Chorley Technical and Secondary School Union Street, Chorley
Architectural Competition held in 1904? Five designs submitted. Won by Cheers and Smith. Contract £10,041 15s 10d
NEW TECHNICAL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL - To Builders and Others. Persons desirous of Tendering for the whole of the works required in the erection of the above School are requested to send In their names, together with a deposit of £3 3s, which will be returned on receipt of a bona-fide tender, to Messrs Cheers and Smith 24. Richmond Terrace. Blackburn, not later than Wednesday the 29th instant, after which date bills of quantities will be supplied and the drawings and the conditions of contract may be Inspected. Jno. Mills, Town Clerk, Town Hall Chorley. [Manchester Guardian 18 June 1904 page 5]
NEW SCHOOL FOR CHORLEY OPENED BY THE EARL OF DERBY - The new Technical and Secondary School, which has been built by the municipality of Chorley, at a cost, including land and equipment. of about £15.000. was formally opened on Saturday by the Earl of Derby. The school, which is an imposing and elegant structure of Accrington red brick, with buff terra has frontage to Union Street. and has been erected from the designs and under the superintendence of Mr Joseph Smith, architect, of the firm of Cheers and Smith, Blackburn. It is of three storeys, the lower being for the technical department. which includes plumbing shop, weaving shed. and cookery room; the middle portion for theoretical classes and the upper for science and art classes. It is to be used not only for evening classes but also as a secondary school and pupil teachers' centre. and will be subsidised by the County Council to the extent of about £1.000 per annum. [Northern Daily Telegraph Monday 24 September 1906 page 4]
NEW TECHNICAL SCHOOL AT CHORLEY - Th new Technical School at Chorley forms an important addition to Chorley's public buildings, and meets a long felt want in the provision of suitable accommodation for the teaching of the arts and sciences. It is 21 years since science classes were begun in the town, following a course of lectures under the auspices of the Gilchrist Trust, and these classes have gradually grown until the evening students last Year numbered935. Tho work of the committee who have charge of the technical and evening classes was very much handicapped by lack of suitable accommodation. and during the past two or three it has been necessary to take some the subjects in various elementary schools. With the new premises it is hoped that work in the future will be much more efficiently done. The new building faces Union Street and is of fine brick with terra-cotta ornamentation. There are three storeys. On the sub-floor will be located a weaving shed, 49 feet by 42 feet, cookery room, manual Instruction room, physical laboratory, lecture room plumbing room and the usual offices, including a bicycle room. The weaving and cookery rooms are both lighted by shed top lights. On the ground floor all the theoretical and lecture rooms are situated. There is a large lecture room 40 feet by 26 feet, committee room, male teachers' room, and a large hall and vestibule. On the first floor is an art room, chemical lecture theatre, science and drawing rooms and a principal's room. A playground which adjoins Hollinshead Street is now in course of preparation. The various rooms are reached by corridors 8 feet wide, with staircases at each end of the building.
Messrs Cheers and Smith of Blackburn have been the architects. The lighting is by the Keith high pressure system. Altogether the cost of the school and equipment has been £14,920. When quite ready the school will be used as a secondary day school, in connection with which there will be a pupil teachers' centre for the Chorley district. This will probably lead to the extinction of the ancient Grammar of the town. The new premises are to be formally opened tomorrow by the Earl of Derby, K.G. and evening classes will begin during the following week. [Lancashire Evening Post Friday 21 September 1906 page 2]
The building on Union Street was opened on 24 October 1906 by Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby as the Chorley Technical and Secondary School. In 1962 it was used as a College of Further Education and since 1986 has been the public library.
Reference Manchester Guardian 18 June 1904 page 5
Reference Manchester Guardian 21 June 1904 page 3 - contracts
Reference Building News 24 June 1904 page 928 – contracts
Reference Builder 25 June 1904 page 704 – contracts
Reference Northern Daily Telegraph Monday 24 September 1906 page 4 – opening
Reference Lancashire Evening Post Friday 21 September 1906 page 2