Central Higher Grade Scholarship School. Victor Street/Ford Street Salford

Subject to the consent of the Education Department, a central mixed higher grade school to accommodate about 500 children, and a school for pupil teachers’ central classes be erected upon the land in Victor Street and Ford Street at the rear of the proposed new School Board offices: and that Messrs Woodhouse and Willoughby be appointed architects for these buildings, and be requested to prepare plans in accordance with the instructions of the General Purposes Committee. [Manchester Guardian 17 October 1893 page 9]

The Salford School Board have appointed Messrs Woodhouse & Willoughby architects for a new central grade school for 500 scholars to be erected in Victor-street and Ford-street at the rear of the proposed new school board offices. [Building News 10 November 1893 Page 611]

An extensive report in the Salford Reporter of 15 September 1894 recorded the laying of memorial stones the previous Wednesday for the new School Board Offices on Chapel Street including speeches etc. John Woodhouse is noted as being in attendance and having presented Canon Scott with a silver trowel to perform the stone laying ceremony. The memorial stone of the school was laid as part of this event but received less attention.

The Central Higher Grade Scholarship School is situated on Victor-street and Ford-street behind the new Board Offices in Chapel Street. The school is intended to accommodate 742 boys and girls, and is also to be used as a central school for pupil teachers. The main building consists of four floors averaging 15 feet to the ceilings and an open playground on the roof. The entrances for the two sexes are placed at opposite ends of the Victor-street or main front and open on to staircases which lead from basement to roof. There will be cloak and class rooms, preparation and lecture rooms, manual instruction room, teachers' rooms, gymnasium etc. The whole of the staircases will be of stone, and the corridors throughout of concrete. The whole of the walls of the class-rooms and main corridors will be lined with glazed bricks of a light tint, with dark brown dado. The woodwork will be of pitch pine, stained and varnished. The heating will be by warm moist air, and the ventilating afforded by large flues surrounding the smoke shaft from the boilers. The cost of the building, excluding fittings, will be about ,11,000. [Salford Reporter 15 September 1894]

Contractors
Brickwork C N Normanton, Manchester: stonework, Mr Stoppard, Manchester; Woodwork, Halstead Brothers, Eastwood; ironwork, Edward Wood, Salford; Slating, Mr More (Moore?) Manchester; plumbing Mr Ashcroft, Manchester; plastering and painting, Sir J J Harwood; heating and ventilating, Langfield & Company, Manchester; Concrete and asphalt, Messrs Davies, Manchester

Memorial Stone: Ford Street
THIS MEMORIAL STONE OF THE / CENTRAL HIGHER GRADE SCHOLARSHIP SCHOOL / BEING THE EIGHTH SCHOOL ERECTED BY THE / SALFORD SCHOOL BOARD / WAS LAID BY THE / REV. CANON SCOTT M.A./ CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD / ON 12 SEPTEMBER 1894

Reference    Manchester Guardian 17 October 1893 page 9 – Salford School Board
Reference    Salford City Reporter 21 October 1893 Page *- appointment confirmed
Reference    Building News 10 November 1893 Page 611
Reference    Salford Reporter 15 September 1894. Page 5