Citylife in Rugeley and Cannock Chase September October 2021

More documents

Recommendations

Info

A Window on the Past Back to School With September here, thoughts turn to the new school year, so this month's photos explore five of the district's schools, none of which (where they survive) are used for their original purpose. 1. Shooting Butts School was built by the National Camps Corporation in 1939 consisting of cedar huts set in 35 acres on the edge of Cannock Chase. Its first us was for evacuees from Birmingham during the Second World War. Staffordshire County Council took over the buildings in 1948 when they became a Secondary Boarding School for children between the ages of 11 and 15. All the usual subjects were on the curriculum, but special attention was paid to the rural and domestic sciences. Out of school hours there were plenty of social activities including a choir, drama club, dances and socials and a flourishing Young Farmer's Club. Pupils were transferred to Pipewood School in the 1970s, though the buildings continued to be used for various purposes by the Education Committee. 2. Taylor's Lane Secondary Modern School opened in 1939 as a senior school for both boys and girls. With the reorganisation of education in the 1960s it became Aelfgar Comprehensive School. An extension was built on the other side of Taylor's Lane (on the field in the foreground of the photo). This extension later became a Sixth Form College and the original building was divided up. Part was converted into a Community Centre and theatre, part Aelfgar Surgery and the remainder was YMCA housing. 3. St Joseph's Roman Catholic School was built in 1908 by local builder Charles Mason. It replaced an earlier mid-nineteenth century building in Heron Street - a building later known as ‘The Guildroom.’ The 1908 building was replaced by a new school in Newman's Grove in 1972 and was later converted to a Community Centre. The photograph was taken from the church tower. 4. Brereton National School for girls was built in 1891 in Main Road to replace Brereton's first school built by the Misses Sneyd in 1826. It became known as Brereton C of E School and from 1930 took only girls aged 7-11. By the 1950s the school was becoming overcrowded. This was relieved by the building of Nursery Field CP School in 1961. The school (now named St Michael's C of E School) closed in 1971 when the pupils were transferred to the new Hob Hill School. In the photograph, St Michael's School is the tall building with a pointed window; the low building next door is a remnant of the 1826 school. 5. A National School for Girls was built in Church Street in 1826 by Baroness de la Zouche, where some 60 girls paid 1d a week to attend. It was extended in the 1870s. With the growth of the town and the introduction of compulsory schooling the Girls' School suffered severe overcrowding. This was eased in 1913 when the girls in Church Street and the infants in Talbot Street swapped buildings. In 1960 the infants moved back to the Talbot Street building and the Church Street school became a furniture store for the Education Authority. 1 2 The Landor (local history) Society is a focus for those who wish to learn more about the history of Rugeley and its surrounding parishes. It was founded in 1953 and was named in honour of Walter Noble Landor, local and county historian, who became the Society’s first President. More information is available at www.landorlocalhistorysociety-rugeley.btck.co.uk 3 4 5 28
To Advertise please contact Steve Brown 07740 166497 stevebrowncitylife@gmail.com Rebecca Hill 07970 513144 rebeccahillcitylife@gmail.com Advertising Feature Durrant Funeral Services’ Memorial Items ........................ Durrant Funeral Services works alongside small local companies who have turned their hobbies and ideas into a business in order to create lasting memories of your loved one. Pressed by Amber creates pressed flower picture frames. Amber's love of flowers prompted her to start pressing them and turn them into a memorial frame for you with flowers from your loved ones’ garden. You can find more of Amber's work on Instagram. Moo's & Roo's Specials by Sammie are memorial pillar candles with transfers with any design you wish. They can include a loved ones’ photo and wording, even merging several images together to appear as one. Sammie's work can be seen on Facebook. Magpie Memory Balloons by Bex are environmentally friendly. After seeing pleas from crematoriums not to release helium balloons as they deflate and are hazardous to wildlife, Bex places wildflower seeds inside a clear balloon, putting it in a gift box with your loved ones’ name, and providing a sharp wooden stick to pop the balloon, enabling you to scatter the seeds and create a mass of wildflowers in memory of your loved one. Candlepot Decorations by Louise uses decoupage and glass to create bespoke urns and light bowls. Using a ‘painting with paper’ technique to build an ethereal style of images, the urns can be personalised with photos, specially chosen words and dates. They can be used with tea lights, LED lights or placed by a window. See Louise's work on Instagram @candlepotdecorations. Legacy Expressions Fingerprint Jewellery takes an image of yours or your loved ones’ fingerprint using a digital scanner. This can then be imprinted onto jewellery or speciality items such as guitar picks, shot glasses, photo frames and glass ornaments. All of these items can be ordered through Durrant Funeral Services. 29
Page 3 and 4: 3
Page 5 and 6: Etching Hill WI By Kathy Baxter ...
Page 7 and 8: SI Cannock & District By Trish Mell
Page 9 and 10: 9
Page 11 and 12: 11
Page 13 and 14: 13
Page 15 and 16: 15
Page 17 and 18: My Weight Loss Story By Patricia Ha
Page 19 and 20: VACANCY Lichfield City Council ADMI
Page 21 and 22: Coton House Farm Located in Lichfie
Page 23 and 24: 23
Page 25 and 26: Bride and Bloom By Jo Howell ......
Page 27: Kate Bliss Hopes to Uncover Sparkli
Page 31 and 32: Rugeley WI By Margaret Bennett ....
Page 33 and 34: Opportunity for a Sales Executive C
Page 35: 35

Citylife in Rugeley and Cannock Chase September October 2021

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?