Board School, Mulberry Street Hulme

MANCHESTER SCHOOL BOARD. A special meeting of this Board was held on Tuesday, Mr. H. Birley presiding, to receive the recommendations of the sites committee as to the South Hall-street and the Mulberry-street schools competitive designs.-  The Chairman said that plans had been sent in by three architects for the proposed new schools, and these plans had been submitted, first, to the general purposes committee, and secondly, to the sites committee; and both of these committees had decided upon the same plans by a considerable majority - It was then unanimously resolved that the plan sent on by Mr. Lord for the Mulberry-street school should be accepted. It was also resolved that the first premium of £30 for the second best plans for the Mulberry-street school should be awarded to Messrs, Medland and Henry Taylor; and the second premium of £20 in respect to the same school to Messrs. Royle and Bennett. [Manchester Times 11 August 1877 page 7].

Note that awards in this competition were made under rules which awarded the commission to the design placed first without any further financial benefit. Thus the design placed second received the first premium, that placed third, the second premium, etc. all designed to reduce costs for the promoters of the competition.

NEW BOARD SCHOOLS IN MANCHESTER.  The memorial stones of two Board schools which are in course of erection in Manchester, one in Mulberry Street, Hulme, and the other in Bank Meadow Street, Ardwick, wore publicly laid on Thursday afternoon. The new building in Mulberry-street is intended to supersede Zion Chapel School, which has been used as a Board school since 1875. Prior to that year the building was a British School, and when the Board took it over there were 256 children in average attendance. At the present time the average attendance is about 700. The school will not accommodate satisfactorily so large a number of scholars, and the Board, finding that they would be obliged to give it up wholly or partially, asked the permission of the Education Department to build a school for boys and infants only, the girls to continue at, Zion School. The department, however, objected to this arrangement, and required the Board to build a school for the three classes of scholars, affording accommodation for 720 children. The school will cost, it is estimated, £6,022, in addition to which the site has involved an outlay of £6,700, bringing up the total to £12,722, The infants' department, entered from Mulberry-street, will be a, single-storey building, comprising a main schoolroom 49 feet by 30 feet, a classroom 24 feet by 19 feet , and a convenient cloakroom adjoining the passage to the school. In the rear will be a large play-shed for infants and girls. The girls' department, entered from the same street, will consist of a main room 57 feet 6 inches by 30 feet, and two classrooms, each 20 feet by 18 feet. The boys will have a separate entrance in Radnor-street, and their schoolroom, which will be on the first floor, will be similar in arrangement to the girls' school below. A large play-shed is also provided for the boys. In addition to the play-sheds, there will be two large play-grounds, one for the use of the boys, and the other for the girls and infants. The buildings will be in the Gothic style of architecture, the walls being faced with picked common bricks, relieved with broad bands or masses of stock bricks, moulded labels round the arches, string courses, etc.; whilst the long line of the buildings will be tastefully broken up with dormer windows, The work is being carried out by Mr W. Brown, builder, Salford, under the direction of the architect, Mr. Henry Lord, of John Dalton-street, in this city. The memorial stone, which occupies a position over the Mulberry-street entrance, was laid by Mr. James Croston, a member of the Board.  … [Manchester Guardian 5 March 1880 page 6}

BOARD SCHOOLS IN MANCHESTER - The memorial stones of two Board schools which are in course of erection in Manchester, one in Mulberry street; Hulme, other in Bank Meadow Street, Ardwick, were publicly laid on Thursday afternoon.  The new building in Mulberry-street is intended to supersede Zion Chapel School, which been used as a Board school since 1875. Prior to that year the building was a British School, and when the Board took it over there were 256b children in average attendance. At the present time the average attendance is about 700. The school will not accommodate satisfactorily so large a number of scholars, and the Board, finding that they would be obliged to give it up wholly or partially, asked the permission of the Education Department to build a school for boys and infants only, the girls to continue at Zion School. The department, however, objected to this arrangement, and required the Board to build a school for the three classes of scholars, affording accommodation for 720 children. The school will cost, it is estimated £6,022, in addition to which the site has involved an outlay of £6,700, bringing the total to £12,722. The infants' department, entered from Mulberry-street, will be a single-storey building, comprising a main school-room, 49 feet by 30 feet, a classroom, 24 feet by 19 feet, and a convenient cloakroom adjoining the passage to the school. In the rear will be a large play-shed for infants and girls. The girls' department, entered from the same street, will consist of a main room, 57 feet, 6 inches by 30 feet, and two classrooms, each 20 feet by 18 feet. The boys will have a separate entrance in Radnor Street and their schoolroom, which will be on first floor, will be similar in arrangement to the girls' school below. A large play-shed is also provided for the boys. In addition to the play-sheds, there will be two large play grounds, one for the use of the boys, and the other for the girls and infants. The buildings will be in the Gothic style of architecture, the walls being faced with picked common bricks, with broad bands of stock bricks, moulded labels round the arches, string courses etc.  whilst the long line of the buildings will be tastefully broken up with dormer windows. The work is being carried out by Mr W. Brown, builder, Salford, under the direction of the architect, Mr. Henry Lord, of John Dalton-street, in this city.  The memorial stone, which occupies a position over the Mulberry-street entrance was laid by Mr James Croston, a member of the Board. {Manchester Weekly Times 6 March 1880 page 7]

Reference    Manchester Times 11 August 1877 page 7
Reference    Manchester City News 6 March 1880 Page 6
Reference    Manchester Guardian 5 March 1880 page 6. – memorial stone
Reference    Manchester Weekly Times 6 March 1880 page 7
Reference    Samantha Barnes Manchester Board Schools 1870-1902 page 66