I remain a fan of those old Board Schools built in the late 19th and early 20 centuries.
They were, and still are solid beautiful buildings which are warm in winter and cool in summer.
By contrast the new wave of schools built in the 1950s onwards, were bold modern statements about what schools should be like, but were all glass and metal with a fflat roof.
All of which meant that these new builds leaked heat in the winter, and were furnaces in the summer.
Added to which the metal frames were not always a good fit, and over the years began to rust and buckle allowing the wind to whip through.
And while all that glass looked good it proved an irresistible temptation to stare out at everything from the games lessons taking place or the traffic whizzing past.
Their Victorian and Edwardian predecessors had high windows which were good for letting in the light but were often just that bit too high to afford a distraction.
And of course these schools have lasted much better than those thrown up in the 1950s, which means many of us will have been to a Board School and seen our children go through similar ones and no doubt will see our grandchildren do the same.
Some are now too small and have had modern additions grafted on.
Andy Robertson was drawn to Springfield School on his travels through Sale and sent over a selection of pictures with the comment "this was on the way to Bulls Head, which was only a necessary watering stop you understand for an evening of culture with Cathy at the Waterside centre... John Bramwell of I am Kloot fame.
I was drawn in by the ‘Cookery Instruction’, sign and also by the way the 'Infant Boys' has been incorporated into the new build”.
Now I had to agree, but I wonder which of the two bits of building will still look good and be fit for purpose a century on.
Location; Sale
Pictures; Springfield School, Sale, 2018, from the collection of Andy Robertson
By contrast the new wave of schools built in the 1950s onwards, were bold modern statements about what schools should be like, but were all glass and metal with a fflat roof.
All of which meant that these new builds leaked heat in the winter, and were furnaces in the summer.
Added to which the metal frames were not always a good fit, and over the years began to rust and buckle allowing the wind to whip through.
And while all that glass looked good it proved an irresistible temptation to stare out at everything from the games lessons taking place or the traffic whizzing past.
And of course these schools have lasted much better than those thrown up in the 1950s, which means many of us will have been to a Board School and seen our children go through similar ones and no doubt will see our grandchildren do the same.
Some are now too small and have had modern additions grafted on.
I was drawn in by the ‘Cookery Instruction’, sign and also by the way the 'Infant Boys' has been incorporated into the new build”.
Now I had to agree, but I wonder which of the two bits of building will still look good and be fit for purpose a century on.
Location; Sale
Pictures; Springfield School, Sale, 2018, from the collection of Andy Robertson
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