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Bowdon
Church School

  • 1969 - 2015 Grange Road

    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 us 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 led 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


    1970 Dedication by the Bishop
    of Stockport

    Reception Class photo 1977
     

    Silver Jubilee - July 1995
    (Y1 canopy)

    Front entrance 1995
     

    View from the front 1995

    Inside the school hall 1995

    The school pond & rear of school 1995

    Raising the flag - 1995

    School Fair - on the field 1995

    Comic Relief 1997 in the hall

    Comic Relief 1997 in the hall

    Building the new medical room 1997

    Building the new medical room 1997

    Building the new corridor 1997

    Building the new Y5/6 block 1997

    Building the new Y5/6 block 1997

    Building the new Y5/6 block 1997

    The new IT suite - back of the hall

    The new IT suite - back of the hall

    The new IT suite - back of the hall

    School hall 2015

    Reception corridor 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Infant playground 2015

    Front of school 2015

    Front entrance 2015

    The 'new' staffroom (Behind IT suite)

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    Farewell celebrations 2015

    View through Y6 window Sept 2014

     


    View through Y6 window Sept 2014
     

    Hall, looking towards front entrance 2015

    Hall, looking towards IT suite 2015

    Hall, looking towards Y2 door 2015

    Hall, looking towards Junior corridor 2015

    Junior corridor (built 1997)

    'Cosy room' (built 1997)

    Y3 cloakroom area & door
    to playground 2015

    Y3 door & cloakroom 2015

    DT area & corridor to Y5/6 (built 1997)

    Y2 & junior playground 2015

    Play area off Junior playground 2015

    Junior playground 2015

    Y2 class from Junior playground 2015

    Junior playground 2015

    Junior playground 2015

    Mobile classroom (Y4) 2015