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Norfolk School, Arbourthorne


DaveH

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In the Norfolk Park in the 1970's thread I have posted several pictures of the estate taken from the top floor of the tower block which used to stand between Northern Avenue / Spring Lane and Park Grange Road.

Whilst going through my old negatives I find I had the sense at the time to go to the other side of the block and take pictures facing the opposite way, towards Arbourthorne and the Manor. Directly in front of this block was my old school, Norfolk, now mainly all demolished except for the old Junior school on Brimmersfield Road which is now the pupil referral unit.

I thought these pictures would be of particular interest to my friend Stuart0742 and SteveHB as they are both Norfolk old boys who once wore that black tie with white and gold diagonal stripes.

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Nearly forgot this one, all those B&W photos are from May 1973, but I took this colour slide from the same viewpoint 2 years earlier in April 1970, - I was still in the third year with Man Gill as form tutor then, I was in a class of 42 students because we had just gone comprehensive and had taken in extra students, bused up to us from the Wybourn estate.

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Nearly forgot this one, all those B&W photos are from May 1973, but I took this colour slide from the same viewpoint 2 years earlier in April 1970, - I was still in the third year with Man Gill as form tutor then, I was in a class of 42 students because we had just gone comprehensive and had taken in extra students, bused up to us from the Wybourn estate.

The red cars a Beetle what about the white car, is it a Vauxhall Cresta?? lol

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The red cars a Beetle what about the white car, is it a Vauxhall Cresta?? lol

I don't know but I recognise that woman walking up Northern Avenue in the white mini dress and I think I know where she is going

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I don't know but I recognise that woman walking up Northern Avenue in the white mini dress and I think I know where she is going

Nearly missed the Hillman Imp on the drive

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I seem to remember when that tower block I was stood on to take these pictures was finally demolished in November 1999, by blowing it up, those houses at the bottom of Northern Avenue in the picture were covered for weeks in a fine covering of grey dust.

Sad though it was I regret not photographing or filming any of the demolition which took place of these flats.

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I seem to remember when that tower block I was stood on to take these pictures was finally demolished in November 1999, by blowing it up, those houses at the bottom of Northern Avenue in the picture were covered for weeks in a fine covering of grey dust.

Sad though it was I regret not photographing or filming any of the demolition which took place of these flats.

The guy with the white car on the colour photo, later bought a Ford Anglia and made his front garden into a drive

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The guy with the white car on the colour photo, later bought a Ford Anglia and made his front garden into a drive

WHAT!!! how the hell do you know that??

I thought you lived up Hackenthorpe at the time not at the bottom of Northern Avenue!

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WHAT!!! how the hell do you know that??

I thought you lived up Hackenthorpe at the time not at the bottom of Northern Avenue!

Bit like a Then and Then

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Bit like a Then and Then

Remember that mystery location I did about if you look up as you suggested you may see someone else looking down at you, - in my picture it was a security camera.

Well as far as that bloke at the end of Northern Avenue is concerned I was the spy in the sky.

In 1970 -73 I could have used these pictures down at the housing department to show unauthorised modifications to a council property by a tennent.

If the pictures had both been taken after 1991 I could have used it to have his council tax raised from Band A to Band B

Then again, second thoughts, they shoot spies don't they?

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In these pictures of the school the "bridge" can be made out which joined the old red brick school (built in 1936) to the new school which was in yellowy-green glass covered prefabricated sections (built 1965).

In one of the pictures the bridge is just above the only house in the picture which is illegally burning coal and emitting smoke into the air in cotravention of the 1956 clean air act.

This bridge rather awkwardly joined the 2 buildings at first floor level instead of at ground level, - but then again if it was at ground level it wouldn't be a bridge would it?

The bridge crossed over the senior playground and can be seen in this picture. The doors ahead go into the old school staircase and the boys toilets, the rooms on the right are the metalwork workshops where Man Cooke tried to teach us metalwork, a popular subject at the time when we actually had a steel industry with local jobs for lads leaving local schools.

Stuart0742 may recall an incident in which we were throwing some science equipment from the school yard over the top of the bridge and we "lost" it on the bridge roof. We were ordered onto the bridge roof to retrieve it which meant going through the needlework dressing rooms on the top floor of the new block.

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In these pictures of the school the "bridge" can be made out which joined the old red brick school (built in 1936) to the new school which was in yellowy-green glass covered prefabricated sections (built 1965).

In one of the pictures the bridge is just above the only house in the picture which is illegally burning coal and emitting smoke into the air in cotravention of the 1956 clean air act.

This bridge rather awkwardly joined the 2 buildings at first floor level instead of at ground level, - but then again if it was at ground level it wouldn't be a bridge would it?

The bridge crossed over the senior playground and can be seen in this picture. The doors ahead go into the old school staircase and the boys toilets, the rooms on the right are the metalwork workshops where Man Cooke tried to teach us metalwork, a popular subject at the time when we actually had a steel industry with local jobs for lads leaving local schools.

Stuart0742 may recall an incident in which we were throwing some science equipment from the school yard over the top of the bridge and we "lost" it on the bridge roof. We were ordered onto the bridge roof to retrieve it which meant going through the needlework dressing rooms on the top floor of the new block.

Strange use of the word "These" for 1 photo

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Strange use of the word "These" for 1 photo

In post #1 there are 3 photos, 2 of which show the school

In the following posts there is a 4th colour picture which also shows the school

I used "these" to describle all "these" photos, although my description of the position of the bridge (for those who don't know the school,- not you!) does refer to one specific picture. If you know what you are looking for, the bridge can be seen in 3 of the 4 previous pictures and the base of it can be seen in the latest "school yard" shot.

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In post #1 there are 3 photos, 2 of which show the school

In the following posts there is a 4th colour picture which also shows the school

I used "these" to describle all "these" photos, although my description of the position of the bridge (for those who don't know the school,- not you!) does refer to one specific picture. If you know what you are looking for, the bridge can be seen in 3 of the 4 previous pictures and the base of it can be seen in the latest "school yard" shot.

Right I see now

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OK then, here's a view along a corridor inside the old school.

The shaft of light on the floor just in front of the girls feet is the opening on the right where the bridge goes across to the new school.

On the left just opposite and just beyond that fire extinguisher is Man Gill's large Geography room, probably the largest room in the school and the one we had as a form when it had to house 42 of us when we went comprehensive and we bused kids in from off the Wybourn.

I am taking the photo from just beyond Man Riley's laboratory on the left at an angular bend where Man Everatts stock room / Pete Harrisons workshop were.

Stuart0742 may recall another incident one dinnertime in which I pulled a piece of that suspended ceiling on this corridor which was hanging loose and a whole section of it collapsed. We got caught by some hard case teachers coming back from dinner but instead of being in trouble big time the woodwork teacher just threw us his workshop keys and said "Right lads, you'll find tools and nails in my room, - I expect it put right before the bell goes" - and it was!

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Also taken from the same location on the main corridor in the old building but through the window to my right from the previous shot gives this next view.

The bridge is off shot to the left and the picture is flanked on the left by the new building. Between the new building and that lamp standard is the end of the Annexe building (Lass John's classroom where we did RE). For the rest of the picture we have in the near foreground the school yard which featured in an earlier shot, centre picture is the staff car park which was too small and always overcrowded, -so there are plenty of teachers cars there from 1973 for Stuart0742 to try to identify. I'll give you one point if you can identify the make of car but 5 points if you can match each car up with the teacher who owned it. Beyond the car park are the tennis courts and playing fields where we can see sporting activity taking place and those houses betond are the backs of houses on City Road. The Nursery and infant school which are on Craddock Road, as well as the schools main entrance along that drive up to the car park are off picture to the right.

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Guest wayneybabes

please keep the photos coming!!!!!

i went to norfolk from when i started in nursery in 1978 until leaving age in 1990

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please keep the photos coming!!!!!

i went to norfolk from when i started in nursery in 1978 until leaving age in 1990

Welcome to the site wayneybabes, nice to welcome another Norfolk graduate into our midst. I started in the nursery in 1958 and laeft at the end of Y11 as its called now in 1972. After this Norfolk briefly had a sixth form which my younger brother went to and he left in 1977, the year before you were born.

As you attended this school almost a generation after I did, and as these photos which you seem to like were about 15 years old by the time you got to secondary school I would be interested to hear of any changes which had taken place between the time of the photographs and the time you were there.

I don't have that many more pictures of the school buildings but I have a lot of memories and stories of what went on and, would you believe, photographs of almost all the staff taken for my July 1972 "leaving book". Many of these staff would have still been there in your time!

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Guest wayneybabes

Welcome to the site wayneybabes, nice to welcome another Norfolk graduate into our midst. I started in the nursery in 1958 and laeft at the end of Y11 as its called now in 1972. After this Norfolk briefly had a sixth form which my younger brother went to and he left in 1877, the year before you were born.

As you attended this school almost a generation after I did, and as these photos which you seem to like were about 15 years old by the time you got to secondary school I would be interested to hear of any changes which had taken place between the time of the photographs and the time you were there.

I don't have that many more pictures of the school buildings but I have a lot of memories and stories of what went on and, would you believe, photographs of almost all the staff taken for my July 1972 "leaving book". Many of these staff would have still been there in your time!

cheers mate. one alteration since those photos was the one taken underneath the bridge (man cookes classroom). the building with the two doors on that photo was knocked down to leave a wall about 4 foot tall and a runway leading to a new doorway to the side of the staircase.

now, the photo of the girl on the corridor. Those classrooms to the left of the girl, when i was there, where for Science. The school looks so clean to what i remember!!.

as for the playing field and car park shot, just out of the picture (the next house) is where i used to live between 1978 and 1985. also, the baby trees on that photo (in front of basketball court behind cars) when i went to Norfolk ended up being huge, overhanging (Sycamore?) trees!.

I have some photos on my facebook profile http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?tab=3...p;id=1077789646 of the first school during demolition in early 2004(?). So sad to see the old building and site in the state it is in nowadays.

I hope you dont mind but i have saved your photos to my facebook profile to show to my mates. If this is ok i would appreciate any more photos you have!

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cheers mate. one alteration since those photos was the one taken underneath the bridge (man cookes classroom). the building with the two doors on that photo was knocked down to leave a wall about 4 foot tall and a runway leading to a new doorway to the side of the staircase.

now, the photo of the girl on the corridor. Those classrooms to the left of the girl, when i was there, where for Science. The school looks so clean to what i remember!!.

as for the playing field and car park shot, just out of the picture (the next house) is where i used to live between 1978 and 1985. also, the baby trees on that photo (in front of basketball court behind cars) when i went to Norfolk ended up being huge, overhanging (Sycamore?) trees!.

I have some photos on my facebook profile http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?tab=3...p;id=1077789646 of the first school during demolition in early 2004(?). So sad to see the old building and site in the state it is in nowadays.

I hope you dont mind but i have saved your photos to my facebook profile to show to my mates. If this is ok i would appreciate any more photos you have!

Thanks wayneybabes

The building with the 2 doors was, left hand door into the boys toilets and right hand door into the staircase of the stairs which led up into that main building. there was also an internal door on the side that connected the two so that you didn't have to go outside and come back in just to go to the toilet so the modification you describe would have been very simple to carry out but would have left the school short of boys toilets. As the school was symetrical around a central quadrangle there is a similar set of doors, behind the camera in the picture where there are girls toilets. I wonder if they made a similar conversion there to keep the buildings symetry?

The classrooms on that top corridor, which are on the left only, the right overlooks that playground were, from stairwell corner nearest camera (boys toilet end) to stairwell corner at the bottom of the corridor as far as you can see (girls toilets end) were, a stockroom (man Everatts), a washroom / cloakroom, a science Lab (man Riley's), the big Geography room (man Gills), this was later split into 2, creating a new classroom which I think man Headley used, - can't really remember it much as they converted it just as I was leaving in 1972, - something to do with ROSLA (raising of the school leaving age) and making provision for all those extra Y11's that now had to stay on to 16 (previously you could have left, without qualifications, at 15). Beyond that another washrrom / cloakroom and then the senior mistresses office (lass Moore). The corridor may look clean and tidy but I have already related the story of how I accidentally pulled down a large section of already damaged ceiling and was ordered to put it back up.

From the the position you describle your house it must have been on City Road then, somewhere opposite either the petrol station, the doctors house or the travellers rest boozer. In any case it would have been very handy for getting to school, no excuses for being late!

As I am not a member of facebook I cannot access your pictures of the demolition of the nursery school and I am sure other members of Sheffield History would be interested to see them in this Sheffield Places, - Now Gone forum so why not post them here in this thread?

No problem with you putting my pictures on your facebook page, just do the normal thing and acknoledge the source, eg "pictures provided by DaveH on Sheffield History". I hope to post here any other pictures I come across of our old school so just keep checking back to see if there is anything new.

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cheers mate. one alteration since those photos was the one taken underneath the bridge (man cookes classroom). the building with the two doors on that photo was knocked down to leave a wall about 4 foot tall and a runway leading to a new doorway to the side of the staircase.

Just one extra thought I have here wayneybabes.

Is this your own wording or are you quoting my texts?

In just about every school I know the students, when talking ABOUT teachers (not TO teachers) refer to male teachers as Mr. (Mister) and female teachers as Miss., Mrs. or Ms. (Miss, Missis or Mus) to fit in with normal English. However at Norfolk Stuart0742, myself and a load of other old students ALWAYS called male teachers MAN and female teachers LASS. This seemed to be something of a tradition and, as far as I know is unique to Norfolk school.

So in the 1980's how would you talk about teachers to your mates in the way you addressed them?

Was it still Man and Lass?

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CHRISTMAS 1969

Here is a scene from the school Christmas production taken in December 1969

The location is the school hall in the new extension building.

QUIZ QUESTION

Which Sheffield History member is shown on stage in this picture dressed as Father Christmas?

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Guest wayneybabes

Just one extra thought I have here wayneybabes.

Is this your own wording or are you quoting my texts?

In just about every school I know the students, when talking ABOUT teachers (not TO teachers) refer to male teachers as Mr. (Mister) and female teachers as Miss., Mrs. or Ms. (Miss, Missis or Mus) to fit in with normal English. However at Norfolk Stuart0742, myself and a load of other old students ALWAYS called male teachers MAN and female teachers LASS. This seemed to be something of a tradition and, as far as I know is unique to Norfolk school.

So in the 1980's how would you talk about teachers to your mates in the way you addressed them?

Was it still Man and Lass?

I dont know about the 'Lass' (im sure we called them Miss) but we definately called all the male teachers 'Man'

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Guest wayneybabes

This picture was taken during demolition of the 'tower block' in 2003/4. The tarmacced area is of the old 'Annex' building which where demolished some years earlier. Does anyone remember going down the old air raid shelters underneath the 'annex'?

This one is of the first school yard with the rubble from the nursery behind it, taken in 2004

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