End Of An Era

It was an absolute marathon at work today! Technically it was an INSET day and we would not normally be in as Support Staff. However due to the impending redevelopment of the old main building, the tenth lab, 3 storerooms, a prep room and the science staff work room are all to be demolished and replaced in part which will take a year to complete. We worked very very hard to complete the clearing out of the rooms we use. This view shows most of the furniture being removed from the lab that will eventually be replaced by a brand new one and the old furniture being skipped. I went out last night over to Cowfold and I was pretty shattered afterwards!

Not mentioning it's name, the school I work at was originally built in 1956-7 using an early system build. The framework was of steel and the client could have a choice of cladding that included timber and concrete slabs. In the context of the time, following the provisions of the 1944 Education Act, County Councils began a very ambitious plan of building new Secondary Schools which was a remarkable achievement. Lots of different designs and ideas came out during the late 1940's to the early 1960's and having developed an interest in this subject a long time ago I have found it to be extremely interesting. This building was built to a system developed in Hertfordshire by a company called Hills. It was one of only two that I know for certain in West Sussex that were built and when this building is demolished there will be none left. However, the former hall, gym and changing rooms will survive.

My belief is that there should be at least a few complete 1950's Secondary Schools in the UK that are listed and given protection as we give much older buildings to show how our public buildings were constructed at this time and in tribute to the architects, companies and experts who helped to build them. Without the help of these people, and not mentioning the awful Government politics that surrounds Education today, we would not have the high standards of Education we enjoy today

It might not have been a very pretty building, but it contained many memories for all those who were pupils and was built at a time that many people have fond memories of.