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| HER Number | MWB16462 |
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| Record Type | Building |
|---|
| Name | Luker Court, Newbury (formerly Luker building of St Bartholomew's School, and previously Newbury Girls' School) |
|---|
Summary
Unlisted former school building opened in 1910 for the newly created girls' school; a grammar school from 1945, and between 1975 and 2011 a co-educational comprehensive until conversion to residential use
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- 'Blue' Plaque Scheme
- Not Nationally Listed Building: 163516
Monument Type(s):
- SECONDARY SCHOOL (Edwardian to Second World War - 1910 AD to 1945 AD)
- GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Second World War to Late 20th century - 1945 AD to 1975 AD)
- COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL (Late 20th century to Early 21st century - 1975 AD to 2011 AD)
- APARTMENT (Early 21st century - 2012 AD to 2050 AD)
- PLAQUE (Early 21st century - 2020 AD? to 2022 AD?)
Full Description
A centenary publication gives much information on the origins and development of the building on Andover Road <5>. Newbury first had a school providing a free academic education for girls in 1904; the Newbury Girls' School started in buildings in the town centre using the Technical Institute in Northbrook Street and 'The Limes' in the adjacent Albert Road. Pupils were both fee-paying and county council scholars, some of whom boarded. It also included pupil teachers.
By 1910 the school had outgrown its original site, and the new building was constructed on fields at the corner of Andover Road and Buckingham Road. The architect was Arthur Jessop Hardwick who had designed the Maidenhead Modern School, and the Newbury Weekly News described the new school as 'a handsome Georgian structure with lofty and spacious classrooms'. It was built by Mr J B Seward of Wokingham to accommodate 120 pupils. Two storeys of red brickwork had corridors practically running from end to end, connected by two oak staircases <6>.
The Girls' School amalgamated with St Bartholomew's Grammar School in 1975 to become a co-educational comprehensive, with much new building resulting <4>. The 1910 building and additions were renamed as the 'Luker' site to commemorate the first Girls' School headmistress, and have been predominantly used by the younger pupils (11-16 years).
The GIS polygon maps the extent of the Girls' School building on the 3rd epoch OS mapping <3>.
An application was made by a working group of Newbury Town Council to have the building listed; however, this was turned down by English Heritage in 2007 <6> on the grounds that Luker is late in date for a building of its type and style and did not demonstrate architectural innovation in a period of considerable secondary school expansion.
West Berkshire Museum has a photograph showing the Girls' School in the early 20th century <9>.
In the early 21st century, Newbury Town Council erected a 'Blue' Plaque to commemorate Esther Jane Luker, the first headmistress of Newbury Girls' School <10>.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Oxford Archaeology. 2006. Newbury Historic Character Study - Assessment Report. OA Job No 2563. WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB14654]
http://info.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=30418 (Accessed 25/09/2015) |
| <02> | Oxford Archaeology. 2006. Newbury Historic Character Study - Database and shape files. [Digital archive / SWB14655] |
| <03> | Landmark. 1912-24. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 3, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 25 inches to a mile. [Map / SWB14456] |
| <04> | Allan, S (ed). 1972. Wherof that town hath great need - A Brief History of Saint Bartholomew's Grammar School, Newbury. Plan. [Monograph / SWB14716] |
| <05> | Pollitt, V. 2004. Wisdom is Strength - A History of Newbury Girls' School. [Monograph / SWB14717] |
| <06> | English Heritage. 03/12/2007. Letter about application to list the Luker school building including Designation (listing) decision report. EH Ref 163516. [Unpublished document / SWB147397] |
| <07> | Newbury Town Council. 2006. Newbury Town Council Conservation Area Draft Appraisal - St Bartholomew's School. 2017 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB148258] |
| <08> | Berkshire Record Office. 2013?. Berkshire Record Office Guide to School Records - West Berkshire. Newbury - Newbury County Girls' Grammar (formerly Secondary School for Girls, County Girl's School). [Unpublished document / SWB148439]
https://www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk/storage/app/media/pdfs/Source%20guides/West-Berks-Schools-guide-A4-final.pdf (Accessed on 23/06/2021) |
| <09> | Museum Curator. Newbury Museum Accession Records (West Berkshire Museum since 1998). 2022 WBC Network. NEBYM:2000.20.206. [Unpublished document / SWB14452] |
| <10> | 2016. Newbury Town Council. 'Blue' Plaques. [Website / SWB149145]
http://www.newbury.gov.uk (Accessed 03/01/2017) |
Related Monuments
| MWB3456 | St Bartholomew's Grammar School (Wormestall's Chantry) (Monument) |
| MWB21980 | 72 Andover Road, Newbury (formerly The Limes and Bartlemy Cottage) (Building) |
| MWB16461 | St Bartholomew's School, Newbury - Wormestall building (Building) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB870 | Newbury Historic Character Study (NHCS) (Ref: NEWHESCO) |
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