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Wisewood Secondary School Going Going Gone ?


hilldweller

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I've just read on another forum that the demolition of Wisewood Secondary School has started.

My parents transferred to this school on it's opening in the early 1930's for the last year or so of their education. In those days it was built on the "open air" principle with open sided corridors around a central quadrangle.

By the time I attended the school in the late fifties, the corridors had thankfully been fully enclosed.

The original building was in a very pleasant looking rustic red brick with a mixture of single and two story construction.

Over the years a great deal of extensions have been built at great expense, the last ones only a decade or so ago.

Now the entire site with the exception of the sports hall is to be cleared.

I have many happy memories of my short time at this school and remember with great affection the headteacher, the most appropriately named Mr. Goodfellow, and the rest of his teaching staff.

Names I remember include Mr. Crofts, Miss Carstairs, Mr. Hodgekinson, Mr. Kaye, Mr. Hartley and Mr. Mumford.

At the age of 12 or 13 I was made "chief electrician" and put in charge of getting the stage lighting going again.

Imagine what "elf & safety" would make of that nowadays.

Open reostats and fuseboards all at 240 volts and wiring in rotting 30 year old twin rubber cable. Lampholders that had a slot in the back to fit over the uncut cable, you slid a little bakelite wedge in which forced the cable onto two brass spikes and completed the circuit. They used to short out with regular monotony and blow a fuse with a loud bang followed by a louder cheer from the audience. The look on the caretakers face when I took a docket from the headmaster for eighty 100 watt lamps.

Sports took place at Myres Grove and involved a trip on a bus ( my first ride in an Atlantean ) or if you were lucky a ride with about 3 other lads in the metalwork teachers tiny bubble car.

The plan is to clear the site and make an all purpose sports pitch which will have to be "self supporting".

I'll give it 5 years before the housing development.

HD

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