Central School Document Library

School History

Central School in Abbey Street

For Old Centaurs who left before September 1940 this place was Central School. For those of us who followed later this was where we came for practical woodwork, physics and chemistry because the new school location in Darley Park had no space for other than classrooms. In the 1950s girls also used the school, with an entrance on the far side (left) of the frontage. The Boys entrance was nearest to us as we view this picture. Passing through the iron gates and the corridor with coat hanging space to the right, you issued into the courtyard - visible in the bottom picture. An immediate left turn after you got in the school took you into a corridor, with stairs on the left, for accessing the classrooms and labs. The half landing windows of the staircase are visible in this picture.

Looking up Abbey Street we see the school on the left and Alma Street on the right. The whole area was, and largely still is, comprised of terraced housing with front doors directly on to the street.

See the reconstructed floor plans
of the school HERE.

The school was demolished in 1980. Pictured from the rear, demolition is under way. The walled courtyard is where we took our breaks. The bottom row of windows in the facing into the yard provided light for the physics lab, which in the 1950s was the domain of Ken Evans - who was once a boy at this very school. Two storeys up, with two end windows facing us, was the chemistry lab - Fred Peake's domain. The white Morris Traveller on the street is parked outside where the chip shop used to be.

Arthur Redsell adds: The picture of Abbey Street brings memories flooding back and that of the site under demolition brings sadness. Mr. Robson's woodwork room was on the ground floor to the left of the lower door entrance to the school. If one went through that door and continued forward I think there was then a cloakroom (hats & coats) and then some steps leading up to the lower playground. This also featured an undercover but open cellar where we could have PE if it was raining. Behind the upper school entrance door was a similar arrangement leading through to an upper playground. I recall the Physics Lab on the ground Floor with windows opening onto the upper playground. I also remember Ken Evans who was at school when I was. I did hear that he became a Lab. assistant.

The Chemistry Lab was as you describe but in my day was run by Vic Morris, who features in some of the Staff photographs. Also on the top floor was a Lecture Theatre with tiered bench seating, blackboards and demonstration bench with sinks, electrical power and gas connections. Here also was a radio by which we could listen to odd school radio broadcasts, especially French, and a piano for music lessons which were primarily singing practice. The Lecture Theatre was a very up-market asset in those days.

See the reconstructed floor plans of the school HERE.