Topic ID 5369
Thank you for your feedback, helps memory. I owe homage to the late Mr Len Green, teacher and historian of Hertford for most of his 90 years, for me from the 1940s to 90s; he knew all the schools. Bengeo's replaced earlier Victorian Bengeo Sreet schools about 40 years ago. These stood opposite the "White Lion". Simon Balle replaced Cowper Testimonial School, a turreted old Victorian Building on the corner of London Road and Greencoates from 1841 to the 1960s. A piece of old flint playground wall is still there. In Churchfields, Abel Smith was an endowed school originally with only the Victorian schoolhouse, which became the Nursery school. For school dinners we 'crocodiled' down London Road to Victorian second Green Coat School, by that time a canteen only, now under the roadway. Pom or dehydrated potato and Spam a new tinned meat were on our menu, but the apple pie and custard was delicious in the 1940s. Food parcels from Australia and Marshall Aid were given out in class, each child receiving two or three different tins of either peach halves, mandarin oranges, evaporated milk or an orange, banana or pineapple, rare objects under rationing, now two a penny. Nearby All Saints Infant's school, AKA Faudel Phillips stood from 1841 till 1960s, with one red-brick house now remaining as activity room, a rare survivor of the hall with pretty wooden roof trusses. Back then a great tree spread its broad canopy over almost the whole playground beneath which many generations played. A few years ago they still played on the remains of its ancient trunk under the climbing frame. An early Newton Foundation National School stood in the corner of All Saints churchyard and Church also called Green Coat School, and across the road from St. John's Hall is Richard Hale's old Grammar School of 1613, which was badly bombed in 1941. It had twisted chimneys and a large garden with orchard where Gascoyne Way runs now, with path to the Head's house in Fore Street, and a big portrait of the founder Richard Hale over the classroom mantelpiece, a great studded oak door and a photo gallery of old boys some in Great War uniform, all of which were transferred to the 1931 Richard Hale in Pegs Lane. Across town, Mill Mead formerly Port Vale School, is another good Victorian red-brick. Round the corner in Dimsdale Street is derelict 'Cowbridge School', last used in 1960s as a handicraft centre. Over in Hertingfordbury Road, St. Andrew's Infants was replaced in Sele Farm. In the older playground were more oak trees. The Roman Catholic School in North Road replaced the earlier Convent School in St. John's Street, and there was a Ragged School in Bircherley Street. Hertford Castle had an East India College room of Haileybury, in a curtain tower in pre-council times; later an early National School as well. Greatest of all was Christ's Hospital, now Bluecoats, relocated from the City of London after the Great Fire and Plague of 1665-6. It had its own Bluecoat gallery in old All Saints Church which was totally destroyed in the fire of 1891. The gates, endowed by Dr Dimsdale in 1769, now have wooden statues, as the lead originals followed the school to Horsham in 1986. Eastern Station behind Tescos stood behind it from 1888, providing good access to the City for the Corporation of London and merchants there who endowed it. It is said the long redbrick curtain wall outside the station facing the school was built to screen the platforms from the young ladies, or vice versa. Preserved are the early girls' school facing Fore Street, the quadrangle, writing school facade, bell cupola, clock and doorcase. The fine monumental architecture still reflects the wealth of the foundation, echoing the City. Two unique processional arches in the wall near the gates still have their original 1769 Corporation crests, what a pity these gates could not have been restored or better preserved.