Armitage Street Board School (later Ardwick Municipal School). Ardwick (School 5)

Royle and Bennett appointed architects for the new schools to accommodate 1,000 scholars and to cost £6,000. Memorial stone laid 24 February 1877 by W Hughes, a member of the School Board. Opened 8 October 1877. Closed    31 August 1983.

The school in Armitage‑street is the largest of the three. The area is 4,000 yards, with a frontage of 100 yards. The building is in the Gothic style and has a facade to Armitage‑street of  65 yards, broken up by a central projecting feature and end wing, each gabled and finished with carved finials. The walls externally are throughout faced with picked common bricks, blue brick bands, stock brick facias, and arches. The ground floor and staircase windows are finished with stone jambs, mullions, and transoms, the heads of the latter and the large central windows on the upper floor being finished with plain traceried heads, and moulded stone labels terminating with carved bosses. The building is designed to accommodate 1,040 children. The contract for the building, including boundary walling, but exclusive of furniture and fittings, is £7,387, and all, inclusive with land, is about ,13,000. The works are being carried out by Mr J. Herd, builder, of Hulme, under the supervision of the architects, Messrs Royle and Bennett. [Building News 2 March 1877 Page 229]

The site of the schools is an admirable one both as to form and size. The area is 4,000 square yards, with a frontage to Armitage Street of 100 yards. The building is in the Gothic style of architecture and has a frontage to Armitage Street of 65 yards. The materials used are plain, but of the best character, and there is no extravagant ornamentation, the architects having relied for effect on the general grouping. The arrangement of plan is very simple, the entrances to all rooms being as near to their respective outer entrances as possible. Long and tortuous passages have been carefully avoided. In the basement storey is a large kitchen and coal and wood stores. The ground floor is arranged for infants in two departments, each with its own entrance. These are placed in the centre of the building. The upper floor is appropriated to the boys and girls, each department having its own entrance and spacious well-lighted staircase, and comprise a schoolroom 56 feet long by 30 feet wide and 18 feet mean height; two classrooms, one 21 feet by 20 feet, the other 20 feet by 18 feet, each 15 feet clear height; a cloakroom 18 feet 6 inches by 18 feet, and a teacher’s room or storeroom. Lavatories are provided for each department, and also sinks to which is laid on hot and cold water for cleaning purposes. The internal finishings are of a plain but substantial character. There are three exceptionally large playgrounds, one for boys, one for infant boys and one for girls and infant girls. The building is designed to accommodate 1,040 children, viz 500 infants, 270 boys and 270 girls. The floor space allotted to each child is nearly 9 square feet, and the air space 135 cubic feet. The school is the largest both with regard to the number accommodated and the space provided for each child that the Board has since its formation projected. The contract for the building, including boundary walling, but exclusive of furniture and fittings is £7,387. The works are being carried out by Mr J Herd, builder, of Hulme, under the supervision of Messrs Royle and Bennett, architects, Cooper Street, Manchester. [Manchester Guardian 26 February 1877 page 6]

The site chosen for these schools is an admirable one, both as to form and size. The area is 4,000 square yards with a frontage to Armitage Street of 100 yards. The building is in the Gothic style of architecture and has a façade to Armitage Street of 65 yards. This front is satisfactorily broken up by a central projecting feature and end wings, each gabled and finished with carved finials A good roof and sky-line is produced by these, with the addition of gablets to the upper floor windows, and the bell turret, which rises 30 feet above the ridge, forming a bold central feature. The materials used are plain but of the best character, and there is no extravagant ornamentation, the architects having relied for effect upon the general grouping. The walls externally are throughout faces with picked common brick ***  is produced by the introduction of blue brick bands, stock-brick fascias and arches. The staircase windows are finished with stone jambs, mullions and transoms, the heads of the several large central windows on the upper floor being finished with plain traceried heads, and moulded stone labels terminating with carved bosses. 'The entrances to all rooms are as near their respective entrances as possible. Long and tortuous passages have been carefully avoided. The ground floor is arranged for infants in two departments, each with its own entrance. These are placed in the centre of the building. Each department comprises convenient cloak room. School room 56 feet long ?*, wide, and 15 feet 3 inches clear height, and babies room 20 feet by 21 feet and 15 feet 3 inches clear height. This room is accessible both from the main room and entrance corridor. The upper floor is appropriated to the boys and girls, each department haying its own entrance and spacious, well lighted staircase, and comprising school room 56 feet long by 30 feet wide and 18 feet mean height; two classrooms, one 21 feet by 20 feet, the other 20 feet by 18 feet, each 15 feet clear height; a cloak room 18 feet 6 inches by 18 feet, and a teachers' room or storeroom. The internal finishings are of a plain but substantial character. Around all the walls is a dado formed of glazed brown bricks, and finished with a moulded wood capping, above which the walls are plastered. Lighting, warming, and ventilating have received very careful consideration; fresh air is admitted into the several rooms unaccompanied by draughts, and the vitiated air is carried off by shafts and flues entering the chimney shaft. There are three exceptionally large playgrounds—one- for boys, one for infant boys, and one for girls and infant girls; in each of these is a shed, order that the playgrounds may be used in wet weather. The building is designed to accommodate 1,040 children 500 infants, 270 boys, and 270 girls. The floor space allotted to each child is nearly nine square feet and the air -space 135o cubic feet. This school the largest with regard the number of children and the space provided for each child, which, the board has yet projected. The contract for the building, including boundary walling, but exclusive of furniture and fittings, is £7887, and all inclusive with land, is about £13,080. The works are being carried out by Mr J. Herd, builder, of Hulme, under the supervision of the architects, Messrs Royle and Bennett, Cooper Street. [Manchester Courier 26 Feb 1877 page 2]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 7 March 1876 page 6
Reference    Manchester Guardian 26 February 1877 page 6 – memorial stone
Reference    Builder 24 March 1877 page 302
Reference    British Architect     2 March 1877 page 136
Reference    Building News 2 March 1877 Page 229
Reference    Samantha F Barnes: Manchester Board Schools page 61