1969 - 2015
1969 - Moving to Grange Road
In 1969 the old site (close to the present Parish Centre) was cramped and unfit for purpose, so a new plot of land was purchased for £20,800, 'down the hill' on Grange Road, and a new school was built.
This brochure reveal the designs for the new school along with a proposed cost of £60,000, £12,000 of which would come from the parish.
In September 1969 the school opened its doors to the children from the top of the hill in a now legendary ‘walking the books’ procession. Where all of the children who were at the school at the time carried their books down the hill to the new school.
Memories from 1969
One of our grandfathers remembers the walk from the old school to the new Grange Road building and everything being so new! He particularly remembers the plastic chairs and trays to store all the children's books. He told Mrs Martin that the old school was on the point of falling down and plaster from the decaying Victorian ceiling fell on their heads! Memories also include a sweet shop just over the road from the playground entrance on Richmond Rd which is now called Media House. Prefabs were also erected as temporary accommodation, later used by the Scouts and these were finally replaced by the new Community Centre.
The parish magazine from August 1971 describes the contrast from the old Victorian buildings to the new build on Grange Road.
"The end of an era. Nobody witnessed it without regret but the mind's eye wandered from the derelict victim of twentieth century vandals standing empty on its cramped site - to the new Bowdon Church School spacious and lovely in her green playing fields in Grange Road - another era."
1969 A photo of the children from Bowdon Church School
Memories from the 1969 - 2015 building
Designed as an open plan single-storey, school the entrance of the school lead to the Head's office on the left and the small staff room on the right. Moving straight on took the visitor straight into the 'heart' of the building - the school hall. Everyone walked through the school hall several times a day since not only were daily assemblies held each morning for the whole school, along with PE lessons but all school meals were served and eaten in the hall. Four doors led off the hall to the classrooms - Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and the Junior wing.
Large windows on one side of the hall looked out onto the Junior playground - although in 1997 an extension to create a new medical room, hall storage and a much needed corridor to save walking through the Y3 classroom was built, meaning the large windows were significantly reduced.
This was not the only addition to the original building. Over the years a PTA music room was built, only to be acquired as an additional classroom; a new IT suite was added to the back of the school hall; and an additional 3 classroom block added on the field side, to accommodate Y5 and Y6 classes as the school increased from one and a half form entry to two form entry.
A selection of photos showing the 1969 - 2015 building
