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Blue Coat School, Birmingham

A

Abi1978

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Can anyone tell me a little about the history of the school? Particularly where it was situated in the 1800s and what sort of children went to the school.

Many thanks!
 
One of the quirky things about the Blue Coat Charity School which was opposite St Phillips Cathedral was when it was built and finally opened in 1724 they put two statues of children of the period in school uniform carved by Edward Grubb each side of the entrance, which the school made the children wear copies of the clothing from the statues right into the 1900's....the poor kids were stuck in a time warp clothing wise
 
:angel: Another menber was looking for some info' about the 'Blue Coat School' a while back and came up with this :
https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1478&highlight=Coat

m evans 05-09-2005, 07:11 PM

BLUE COAT SCHOOL in the 1860's UPDATE: 2006.

Hi...have been informed of a missing relative who as a 10 year old was a boarder at the Temple Row site of this school on the 1861 census. Can anyone tell me if this was a charity school at this time or did her poor widowed mother have to pay fees for her Also does anyone know if B'ham archives would have anything about the school at this time for me to look at?? .‚..Many thanks Margaret .‚..
UPDATE: The Archives at B'ham library have had loads of material for me to see,
I was even able to get a copy of the form that my GGGrandmother signed in 1856 for her elder son to attend the school.
Margaret.

Hope it helps...
Pom :angel:
 
Thank you so much! I just really needed to establish whereabouts the school was before it moved to Somerset Road (there was talk of it being originally sited on Temple Row?) and that it was a non-fee paying, charitable school. Were all children allowed to go or was it just for those with a higher intelligence?
 
Extract from Robert K Dent
OLD AND NEW, BIRMINGHAM.
[The Charities of Birmingham.1879
In the year 1724 was erected, on the eastern side of the pleasant churchyard surrounding St. Philip's, the Blue Coat Charity School. The object of this excellent institution was to afford orphans, and the children of the poor, clothing, maintenance, a good elementary education, and religious instruction according to the principles of the Church of England. When first erected, as will be seen from Westley's Prospect of St. Philip's, it was but a small, plain and unpretend­ing building, compared with that of the present day. It was greatly enlarged and improved in 1794, (at an expense of £2,800), when the present stone front was added, but the northern angle did not receive its present stone facing until a later date. Although not pretending to any great degree of beauty, the building, says Mr. .Bates, "is remarkable for chasteness of style and pro­priety of arrangement; " and when seen from the churchyard, with an intervening screen of foliage, it is by no means out of harmony with its present surroundings. The only ornaments are two stone figures placed over the main entrance, of a boy and girl, " habited in the quaint costume of the school." These figures were executed in 1770 by Mr. Edward Grubb, (at that time a resident of this town*), the cost being defrayed by a volun­tary subscription. Of these works of a local sculptor, Hutton says "they are executed with a degree of excellence that a Roman statuary would not have blushed to own."
" This artificial family," says our historian, " consists of about two hundred scholars of both sexes, over which preside a governor and gover­ness, both single. Behind the apartments is a large area, appropriate for the amusement of the infant race, necessary as their food. Great de­corum is preserved in this little society, who are supported by annual contribution, and by collec­tions made after sermons twice a year.
" At fourteen, the children are removed into the commercial world, and often acquire an affluence that enables them to support that foundation which formerly supported them."
The children, (as indicated by the name of the institution), are clothed uniformly in blue; the dress of the boys recalling the prevailing costume of a century ago; their swallow-tailed coats, muffin caps, knee-breeches, and blue stockings, presenting an exceedingly quaint, old-world figure in the thronged streets of modern Birmingham. About twenty of the children are supported by a bequest made in 1690, by George Fentham, a mercer of the town. These are distinguished from the rest by being clothed in green instead of blue. The present annual income is. about £5,000.
" It is worthy of remark," says Hutton, " that those institutions which are immediately upheld by the temporary hand of the giver flourish in continual spring, and become real benefits to society; while those which enjoy a perpetual income, are often tinctured with supineness and dwindle into obscurity.
 
... and from Dargue's History of Birmingham:

"* B2 City Centre St Philips Place
The Blue Coat School/ Bluecoat School was founded 1722 by the first rector of St Philip’s William Higgs, built 1724 to educate children aged 9-14 of poor families; 32 boys and 20 girls were clothed, fed and educated. The school was enlarged 1749, 1777, 1782, and largely rebuilt 1794 by John Rawsthorne as a 4-storey neo-classical building; from 1728 64 children attended, from 1783 97, 1816 158. A master taught children reading, writing and arithmetic, a mistress taught girls needlework and housework; in 1866 there was a headmaster, 2 masters and 2 mistresses. From 1817 the school was effectively a CofE school. Overcrowding by 1902 led to premises in Steelhouse Lane and Bull Street being rented. In 1920 the school was recognised as a public elementary school accommodating 250 pupils; the building was again enlarged 1922.
A new school by Ball & Simister was built on the site of a large private residence Harborne Hill House at B15 Harborne Somerset Road 1930 and the original building sold and demolished 1935 with no visible trace. The main entrance plan of the present building is based on the original school in town. The admission age was lowered to 7 in 1938; the school took aided status 1948 which was given up 1955. In 1955 there were 8 classrooms. Detached buildings are placed around three sides of a large grassed quadrangle. The school which was set up for under-privileged children and funded by legacies, gifts and charitable trusts for over 200 years is now fee-paying.
Birmingham’s first public statues (excluding church monuments), a boy and girl in uniform by Edward Grubb & Samuel Grubb 1770 in stone painted 1881 which stood on the front of the old building were placed in niches in the hall of the new school building; copies made from casts in artificial stone by William Bloye 1930 stand in niches above the main entrance porch. Inscribed under the boy: Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Inscribed under the girl: We cannot recompense you but ye shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. The inscriptions are inexplicably reversed on the replicas."

 
What an interesting thread. I found my great,great grandfathers sister working as a servant at the Blue Coat School in 1841. When she married in 1842 it states she was a servant in Hatchet Street. I have not as yet found out where this was.
 
I have Dent's book Graham but its in a bit of a bad state, well the cover is so I don't look at it very often.Thanks for posting the pictures it certainly brings history alive!
 
Its a nice book Wendy and I have read it from cover to cover and still find bits in it that are interesting and a great reference book

PS Hatchett St was in between Summer Lane and Newtown Row
 
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Thanks everyone for the outlines for the Blue Coat School. It's the first time I have been able to read the background of the school. I am learning so much about familiar institutions in Birmingham from years ago and it's all from this site. Thanks.
 
JennyAnn, I couldn't agree with you more when you say that you have learned so much from this site - so have I. But more than that, it has encouraged me to make my own research. When I go back to Brum now I walk along a street and find interesting things in it, which previously I wouldn't have noticed. The more you know the more you learn. For us old'uns, it's really exciting to increase our knowledge and to put things on record which might otherwise go forgotten. It has given me untold pleasure, and it's all thanks to the site. We must cherish and support it
Peter
 
Here is an Old Photo dated 1890c taken from across the graveyard.
I have tried to enlarge the entrance to show the two figures
I have a lot more to add at a later date
 
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Thanks! That's really great, the person I am researching who attended the school was born in 1890 so its a great date for the photo.
 
Have you contacted the modern day Blue Coat School? There is an archivist who looks after all the old records and she gave me valuable info re my ancestor including his address and who signed him in to the school, it was the link I needed to complete my research.
 
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