Albion Congregational Schools. Cricket’s Lane Ashton-under-Lyne

A large, ill-organised group of yellow brick with red trim in an institutional Italianate.

The foundation stone of Albion School was laid on Good Friday 1861 by Hugh Mason, a local mill owner who, at the time, was Mayor of the Borough, and opened one year later, on Good Friday 1862. At the early planning stage, estimated costs had been set at six to seven thousand pounds. The eventual cost was £11,000, and at the time it was the largest Sunday School in England. The building included a first floor assembly room that could seat 1,000 people, a lecture theatre, an infants' room and eleven classrooms. It opened as a day school in 1869 and closed following the introduction of the comprehensive system. The building still stands, in use as an office furniture warehouse.

 ASHTON (LANCASHIRE)  The foundation stone of new Sunday Schools has been laid here. The site adjoins Katherine-street, Cricket Lane and Arlington-street. The principal front will be in Katherine Street. On the ground floor will be a lecture room 52 feet long and 45 feet average width, with seats in the form of an amphitheatre for 450 adults: there will also be ten class-rooms, each lighted by windows in the external walls, 14 feet high. The school-room on the upper floor will be 100 feet by 50 feet clear dimensions exclusive of a large recess on each side. Attached to the main building at the north-east end and in communication with the ground floor corridors, will be a class-room, 36 feet by 23 feet, fitted up with a gallery, for 200 infants; and above this room will be class-rooms for adults. The school library will occupy the recess on the south-east side of the schoolroom, 33 feet by 10 feet; and above the library will be a gallery in case of public assemblies. The entire building will accommodate about 1500 scholars, exclusive of the lecture room. The exterior will be simple, and the materials brick with stone dressings. The architects are Messrs Paull and Ayliffe of Burnley. Mr T W Gill is clerk of the works. The contract for the foundations has been taken by Messrs Longson of Stockport, whose tender was the lowest.[ Builder 20 April 1861 Page 269]

ASHTON‑UNDER‑LYNE. -New Independent Schools. - These new schools, the foundation‑stone of which was laid twelve months since, have just been opened. The main feature of the new building, internally, is the large school‑room, the dimensions of which are 100 feet by 50 feet (exclusive of recesses on each side), and 25 feet high to the tie beams. Including the recesses, the extreme internal dimensions are 116 feet by 70 feet, and the centre portion of the ceiling (which rises into the roof) is 35 feet high. Each end recess is occupied by a platform 4 feet high ; that at the east end for speakers or lecturers, and the opposite platform for an organ. The north‑side recess is separated from the room by a partition, and is divided into two compartments for the use respectively of secretary and librarian. Each side recess has two sets of coupled iron columns with white and gold foliated capitals ; and from these columns spring a central and two smaller arches, with panelled soffits Ingress and egress to and from the great room are by five doorways, four of which communicate with two stone staircases, and the other with a lesser stone staircase, intended for access to the speakers' platform and reserved seats. In connection with the speakers' platform is an ante‑room, also entered from the platform staircase. This room is fitted up for a young men's class, and measures 36 feet by 24 feet. Underneath, aud on the ground floor, is a class‑room of the same dimensions, which contains a gallery for 200 infants, and is very lofty. On the ground floor of the building are ten class‑rooms, of varied sizes, the largest being 20 feet by 14 feet, and the smallest 14 feet by 13 feet. These rooms are in two sets, one for young men and the other for young women, corresponding; each set is approached by separate entrances and corridor. In the centre of the ground floor, and dividing the sets of classrooms, is a lecture‑room, arranged in the form of an amphitheatre, with rising seats, capable of seating 500 persons. This room is entered by folding‑doors from each corridor, and private entrances are provided to the lecturers' platform. The style is Italian, of white and red bricks. The cost of the whole undertaking will be about £10,000. The works have been executed from the designs, and under the superintendence of Messrs. Paull and Ayliffe, architects; and the general contractors are J. and J. Longson, of Stockport. [Building News 25 April 1862 Page 296]

Reference    Builder 20 April 1861 Page 269
Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 4 May 1861 Page 2 - contracts
Reference    Building News 25 April 1862 Page 296
Reference    Builder 26 April 1862 page 298 - Report of opening "Friday last," and extensive description