Bradford Memorial Schools Haworth Street

THE BRADFORD MEMORIAL SCHOOLS - The rapidly increasing population of the township of Bradford-cum-Beswick necessitating additional school accommodation, the congregation of the Parish Church has endeavoured to meet that want. The foundation stone was laid on Saturday by Mr Robert Gladstone, and the new schools will be known as the Bradford Memorial Schools in memory of John Bradford the martyr who was a native of the place. The new building will stand in Haworth-street, having Cross-street on one side and another street, as yet unnamed on the other. The building (as shown by the plans prepared by Mr John Lowe, architect, St Ann’s Square) will consist of a large room, 80 feet by 30 feet and two classrooms, and provision is made for future extension. A lavatory and the usual offices are also provided. The rooms will be heated by open fireplaces and ventilated by means of openings in the ceiling communicating with ventilators in the roof, fresh air being admitted under the floors. The rooms will be fitted up with desks, benches and galleries in accordance with the requirements of the Privy Council. The building will be faced with selected common bricks with white headers and relieved by arches and string courses of stock bricks. The inside walls will also be of selected common bricks prepared for paint or lime-washing. The roofs will be partially open and the timbers thus exposed stained and varnished. The Haworth-street elevation will be broken by a gable on the centre containing windows arranged as a triplet. The end gable will be terminated by chimney stacks, while a well-proportioned and lofty belfry, surmounted by a gilt terminal, will rise from the centre of the roof. The cost, including fittings and the boundary walls will be about £1,400 and the contract for the whole work has been taken by Messrs Neill and Sons of Strangeways. The site, containing 2,000 square yards and worth about £500, was given by Mr Townley Parker, the lord of the manor.  After laying the stone Mr Glasdstone said when the Christ Church schools were built in 1861 the Working Men’s Church Association subscribed £1,000 in shillings and sixpences. If they would now subscribe £500 towards the required £1,400 he would either obtain the remainder from his friends or provide it himself. The necessity of the new schools was shown by the fact that while in 1861, when the schools which accommodate 600 were built, the population of the district was 4,000, now the population was 11,000.

Reference    Manchester Guardian Monday 26 June 1871 Page 3 Column 5
Reference    Manchester City News Saturday 1 July 1871 Page 4 Column 5 (abridged version)
Reference    Building News 5 April 1872 page 284 - opening