St Anne's College, Clifton Drive South

The College buildings on Clifton Drive South, St Anne’s date from 1907 - a time when the community of St Annes, (a town only begun in 1875) was growing rapidly.   The strong design of Accrington brick, with stone surrounds to doors and windows and tall Dutch gables is distinctive, and in a dominating corner position. The College is part of an important group centring on the cross-roads of Clifton Drive and St Thomas’s Road. The Carnegie library ( JD Harker, 1906, listed), St Thomas’s church (Austin & Paley 1895-1905, listed), Richard Peck House, and a number of fine St Anne’s houses of similar date are an important group. At the rear of the site towards the sea is the Grand Hotel (1897, listed), and the Victorian sea front gardens (registered with English Heritage).

The building was designed by the County Architect Henry Littler and the builder was Thomas Cottam of Preston. (Information from the Blackpool Times 2nd October 1907.) Glazed brick faience was supplied by the Leeds Fireclay Company. The original building was roughly rectangular with a stone entrance stair onto gardens facing Clifton Drive, the main approach into town. Its foundation stone was laid in 1906, the date in the later stonework is 1907. It was opened on 30 September 1907 by Sir Henry Hibbert, Chairman of Lancashire Education Committee. It was soon after extended, probably by the same builder, to form an L shape, with more Dutch gables extending into the adjoining Links Road. A sizeable toilet extension was added to the rear. Inside, the building has been little altered. There are three floors of classrooms and smaller offices. The entrance hall has decorative plaster cornices, and terrazzo flooring. Upstairs there is a very light purpose built Art Room, large enough for use as a performance space, with exposed roof timbers.  Internal tiles were supplied by Messrs Williams of Manchester. There are tiles to dado height in all the corridors.These have been painted over but are of a green and yellow coloured Art Nouveau design - a few unpainted ones remain in the toilet.Stained glass is by Steward of Lancaster. The central stone stairwell has an arched stained glass window, decorated with the red rose of Lancashire.    The stained glass window over the front door has the motto "SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX EST", (the welfare of the people is the highest law). It can only be read from the inside. The college is on three floors with four large rooms on each floor. The top floor has a purpose built art room with a lofty ceiling, big enough for a performance space, perhaps with retractable seating. The other rooms could be opened out with dividing doors to provide flexible spaces.

Reference           Lancashire Evening Post 27 November 1906 page 13 – foundation stone