St Michael's Parish Schools Ashton-under-Lyne

ASHTON - The foundation stone of the Ashton parish church Sunday schools has been laid with Masonic honours. The building, which is being carried out to the designs of Messrs Hayley and Son of Manchester, architects, consists of a girls’ school-room 67 feet long by 30 feet wide, with a classroom 13 feet by 20 feet; a school-room for boys 63 feet by 32 feet, with a classroom 18 feet by 14 feet; and an infants’ school-room 63 feet by 32 feet, with a classroom of the same size and arrangement as that connected to the boys’ school-room. Separate entrances and lavatories are provided for each school. The walls are all of red brick, relieved with blue bands. The arches over the doors and windows are composed of blue and red brick, in patterns; and the gables are finished with projecting courses of purpose-made bricks. The mullions, sills, copings, chimney caps, etc are of Saddleworth stone; and the chimney-pieces in the school and class-rooms are also of stone of appropriate design. An ornamental bell turret, of octagonal form on plan, rises above the principal roof. It is covered with coloured slates, cut to a pattern, and is surmounted by a wrought iron finial. All the woodwork throughout the building is stained and varnished. The roofs are covered with Velinheli slates, and finished with ornamental ridge tiles. The contract for the work has been undertaken by Mr Joseph Robinson junior of Hyde. The clerk of the works is Mr John Littlewood of Ashton. [Builder 10 May 1862 Page 338]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Wednesday 12 March 1862  Page 4 (Contracts)
Reference    Manchester Courier Saturday 22 March 1862  Page 12 (Contracts)
Reference    Building News 28 March 1862 p225 - tenders
Reference    Manchester Courier 26 April 1862. Page 7 Col 1
Reference    Builder 10 May 1862 Page 338