Gray Street School

[BOBHAMO]

bobhamo

[IanA]

Thanks for the photos. Very sad. Another chunk of Bootle history gone forever.

[eric jenkinson]

Great pics,I was there from 1958-62 a shame they could not save the building my mum also went to Gray st ,some 80 yrs ago and was just telling me stories of a teacher Miss bullock,who taught her for 4 years a lot of memories in that place

[jetjockey]

Great pics,I was there from 1958-62 a shame they could not save the building my mum also went to Gray st ,some 80 yrs ago and was just telling me stories of a teacher Miss bullock,who taught her for 4 years a lot of memories in that place

I remember Miss Bullock Eric I was there from 1951 -1955 it was the only school I enjoyed going to

JJ

[bjones]

Miss Bullock was still there when I started there in 1957.
My mum and her 2 brothers and 2 sisters went to Grayo, it was also a senior school in those days so I suppose they were pupils from 1913 til 1930. The first of Ma's 8 kids started there in 1936 and the last of us left in 1964. I suppose you could say that it's formed the foundations of my family. Sad to see it go but would be even sadder to see it fall apart and decay.
Thanks for the photees Bob - will pass them along to the oldest surviving brother (one of Miss Bullock's favourites).

[BOBHAMO]

I will go down next week and take a few more when they start more work
they removed the slates one by one so still worth a few bob
do any members want a memory brick
bobhamo

[BOBHAMO]

Bit of history of school
it was opened on monday august 14 1899
it cost £ 8149 and was built by local builder
walter musker of 5 merton road
his father was an alderman think he might have had a say to who got the contract
the musker family had a lot of influence in bootle
the school was designed to take 1100 children
bobhamo

[jddry]

thanks for the history bob many happy memories there.I wonder what happened to the ship it was in a glass case does anyone remember that.

[IanA]

Halfway up the staircase. It was half a ship backed on to a mirror.

[jddry]

Yes IanA you're right I wasn't sure about the mirror.

[BOBHAMO]

It is a sad time when you have good and some bad times at school
with Gray street going there will only be my old school left linacre
which i have got to say had the best footie team
bobhamo

[bjones]

thanks for the history bob many happy memories there.I wonder what happened to the ship it was in a glass case does anyone remember that.

Thanks from me too for the history Bob - 1100 seems realistic when you consider that the school originally took pupils from age 5 to 14/15. There were 3 streams with 30 to 40 kids in each class in my days there.

David, last I heard about the ship - which as Ian says, was indeed half a ship backed by a mirror - it was moved to the old Bedford Road school after the new Thomas Gray school opened. No idea if it's in that schools new building; wonder if anyone in the neighbourhood would pop in and ask????

[BOBHAMO]

took these today wont take them long will try to get down again
hope jddry can look in as well as every day a bit more will go
bobhamo

[jetjockey]

thanks for the history bob many happy memories there.I wonder what happened to the ship it was in a glass case does anyone remember that.

Thanks from me too for the history Bob - 1100 seems realistic when you consider that the school originally took pupils from age 5 to 14/15. There were 3 streams with 30 to 40 kids in each class in my days there.

David, last I heard about the ship - which as Ian says, was indeed half a ship backed by a mirror - it was moved to the old Bedford Road school after the new Thomas Gray school opened. No idea if it's in that schools new building; wonder if anyone in the neighbourhood would pop in and ask????

When I was there the ship was on the ground floor just before Mr Williams office don't know when it got moved as i left in 1955

JJ

[bjones]

John, when I started there in 1957 the ship was on the first floor at the top of the stairs that lead to the classrooms for years 3 and 4 children. If I'm not mistaken David joined the year ahead (1956) and Ian the year after (1958).
I've just had a word with Julia who still works at Thos Gray (our school's new incarnation) and she thinks that the old school was vacated about 30 years ago. It will have been at that time that the ship "sailed" off to Beddy Rd school. Bedford Primary has since moved to a new building and I don't know whether the ship went with them. As I said earlier, if anyone lives in that area perhaps they could pop in and enquire.... I'd love to know!

[marknjen]

so sad, more for you older guys with memories of school, I remember going here when it was sefton enterprises ltd, like a traing college, did all kinds joinery,cooking,retail,computers,plastering and mine paint and decorating, my tutor was fabulous fella called Alan Gleave from maghull, I gained my NVQ level 1&2 in paint n dec with him! We'd have five a side footy games at dinner and Al would play in goal despite being 50+, I'd play defence in front of him and came in for some right rollicking when he conceded! Even when it was his fault hahahaha! Such great memories, would love to meet up with Alan if anyone knows him....long shot like! Also remember the very top floor of building was a small room rumoured to be haunted, apparently the old heads room watching over the yard! Always got a chill going up to the storeroom opposite that room

Very very sad to see it go, again another part of bootles fabulous history being destroyed by dowdy and his cronies

[jetjockey]

Just heard on the breakfast news that they want to get school children into savings clubs to avoid debt in the future which reminded me of the savings club at Grey Street School
We would take in a minimum of 6d every Monday morning and it would registered against your name and then it was put into the Post Office on Knowsley Road and you got a stamp/for the amount that went into your savings book I was one of the lucky ones who would take it to the Post Office and get out of lessons for a while but there was always two who went and from memory I was paired up with Irene Wilson may have the last name wrong it was a long time ago but good memories

JJ

[jddry]

Rang Bedford road school this morning about the ship that use to be great street school spoke to the reception and they don't recall seeing their she's going to see the head teacher and get back to me.no answer from Bedford rd common centre

[BOBHAMO]

A bit more demolished looks like next week might be the end
bobhamo

[BOBHAMO]

down to the ground floor will disapear by the week end
the front is being demolished brick by brick
i was speaking to one of the workers and asked him if they where going to save the
gray street sandstone he said its broken and will be crushed like the rest of the bricks
another piece of history gone
bobhamo

[jetjockey]

We don't seem to have any sense of preservation in this country Bob unlike our distant cousins across the pond

JJ

[Prospice]

Houses = council tax

[fatboyjoe90]

Great photos Bob.

[BOBHAMO]

just a pile of bricks
all the history gone
bobhamo

[eric jenkinson]

That is so sad,gone for ever.

[lily8]

Bob in the next to last photo I can see some sort of underground room could it have been a wartime shelter?? sorry I can't see too much of it.

[fatboyjoe90]

Great photos Bob, I like the last one, the last bit of the downspout this is all is left of it.

[BOBHAMO]

Lily i think thats the old boiler room ,most of the schools where coal heated
Joe i have taken some trophys
hope to be a millioner next year
put your order in gray street bricks £5 each
bobhamo

[Dasmac]

My wife and I were saddened to see and read about the demolition of Gray Street school. For entirely different reasons I was lookIng for a photo of the school we both taught at between 1969 and 1972 when I stumbled across the posts and photos. We both have fond memories of our time there when John Horn was the headmaster. Anne, my wife, taught the first year children and I taught children in the third year. Mr Horn was a keen musician and persuaded me to start some instrumental work with my children in the form of ukulele and guitar. Interested children stayed behind after school. It was great fun and most rewarding when it came to doing concerts at the end of the Christmas and Summer terms. We can still recall a number of teachers who were there at the same time as ourselves: Mr Harper, Mrs Peel, Mrs Elliot, Mr Hartley spring immediately to mind.

Very fond memories have been clouded by the knowledge that the 100+ year old school is no more.

Best wishes to any ex students who may read this.

David and Anne McManus
(We left Gray St to emigrate to Perth in Western Australia.)

[BOBHAMO]

Hi David welcome they did not save the kew stones gray street 1899 board school
they could have been used on the new estate built there now in a wall
as usual more bootle history lost it was a good school lots of are members went there
myself linacre was better hope the few photos bring back memories
bobhamo

[Dasmac]

Hi Bob,
Given the age of the posts and photos we were not expecting any sort of response, let alone so quickly. Just wanted to pitch in with a few sincere words of our time there. Thank you so much for your acknowledgement and such great photos.

Each teaching day began after a typically harrowing journey along Queens Dve from our home in Gateacre. The trip was soon forgotten though as class sizes were small, the school was more than big enough for the approx. 200 children there and it was so well equipped in general (brilliant gym). The one downside was the school football team. I was a keen soccer player and had done a couple of great coaching clinics but to no avail in my first year: Won 0 - Drew 1 - Lost 7. The one we drew was against Linacre! My second year year proved slightly better with one win, no draws and five losses. The win was against Linacre!

I do have a slide of my guitar, ukulele and vocal group taken in July, 1972, which I have scanned; the quality isn't the best but it may prove interesting to someone from those days. From memory, the 40+ children consisted of 3rd and ex 3rd year children.

Thanks again, Bob, for your quick response.

Kind regards, Dave McManus

PS Two other names have come to mind: Mrs Atkinson and the caretaker, Mr Gilven (spelling?).

[BOBHAMO]

Hi Dave I worked on all the schools for the corpy , Linacre is the last school still there , the teachers in the primary schools in always took the time to have a good banter with the kids, but there where always some kids who where little terrors , the senior schools some of the teachers had there own ways of keeping order as some members have posted ,this is just my observation when working on the schools ,the bootle site has brought interest from all over the world so I am glad it brings memories for your time in bootle bobhamo

[BOBHAMO]

Hi Dave I worked on all the schools for the corpy , Linacre is the last school still there , the teachers in the primary schools in always took the time to have a good banter with the kids, but there where always some kids who where little terrors , the senior schools some of the teachers had there own ways of keeping order as some members have posted ,this is just my observation when working on the schools ,the bootle site has brought interest from all over the world so I am glad it brings memories for your time in bootle bobhamo

[efc46]

so sad I went to salisbury road 1951/53 GONE Gray street 1953/57 gone st Georges 1957/61 gone but we bootle girls an boys can share the photos I am very proud of my home town I have been in Brisbane since 1967 come from 75 balfour road been home twice davey rowlands

[IanA]

Anyone have any idea what became of Mr Roberts? A tall, lean chap - used to walk up the cinder path to Litherland station at the end of day. I'm talking about 1962 - same time as Mrs Peel.