Southwark Park Schools
Having finished reading Tommy Steele's autobiography Bermondsey Boy the other day, and having had ancestors born and bred in Bermondsey, I just had to take a trip into the place yesterday. Beautiful weather. Having looked at the outside of St James's church, where my mum and her siblings were christened (shut on Wednesdays, only open Mon mornings and Thurs afternoons), I wandered down to Southwark Park Road to seek her birthplace, which is still there, the last of the yellow brick semis to remain in the road - 326. I then looked in Southwark Park, and afterwards, as I continued round the bend in the road, hit upon the Southwark Park Schools building, which has purple hoarding up in front. I snapped a few shots of it to put up on here.
I also found the listed buildings entry for it:
Southwark Park School, Bermondsey
Description: Southwark Park SchoolGrade: II
Date Listed: 17 September 1998
English Heritage Building ID: 471340
TQ3479 SOUTHWARK PARK ROAD
636-1/6/704 (West side)
Southwark Park School
II
School and schoolkeeper's house. 1873-74, extension of 1899.
By ER Robson. For London School Board. Yellow brick with red
brick dressings and slate roof.
PLAN: block to Southwark Park is of 2 storeys and rectangular
in plan, 7-window range. An extension of 1899 in a
complementary style to the rear of this block, and a handsome
schoolkeepers house with Dutch gable facing Southwark Park
Road.
EXTERIOR: symmetrical front, the parapet interrupted by a
shaped gable. The windows are 'framed' by a 2-dimensional grid
of red brick pilasters, cornice and string courses that
articulates the elevation.
All windows unless otherwise stated are segmental-arched;
tripartite window under shaped gable with segmental-arched
centre light; flanking lights are flat-arched. First-floor
windows in outer paired ranges are topped by a pediment which
is incorporated into the parapet. Beneath the 1st-floor
windows in the outer ranges, and forming a spandrel panel, are
2 sculptural reliefs which depict children learning; to each
an inscription panel with the words "School Board for London"
and "Southwark Park Schools". South elevation and rear with
shaped gables, a motif continued in the ranges to the
courtyard at the rear.
The courtyard to the rear of the main block presents a most
picturesque and successful space, although formed, in part, by
buildings of at least 2 periods. All glazing of an authentic
design: casement with fixed or pivoting lights above; those on
the north side have 8x8 sashes with fixed lights above.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
A fine example of an early school by Robson in a style which
would be most influential to later school boards across the
country.
The first three photos I took myself, and they are followed by a Google Street View image which doesn't have the colourful hoarding. Does anyone know what is happening to the building? I did find this page, which seems to suggest major changes, but incorporating the old building. See also this page from the school's website.
I've not been able to find any old photos of the school online. Joe, have you?
Kathy
Like you I can only find evidence about the School that you have found. But the School was built under the auspices of The School Board for London which was established in 1870 until 1903 after which the School structure for London was taken over by the London County Council. Worth having a look at the web site for SBL. And the Schools like the Police Stations used a similar design pattern.
Joe
Hi All
There is a photograph on Friends Reunited of Southwark Park Primary School Teachers. They are the same teachers that I had when I attended that school.
I tried to upload it to this site through the usual method but without success. So I have attached it as a word document.
The teachers are:
Back Row: l-r Mr. Seaman, Mr. Cohen, Miss Watts, Mr. Collins (?), Mr. Scovell (?) lst row l-r Miss Levette, Miss Jones, Mr. Dunton - Headmaster, Miss Cox (my form teacher), Miss Durrant.
Attachment: Southwark Park Primary School Teachers 1954ish.doc (54.0KB)
Hi Rene
I thought i would put the picture on here for you, hope thats OK! with you.
Back Row: l-r Mr. Seaman, Mr. Cohen, Miss Watts, Mr. Collins (?), Mr. Scovell (?) lst row l-r Miss Levette, Miss Jones, Mr. Dunton - Headmaster, Miss Cox (my form teacher), Miss Durrant.
The picture from Rene of Southwark Park Primary School Teachers.
Hi Rene
I thought i would put the picture on here for you, hope thats OK! with you.[image]
Back Row: l-r Mr. Seaman, Mr. Cohen, Miss Watts, Mr. Collins (?), Mr. Scovell (?) lst row l-r Miss Levette, Miss Jones, Mr. Dunton - Headmaster, Miss Cox (my form teacher), Miss Durrant.The picture from Rene of Southwark Park Primary School Teachers.
-bermondseyboy
Hi Bermondseyboy
Many thanks for fixing my picture, you're a gem, much appreciated.
Regards
Rene
my name is bjarne olsen mr collins was my maths teacher.iattended southwark park school up to 1957.i lived in aspinden road.mates at the time were paul nash, micheal taylor, georgie nicholls ,
Hi, many thank for the photos and comments. I was a pupil at this school up until about 1959 when I went to Monnow Road Secondary school having failed the ll plus! The name Mr. Dunton the Headmaster rings a bell. I lived in the flats next door southwark park estate so did not have to go far! I have a couple of memories of the school, one was being made to eat the semolina pudding at lunch time which I hated so was sick!
My sister went to the schools in the 70s and imagine her surprise when she took her son (my nephew) for his first day in the school only to find that her teacher was now his headteacher....does that still happen in schools? I do hope so.
Off course the school was shipped off to Galleywall when the Council closed that -
I attended Southwark Park Road school only until I was 6 when we moved to Essex in 1954. I just remember it being a very old building and thought that the school I went to in Essex was much better as it had grass and South Park did not! Silly things that stick in your mind when your a kid. I dont remember any of the teachers names at all. I lived in New Place with my parents and my nan before it was New Place Square it was just New Place, number 13. My nans name was Sarah Collins anyone know of any of the Collinses.
Jennyann.
