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St Mary’s School Bath Street

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
On the history of the school (from British History Online):

ST. MARY'S C. OF E. SCHOOL, Bath Street. A Sunday sch. was built 1817 or 1824. In 1830 there was a sch. of industry with n.o.b. 118 B, G. St. Mary's National Sch. (i.e. day sch.) opened in the Sunday sch. building 1831 pfor B and G (see also St. Mary's Infant Sch., Shadwell St.). N.o.b. 1837: 101 B, G, with 2 teachers. The playground in 1841 was 'a confined yard. . . and even this, enclosed by buildings on every side, is of very considerable use'. In 1844 the B room was 7 ft. below street-level. Rebuilt and reopened 1846. It comprised 3 schoolrooms (for B, G, I) and classrooms. St. Mary's Infant Sch., Shadwell St., q.v., closed when it opened. Fees 1d.–2d. H.M.I. said 1847 that the new I room was bad, though the I sch. was better than the B and G. Described 1849 as 'one of the neatest and most complete minor ecclesiastical establishments in the town or neighbourhood', with a well-supplied reading room and library, separated by a partition from the G schoolroom (Pictorial Guide to Birm. (1849) 1869: 182, standards I–V only, in 2 dept. By 1896 the sch. was very badly managed and referred to by H.M.I. as 'this unfortunate sch.'. The I dept. which was 'practically a cellar' was closed 1897 and I used former B dept. Bd. of Ed.
condemned buildings again 1906. Altered 1911 for G and I only, and B dept. held in mission hall. H.M.I. reported 1920 that there was 'overcrowding, without precedent in my experience, in a thoroughly unsatisfactory building'; the I dept. was in a verminous condition and there was an unusual amount of sickness. B dept. closed 1921; reorganized 1931 for JI only. Closed 1939.

From the British Newspaper Archive we see that after the closure of the school it was used as offices and a factory. Viv.
055E026D-6ADD-405E-9B1C-54D12E14492A.jpeg
 
Thank Mort. Do you know when this second school was demolished ? I guess around the time of when the roads were redeveloped? A lovely inscription around the building of “St Mary’s Parochial Schools Rebuilt ......” almost hidden by the grime and pollution the buildings suffered. Imagine if this had been cleaned up, what a lovely little building (although the “verminous” conditions would have been a challenge). Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Thank Mort. Do you know when this second school was demolished ? I guess around the time of when the roads were redeveloped? A lovely inscription around the building of “St Mary’s Parochial Schools Rebuilt ......” almost hidden by the grime and pollution the buildings suffered. Imagine if this had been cleaned up, what a lovely little building (although the “verminous” conditions would have been a challenge). Viv.
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In all fairness I don’t know when. I can only assume that it was swept away with the development of the A38 ring road. While not directly under the new road, most of bath street was demolished at the time. The school was approximately on the site of the now Salvation Army Church building right opposite the underpass.

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Vivienne14 said:
On the history of the school (from British History Online):

ST. MARY'S C. OF E. SCHOOL, Bath Street. A Sunday sch. was built 1817 or 1824. In 1830 there was a sch. of industry with n.o.b. 118 B, G. St. Mary's National Sch. (i.e. day sch.) opened in the Sunday sch. building 1831 pfor B and G (see also St. Mary's Infant Sch., Shadwell St.). N.o.b. 1837: 101 B, G, with 2 teachers. The playground in 1841 was 'a confined yard. . . and even this, enclosed by buildings on every side, is of very considerable use'. In 1844 the B room was 7 ft. below street-level. Rebuilt and reopened 1846. It comprised 3 schoolrooms (for B, G, I) and classrooms. St. Mary's Infant Sch., Shadwell St., q.v., closed when it opened. Fees 1d.–2d. H.M.I. said 1847 that the new I room was bad, though the I sch. was better than the B and G. Described 1849 as 'one of the neatest and most complete minor ecclesiastical establishments in the town or neighbourhood', with a well-supplied reading room and library, separated by a partition from the G schoolroom (Pictorial Guide to Birm. (1849) 1869: 182, standards I–V only, in 2 dept. By 1896 the sch. was very badly managed and referred to by H.M.I. as 'this unfortunate sch.'. The I dept. which was 'practically a cellar' was closed 1897 and I used former B dept. Bd. of Ed.
condemned buildings again 1906. Altered 1911 for G and I only, and B dept. held in mission hall. H.M.I. reported 1920 that there was 'overcrowding, without precedent in my experience, in a thoroughly unsatisfactory building'; the I dept. was in a verminous condition and there was an unusual amount of sickness. B dept. closed 1921; reorganized 1931 for JI only. Closed 1939.

From the British Newspaper Archive we see that after the closure of the school it was used as offices and a factory. Viv.
View attachment 175784
Click to expand...
 
I worked at school from 1957 for a j Parker until we moved to moseley road in the 60s l am 82 now a retired gunmaker
 
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