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St Bede's Grammar School Heaton, Bradford My Return Visit to the School June 2013 |
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Background |
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My Home and Schools Before moving to Edinburgh at the age of 18 in September 1963, I lived at Eccleshill, Bradford. I attended: - Sep '50 to Jul '56: St Clare's Primary School, Fagley, Bradford - Sep '56 to Jul '63: St Bede's Grammar School, Heaton, Bradford Return Visit to Bradford I visited St Bede's again in June 2013, almost exactly fifty years after I left the school, to have a look at what might still be familiar and what had changed. I enjoyed my visit there. I also had a look around Bradford to see how it had changed since I lived there and took a few photos of the city. Please click on the thumbnail image below to see the photos: Below, I've included photos that I took in June 2013, together with a few black and white photos that I took about 50 years earlier and printed then in the School Darkroom. |
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Thank You to the school for agreeing to my visit |
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School Magazines Before visiting the school, I was sent links to digital copies of many of the old School Magazines. These magazine was published two or three times each year up to 1940, then annually, near the end of each term. Thank you to Jim Utting, Business Manager, St Bede's** for sending me the links to many magazines, including those for the years 1921 to 1973. ** Before taking up this post as Business Manager at St Bede's in 2006, Jim had been for 15 years a Maths Teacher and Head of Year at the school. My Visit to the School Thank you to Janet Parkinson for making the arrangements for my visit to St Bede's. My visit to the school was on June 20, 2013. I was made welcome and given a conducted tour of the buildings by Deputy Headteacher, Nick Parker ***. Here he is in one of the corridors in the new wing built onto the eastern side of the school, beside the Visitors' Entrance. Nick Parker, Deputy Headteacher, in the New Wing
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013 It was good to hear that Nick knows two of my old class-mates from the school. Both are still living in or near Halifax. They are Albert Didguinaitis and Keith Lyons. Hello again, Albert and Keith! *** Nick moved to St Bede's in 2005, having previously been a teacher at St Catherine's High School, Halifax, West Yorkshire. |
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Changes at the School and some things that have not changed |
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1. Pupils I remember a school of about 800 pupils (all boys). Now there are about 800 (boys) in the main school and a further 300 (boys and girls) in the 6th Form College. Bradford's two Catholic Grammar Schools are about a mile apart. They are: - St Bede's, Heaton (for boys). - St Joseph's College, Manningham (for girls). There are now plans for the two schools to merge: - St Joseph's College site will be for Years 1-3 (boys + girls) - St Bede's site will be for Years 4-6 (boys + girls).
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2. Catchment Area When I attended St Bede's in the 1960s, there were only two Catholic Grammar Schools nearby, one in Bradford and the other in Leeds. This meant that there were pupils in our class at St Bede's from Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax, Keighley, Batley, Dewsbury and many of the other surrounding towns. New schools have since opened, including St Catherine's in Halifax. So, the catchment area for St Bede's has shrunk. Now, fewer pupils will need to catch three buses each way to and from school every day. These journeys could take a while, but I benefited, being a collector of bus tickets!
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3. The Old School Building I remember the Old School Building. The frontage facing onto the playground and school entrance look very similar today to how I remember them, but much of the playground has now been lost beneath new buildings. School Frontage and Pupils' Entrance
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4. The Dining Room In the corner of the Dining Room there is now a Pasta Shack bearing two St Bede's crests. The serving area has also changed. but the tables and seats have not changed. The Dining Room with 'Pasta Shack' and the old folding tables and seats
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013 The Dining Room Serving Area
I remember them well, with their special method of folding. Lift the middle of any of the long hinged wheeled tables and it folds up in one simple movement, along with all 16 seats that are attached to it - clever!
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5. Other Buildings There have been many changes and additions to the school buildings: - the old school building has now had an extension added to the east of the Visitors' Entrance to accommodate more classrooms. - a new RoSLA Block has been built at the southern end of the old playground to accommodate the extra pupils, resulting from legislation 'Raising of the School Leaving Age'. - a new 6th Form College block has been built near the centre of the old playground. - a new Sports Block including a climbing wall, basketball courts and a room full of exercise equipment has been build in the grounds on the slope below the dining rooms. The New Sports Block (behind the tree on the left) Old School Building (centre) and New Wing (right)
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013 Here is another photo that I took in the school grounds. This one was taken in 1961. I believe that both photos may be of the same tree, though the branches in the photos don't seem to match very well. Pupils from Form 5B at the tree one lunchtime in 1961. Background: Dining Room (now hidden by Sports Block) + Old School Building
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken 1961
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6. Exam Room The Sports Block was being used as an Exam Room for the whole of Year 3, for their internal exams, when I visited the school in June 2013. Here, the Sports Block is being used as an Exam Room for Year 3 Pupils The climbing wall and basketball nets can be seen in the background.
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013 ... and here we zoom-out to see more pupils in the Exam Room
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013
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7. Cross Country Runs Cross Country Running was a regular activity for PE Lessons when I was at the school. Are there still cross country runs from the school? We used to follow a 3-mile route from the school: - down Highgate - down Shay Lane and across Red Beck that ran through the woods - up Shay Lane at the other side of the valley - up Long Lane, then back along - Bingley Road, long straight road, past Sharp's Greetings Card works - along Toller Lane - down Leylands Lane past the bus terminus - and down Heaton Place into the SW corner of the school playground. For most of the route, we ran down the middle of the road. I don't think that would be allowed now !
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8. Sports Grounds The school appears to have retained most or all of its large grounds, but there are now more buildings and sports fields. There used to be just a football pitch surrounded by lots of open space with rough grass. The only buildings that I remember are: - the old school building - the dining rooms - the air raid shelters - the scout hut for the school's scouts, 1st Bradford West. The scout hut caught fire one day while I was at school. Now, there are more sports fields including tennis courts in the grounds to the east of the school.
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9. Overlooking the Playground On land to the west of the school, and overlooking the school playground, there used to be tennis courts belonging to Heaton Tennis Club. This club seems to have expanded and has now become Heaton Tennis & Squash Club. It has built new squash and indoor tennis courts in buildings that would overlook the school playground - if they had any windows..
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10. Front Garden The Visitors' Entrance is on the north side of the school, across the road from the King's Arms public house. As Pupils at the school, we were never encouraged to go into the front garden - or into the King's Arms! In this garden, I noticed a small statue. I remember it being dedicated around 1960. On the slope above it, there is a larger War Memorial beneath a mature tree, commemorating those from the school who died in the two World Wars. War Memorial near the path to the Visitors' Entrance
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013
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11. Inside the School Just inside the school at the Pupils' Entrance from the playground, there used to be a Prefects' Room and Lockers. These have now gone, no doubt replaced by similar facilities in the 6th Form College and new Sports Hall. The two wide corridors, on the 1st and 2nd floors, looked very familiar to me. I believe they used to be called the 'A' and 'B' corridors. The wide staircase linking these corridors also looked very familiar to me, as soon as I caught sight of the large painting of Christ on the Cross, half way up the stairs. Where did that originally come from? The Staircase, with painting of The Crucifixion
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013
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12. Upper Wide Corridors On the upper wide corridor, I recognised - two old framed maps of the district, hanging on the wall. - a frame of old photos of the school, hanging on the wall. Old School Photos, possibly from around 1920s
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013
- the Library, still in the same position. - the Sanctuary, still in the same position, next to the library. - the Hall. Its colour scheme looked very familiar to me. - the Chapel, separated from the Hall by a sliding screen. The Chapel, looking very much as I remember it when I last saw it in 1963
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013
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13. Lower Wide Corridor There have been changes on the lower wide corridor - There is no longer any need for a Gym here, so the old gym has been converted to new Labs . I believe that the old Chemistry Labs were probably situated on this corridor.) Form Lower 6 Science Pupils in the Chemistry Lab - 1961
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken 1961 - The Staff Room is no longer on this corridor - The Stage has been removed from the southern end of the Hall. It has been converted to another classroom, the only classroom in the school with a sloping floor.
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14 The Milk Door Near the NW corner of the lower wide corridor there was the 'Milk Door'. That's where the school milk was delivered to. I believe that there also used to be a Tuck Shop here. Also near the Milk Door, there was a small door that led to the school Darkroom, a place where I spent many hours after school, up to late evening, making prints as a member of the School Photographic Society, run by Mr Elwood. This room has now become the 'Isolation Unit' for boys who misbehave (or the 'Cooler' as they would call it in 'Waterloo Road').
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15. Car Park at the Milk Door When I was at the school, the area just outside the Milk Door became an unofficial car park for scooters and cars driven by a few of the pupils in Upper 6th Form. I occasionally came to school on my Mobilette moped (max speed 28 mph) that I bought from another pupil for Ł6 10s, or in my Dad's 1947 Humber Hawk. At other times, I came in the old car on the left of this photo, BND64, to accompany its owner who had just begun to take driving lessons. Bradford is a hilly city, and the winter of 1962-63 was severe, with lots of snow. This car offered a challenge, even for an experienced driver, negotiating some of the hills in bad weather. Going uphill, the car had enough power to either drive the wheels or keep the windscreen wipers moving, but not both these actions at the same time! Upper 6th Form Car Park
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken 1962-63
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16. The Top Floor Stairs still lead up from the upper wide corridor to the highest part of the school. This used to be the old Art Rooms and Room D3. Was that the Music Room when I was at the school? The old Art Rooms had large windows letting in lots of daylight. These rooms have now been converted to Music Rooms, and new Art Rooms have been built in the school's bright new wing.
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17. Narrow Corridors At the southern end of each wide corridor, there is a narrower corridor with classrooms overlooking the school playground. I remember the rooms on these narrow corridors being designated as Form Rooms for individual classes: Form 1B, 2B, 3B, etc. in my case. These classrooms had desks where we kept our books and papers. but now they have open-plan tables rather than rows of desks. These narrower corridors have been extended to the east to link up with the new wing, which includes Art Rooms and Drama Rooms.
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18. Geography Room I searched for the old Geography Room, but never found it. It used to have maps hanging from the wall, and items from around the world, including: - a crocodile - a spear - straw hats - other exhibits. These items were "not to be touched" but the temptation was too much! We needed a 'lookout' on the door to watch out for the Geography Teacher approaching. (I don't think we damaged any of the items.) Form 5 B Pupils in the Geography Room before the Lesson - 1961
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken 1961 Form 5 B Pupils in the Geography Room before the Lesson (again) - 1961
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken 1961 I remember the Geography Room as being near the eastern end of one of these two narrow corridors, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps the Geography Room was lost when the links were created from the two narrow corridors to the new wing and classrooms on the eastern side of the school.
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19. The King's Arms The King's Arms is a Public House at Highgate, Heaton, across the road from the Visitor's Entrance to the school. This was not a place that we were encouraged to visit as pupils, so it was interesting to go inside, possibly for the first time, last week. The King's Arms Public House, Highgate, Heaton Across the road from the Visitors' Entrance to St Bede's
© Peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk. Photo taken June 21, 2013 I saw old photos of Bradford on the walls inside the pub, and met another former pupil from St Bede's, Peter King, now Managing Director of P&P King & Co Ltd., "Fruits of Distinction", based at St James' Market, Bradford. We did not recognise each other but some of his memories were very familiar to me, including his memories of Jack Ward, the Music Master. Peter told me that his Dad was a St Bede's pupil in the 1920s, the first year that pupils moved into the new site at Heaton, and that his Dad had helped to build the original Outdoor Swimming Pool at the school.
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Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 25, 2013 |
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Recollection 1. Peter Stubbs Edinburgh |
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Memory "Isn't it odd how it can be difficult to remember what you did yesterday, but other things remain in the memory for decades without ever bein used? I remember the 'Form Register' that was read out during most lessons. Sometimes the pupils were expected to give the answer to a question when their name was called. The names were called in alphabetical order. I was pleased that my name was so near the end of the alphabet, ase there were occasions when my attention had wandered as the teacher began to call the Register. I had no idea what question the others were giving answers to, but by the time my name had reached I had usually worked it out." School Register "The list below, as I recall it, shows how the Register for our class began for the 1st year that I was at St Bede's. (or possibly it was a later year. There were very few changes from year to year.) I was aged 11 in my first year, and in Form 1B. The year was 1956. I've had no reason to refer to this Register for the past 59 years, but I can still recall it: - Andrews - Bradshaw - Breen - Cotter - Craven - Dagnall - Day - Didguinaitis - Duff - Evans - Farrah - Gormon - Hamilton - Hanlon - Hanson - Harrison - Hay - Hesaltine
>>> - Ridgeway - Rumboldt - Slater - Steel - Stubbs - Truelove - Wiczling - Wilkins." Homes "I can also remember which part of Bradford, or which of the surrounding towns or villages, most off the class lived in. From outside Bradford, there were pupils in the class from: - Batley - Bingley - Birstall - Dewsbury - Halifax - Heckmondwike - Huddersfield - Illingworth - Queensberry - Shipley - Tingley I knew where many of the pupils lived because: - I used to cycle to the houses of several of them. The journeys were often hilly, but could go through some attractive scenery. - I used to collect bus tickets. Most days, several of the pupils, including some who caught six buses per day, passed on their used tickets to me.
Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:: February 14, 2015 |
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Recollection 2. Frank (Hugh) O'Donnell Canada |
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Thank you to Frank O'Donnell who wrote: |
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Journey to School "I don't remember what form I was in at St Bede's, but I do remember Brian Onion and a boy called Murphy. I left the school with five 'O Level' GCE passes, and went to work for Yorkshire Electricity Board, than I emigrated in 1969 and have been engineering ever since.
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Journey to School When I attended St Bede's, I used to live in Keighley, a real working class area. I used to ride the 67 bus from Keighley to the bottom of Emm Lane, then hitch a ride on the rubbish lorry up the steep hill."
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Teachers "I remember: - Miss Ball (French) - B Waite (French) - Mrs Crowley (Maths) - Mr Gaffney (English - Paddy Creedon (Physics) - Dooley (History) - Father Oram, who checked the quality of our uniforms. I was sent to the Headmaster's Office more than once."
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Tuck Shop "There was a tuck shop across the road from the school. I guess our appetites exceeded the school meals. Dandelion & Burdock was my favourite there."
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Cross Country "I did not like the school cross country runs."
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Frank (Hugh) O'Donnell, Canada: April 12 (2 emails) + April 13, 2015 |
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Recollection 3. Tony McAndrew |
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Thank you to Tony McAndrew who wrote: |
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Memories "I read your report on your visit to St Bede's in 2013. Very interesting; it brought back many memories (some good, some not so good). I was there from 1955 to 1962 (just ahead of you) and went onto De La Salle college at Middleton, Manchester." My Family "All my male relatives (three brothers, four cousins, and father and uncles) also went to St Bede's, so I have plenty of connections there. Our family names are McAndrew and Byrne."
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Recollection 4. Richard Hall Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA |
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It was good to receive a message from another former pupil of St Bede's. |
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Reply to Richard Paths Crossed Thank you, Richard, for your message. It brought back more of my own memories. You are right. Our paths must have crossed, even though you started at St Bede's five years after I started. St Clare's Primary School I also lived in Eccleshill, at first in Leafield Crescent and, like you, I attended St Clare's Primary School at Fagley. It was a one-mile walk, each way, to get to school and back, and another two miles daily for our return home for quick lunch every day. We usually walked along Moorside Road, which was fairly rural in those days, past Moorside Mill. We often heard the mill sounding its hooter for the workers s we passed. (The mill has now become an industrial museum.) After school, I used to regularly visit class friends who lived at Fagley Ravenscliffe and Greengates. St Bede's Grammar School Soon after I started at St Bede's in 1956, our family moved to Idle Road, between Bolton Junction and Five Lane Ends, quite close to your home in Norman Avenue. I remember most of the teachers that you mention and was taught by some of them. I had forgotten about Mr Norton's shouts in the corridor, thought I remember them now. I also remember him turning round in one of our Maths Classes and seeing that a pupil had opened one of the classroom windows. He shouted: "Shut that window! Keep the fresh air outside where it belongs!" School Darkroom I still appreciate the time that Mr Elwood spent, encouraging us with his knowledge of photography, and training us in the use of the school darkroom. I spent a lot of time making prints there, sometimes catching the late bus home from school, in the evening at around 10pm. I used to sell some of the photos that I had taken around the school class mates for 4d each. (That was the cost of the photographic paper - no profit!) I was surprised, recently, to discover a couple of them had been posted on the Internet. Train Spotting I enjoyed the days that I spent train spotting, from about age 9 to age 15. It was a cheap way to spend a day - free if you walked there, and just a penny for a Platform Ticket if you went to one of the larger stations. We usually went to Manningham, Laisterdyke or Apperley Bridge, or for a full 'day out' we might occasionally go to York, Doncaster or Manchester. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 15 January 2015 |
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School Photos 2013 |
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Enlargements of all 13 thumbnail images below appear on the same page. Here are links to the photos: |
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The King's Arms, Highgate Heaton Across the road from the School |
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