Abbott Street Board Schools Rochdale Road (School No 7)

The seventh school erected by the Manchester School Board following an architectural competition.

The Abbott-street school is being erected from designs by Mr William Dawes, and is Gothic in style, providing accommodation for 644 children. Mr James Herd is the builder, and the cost is about £10,000. [Building News 2 March 1877 Page 229]

The site which the schools are erected is bounded Abbott-street, Slater-street, and Chapman Street. It contains about 1,134 square yards, and nearly rectangular shape. The buildings, which are being carried out from designs submitted competition by Mr. William Dawes, are Gothic in style, and are constructed brick slightly ornamental its treatment. The arches over the windows and doorways have voussoirs of black red bricks alternated. The plinths and strings carried round the three fronts, and the bands crossing the gables are also formed of black and red stocks.  The long eaves line is effectively broken by gables of various sizes and various designs, panelled and pierced with single, double, and triplet openings for free admission air into the roofs above the ceiling line. In the centre of the roof a square wooden bellcot rises twenty-six feet above the ridge, and terminates in ornamental iron vane. About the middle the slope gablet ventilators with piercings are arranged on each front to allow of free current air above the ceiling. Ventilating flues from the ground floor rooms, and pierced panels in the ceilings of the upper floor rooms provide for the escape of foul air from all the rooms into the roof whence it is carried by the through currents from the roof ventilators to the outside of the building. All the windows are provided with opening iron casements so that in the hot season abundant supply fresh air can be admitted. In the winter months the air will be warmed as it passes through flues into the various rooms. Extraction flues in connection with these grates provide for carrying off the foul air, that, at all seasons of the year perfect ventilation is secured. The schools were designed originally to accommodate 800 children, but the council education considered was unnecessary provide for so large a number, consequently the plans were altered to meet the new requirements. By the amended arrangement 644 children only will provided for, although the building covers the same area as. that intended for the 800 children. An excellent plan of forming a covered playground by reducing the infants’ schoolroom on the ground floor to about two-fifths of its original size and allowing for increased accommodation at any time it may become necessary, has been adopted. This, of course (as it does not reduce the cost the building), increases the cost per head for the 644  children allowed for in the revised plans, but the facilities for an inexpensive extension to meet future wants must be considered an important advantage. As now being carried out there will be two infants' schoolrooms each 25 feet by  30 feet. with classrooms 16 feet by 17 feet adjoining, the ground floor: and on the first floor a boys' schoolroom, 45 feet by30 feet, and a girls' schoolroom of the same size. These rooms can be thrown into one by the opening of  sliding doors. There are four class-rooms on this floor, two for the boys and two for the girls, and in connection with each of the four schoolrooms a teachers’ room is provided. The boys and girls have separate entrances and separate staircases. The ground-floor rooms will accommodate 204 infants, and the upper-floor room 220 girls and boys. The buildings are being erected Mr James Herd, builder, Hulme, under the superintendence the architect. The entire cost of land, building, and furnishing, will be about £10,000. [Manchester Courier 26 Feb 1877 page 2]

Opened        12 August 1878

Reference    Manchester Guardian 19 February 1877 page 6 – memorial stone ceremony postponed
Reference    Manchester Guardian 26 February 1877 page 6 – memorial stone
Reference    Manchester Courier 26 February 1877 page 2 - memorial stone
Reference    Building News 2 March 1877 Page 229
Reference    Builder 24 March 1877 page 302
Reference    British Architect     2 March 1877 page 136
Reference    Samantha F Barnes: Manchester Board Schools, page 63