Board School, Clarksfield, Oldham (Architectural Competition)

OLDHAM - The new Board schools competition at Oldham has been settled. The assessor (whose name is not stated) awarded the first place to Messrs. Henry Cheers, of Twickenham, London, and Smith, of Blackburn, joint architects, and second place to those sent in by Messrs Woodhouse and Willoughby, of Manchester. The drawings have been on view this week. The arrangement was for 1,200 on the ground floor, 400 senior and 400 junior pupils in one mixed school, and 400 infants. The site is almost square, but falls about 25ft., and one corner of the land is almost 3ft. above the level of the other, while diagonally the levels vary even more, about 14ft. one way and lift, the other. The successful plan doubtless has hit on a scheme to meet the difficult question of the levels, as the mixed school for 800 with a central hall would be over 200ft. long. We hope soon to illustrate the accepted design, which has been promised us by the architects. [Building News 18 December 1903 page 827]

NEW BOARD SCHOOL, CLARKSFIELD, OLDHAM - SELECTED DESIGN - The whole of these schools are one storey in height, and provide accommodation for 1,200 children, at an estimated cost of £16,000. The award was made by Mr. Bailey, who acted as the assessor, from a total of 103 sets of plans submitted in the recent competition, Mr. Henry A. Cheers, of Twickenham, and Mr. Joseph Smith, of Blackburn, who worked conjointly on the scheme, being chosen as architects. The materials proposed are red Accrington bricks, with stone dressings, covered with Welsh slates. Glazed bricks will be used as dadoes inside, with moulded capping, and walls plastered above with Keene's and Portland cement reveals, dressings, etc. Herringbone pattern, pitch-pine wood-block floors will be used for the rooms, on cement-concrete foundations; and the corridors and halls will be tiled. Heating will be effected by hot water on the low-pressure principle, and special ventilation appliances will be employed in addition to the open fireplaces provided. A feature of the scheme is the sloping corridor used, the site being 2.511. higher longitudinally at one end than the other, and a similar slope transversely necessitated special means being employed for getting over this difficulty, having regard to the cost; so that it may be said that the architects seem to have very ingeniously obviated this awkward feature of the site. [Building News 22 January 1904 page 127 and illustrations]

1st Premium    Cheers and Smith Twickenham and Blackburn
2nd premium    Woodhouse and Willoughby and J Langham. Joint architects

Reference        British Architect 25 December 1903 Page 471
Reference        Building News 18 December 1903 page 827