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| HER Number | MWB21273 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Site of St Mary's Mixed National School, Newbury |
|---|
Summary
Former location of a school for boys and girls associated with an early 19th century church, but both buildings demolished by the late 1970s
Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status
- Conservation Area: Newbury Town Centre
Monument Type(s):
- NATIONAL SCHOOL? (19th century to Mid 20th century - 1830 AD to 1935 AD?)
- CHURCH HALL (Mid 20th century to Late 20th century - 1935 AD? to 1975 AD?)
Full Description
A school for boys and girls is mapped on the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Newbury in St Mary's Road <1>. This building with two wings was sited to the rear of St Mary's Church in Speenhamland, built in 1830, and it would appear from school records held at the Berkshire Record Office <2> that it was a mixed National School, probably constructed in association with the church, and operating from at least 1835. By the late 19th century a separate infants school called St Mary's was in existence about 500m to the west, in Pelican Lane; this location subsequently became the focus for a greatly enlarged Speenhamland County Primary School in the mid to late 20th century.
By the 5th Epoch Ordnance Survey mapping of 1967 <3> the school in St Mary's Road was being used instead as a church hall. It appears to have been demolished at around the same time as the listed church in 1976; in 1978 an application was granted for 'St Mary's Church Site' to develop the land of the former church and school for housing purposes <4>. This later included the construction of a surgery, given the name St Mary's Road.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Landmark. 1880-81. Digital OS Mapping Epoch 1, 1:500 - Newbury Town Plan. Digital. 1:500. Marked 'School (Boys & Girls)'. [Map / SWB146990] |
| <02> | Berkshire Record Office. 2013?. Berkshire Record Office Guide to School Records - West Berkshire. Speenhamland - St Mary's CE (formerly Speenhamland Junior CE, CE Junior Mixed, Mixed National). [Unpublished document / SWB148439]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) |
| <03> | Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. Marked 'St Mary's Church Hall'. [Map / SWB14665] |
| <04> | Newbury District Council. 1974-2000. Newbury District Council Planning Applications 1974-2000. 106975. [Index / SWB148104] |
Related Monuments
| MWB3464 | SPEENHAMLAND, Newbury (Place) |
| MWB16419 | Site of St Mary's Church, Speenhamland (Monument) |
| MWB16478 | Speenhamland School, Newbury (formerly St Mary's Infants' School) (Building) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
None recordedIf you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
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