in the case of singing, for instance, the children can be exercised at the same time. The schools are heated by means of hot water apparatus by Messrs Dining and Cooke, Newcastle; and Mr.Fishburn, of South Shields, was the contractor. Messrs. T.C. Hardy and Co., Newcastle, were the contractors for the desks; Messrs Kirk and Dickenson, Newcastle, for the slating; and Mr. W. Lish, Newcastle is the architect. The cost, exclusive of the ground, has been about £7,500; and, including purchase of the ground, the cost of the whole of the four schools built by the board has been about £2,300 or £2,400. The Chairman of the Board yesterday, at the opening, stated the present Board had had a comparatively easy task, as it had only been their endeavour to carry out the scheme proposed by the previous Board. Shortly before the period of office of the late Board expired, the question of opening a Board school at Hebburn was mooted; for some time, however, the project was held in abeyance for several reasons. Some of the members thought they should work more gradually than to hurry on building many schools at once. Others thought there was some prospect of the various denominations supplying the great lack of schools in the district, but a petition of some weight and signed by 300 ratepayers and inhabitants of Hebburn New Town was presented to the Board by Mr.Coote, and that petition showed such earnest anxiety on the part of the inhabitants of Hebburn New Town to have a Board school in their midst that the Board unanimously came to the conclusion to set about the work of building that school. He mentioned that purposely because he himself was at first one of the dissentients. He found from statistics published in the last report of the Board that in the district of Hebburn there was a population of about 7,000, and about 2,200 children of a school-going age, and there was only accommodation in the public elementary schools for 1,058 children. He thought therefore they would all conclude that there was a very great deficiency, and they might congratulate themselves that that deficiency had now in some measure been met. Education would now be commenced immediately. After much care and deliberation the Board had secured the services of first-class certificated masters, and they sincerely hoped their efforts would not be in vain, and that the work begun that day would be brought to a prosperous and successful issue. He had great pleasure in announcing that the schools were now formally opened; and he expressed the sincere determination of the Board that they would be conducted, as far as it was in their power, in an efficient manner. As they were not an assembly of any one denomination, but one of great Christian family, he was sure there would not be one disenting voice to the proposal he was about to make, that they should ask God's blessing on the work, and say the Lord's Prayer. This having been done, and the Chairman having invited remarks from any gentleman present, Mr. Berkley, Jarrow, said he was well pleased with the clean, light, and healthful looking building. He hoped it would soon be filled with good masters and mistresses and good scholars, so that the youths of the district might be trained up to become better men and women. He thought that the Board had done well in erecting these four schools, and that they might now rest on their oars, and save the ratepayers' money as much as possible. Mr. Buchanan said it was with great pleasure that he congratulated the Board on the opening of this school, and on the very excellent character of the building. He hoped it would be filled in a very short time. The Rev. Father Corboy also addressed the assemblage; and music was sung by the children from the Grange and Dunn Streets Schools, of whom about 250, with their head teachers, Messrs Witten and Rigby, and Misses Robertson and McIntyre, were present. The school will begin active work today. Here below is the School 88 years later & not long before it was demolished in 1985 ish.
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