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Norfolk School, Arbourthorne


DaveH

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And, much to suzy's horror, the previous report from wayneybabes turns out to be true.

They have dug up the old Junior school yard!!! :blink::o:(:angry:

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And, much to suzy's horror, the previous report from wayneybabes turns out to be true.

They have dug up the old Junior school yard!!! :blink::o:(:angry:

Oh good Lord why????? :angry: What on earth are they doing :o You watch, before we know it the whole lot will be gone, never mind just an internal refurbishment :(

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Oh good Lord why????? :angry: What on earth are they doing :o You watch, before we know it the whole lot will be gone, never mind just an internal refurbishment :(

Unfortunately susy, I have been around too long to have seen the council promise something and then do the opposite.

I am fully expecting the Park Hill Flats to never finish their "refurbishment" and just be demolished now that they have been stripped down to a skeleton beyond quick and easy reinstatement. I honestly think the council would much prefer to just be shut of them.

I also think that what you are saying here could also very easily become true and that the whole of Norfolk School could finallly vanish.

If they are refurbishing the school then why, -

A )

Have they dug the school playground up?

That's not exactly just resurfacing with a bit of tarmac now is it.

B )

Have they fenced off not just the Junior School but the entire remaining school site?

Most of that is now prime building land like the area which is now Cradock Mews, what do they want to fence that off for? Building on?

C )

Have they gone to such trouble over security and safety?

Refurbishment usually invoves plasterboard, paint and furnishings / fittings, not major building / demolition work which is more dangerous.

D )

Have they put so many obstacles in wayneybabes way to gain access to the school?

Dangerous state / no electricity on, this sounds like preparation for demolition rather than refurbishment.

Take it the workmen are reduced to using hand tools rather than power tools then.

To me all of these point to the conclusion that you have already come to suzy. :(

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And, much to suzy's horror, the previous report from wayneybabes turns out to be true.

They have dug up the old Junior school yard!!! :blink::o:(:angry:

and of course that includes the bottom junior school yard, not just the top one

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Guest wayneybabes

Too right Dave. I just hope we can get some inside shots before all is lost forever :o

Well done with the photos.

....and as if by magic (photos courtesy of Adrian Leigh, Site Manager, Vinci Contruction UK Ltd)

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Guest wayneybabes

....im still trying to get a picture of the quadrangle Suzy, i havent forgot you!.

Dave - they have emailed me back and said they are not planning to do any work near the tennis courts so have not come across any air raid shelters but if they do then he will take photos

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Guest wayneybabes

i have also asked if they can give me some brief info of the work they are carrying out, not sure if they will tell me that though. will post on here when/if they let me know

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....and as if by magic (photos courtesy of Adrian Leigh, Site Manager, Vinci Contruction UK Ltd)

Brilliant pictures wayneybabes, well done.

Many thanks to Adrian Leigh for taking them for us.

At first sight it doesn't look anything like it did the last time I was taught in there in July 1967, or even the very last time I went in there to my brothers last junior school parents evening in May 1973. It's totally changed already.

But then again it's still recognisable as our school.

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This seems to be the view from the top yard entrance to the main school looking down the corridor which runs along Brimmersfield Road, the street being to the left of the picture.

The room to the photographers left was the library, and down those stairs was Lass Landers class and Lass Rowlands class.

To the photographers right is a corridor which runs away from him along the length of the top school yard. Along here were Lass Alcocks class, Granny Smiths class, access to the disabled unit corridor and the toilets.

In this picture down the stairs to the right can be seen the entrance to the quad, - so its still there then ;-)

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This is the same corridor but viewed from the opposite end, - those stairs are now in the distance and Brimmersfield Road is on the right.

The photographer is stood outside the old washroom / cloakrooms just above the headmasters office (Man Rackham) and the Brimmersfield Road entrance on his right. To the left was a narrower corridor which went ialongside the hall and the quad.

The door on the left (one of 2) went into a small "staff toilet" which stuck out into the quad.

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This is the corridor which runs parallel to the one in the previous 2 posts at the opposite side of the quad and is taken from the top end like that one 2 posts previous, hence the staircase going down.

The photographer is stood outside the girls toilets. The windows on the right look out onto the old secondary school, - the glass tower and annexe.

The 2 rooms on the right are Man Beumonts class and Man Walsh's class. I was in Man walsh's class in my last year, he was the deputy head.

The corridor appears blocked at the bottom but it isn't it just does a 90 degree turn to the right towards the hall (stage end). The wall which appears to be blocking it is the back of the arts / crafts / practical matrhs room. A large room which looks out one way onto the annexe and the other way onto the lower playground and dining rooms.

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OK so its a classroom.

It could easily be any of them as they all looked pretty much the same, the internal decor and fittings has changed over the years ( we had 2 seater desks with folding bench seats, lifting desk lids and fitted inkwells :huh: ) and without further detail in the picture it is hard to fix a position and perspective to get the exact room.

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The school hall, - now this really does look strange <_<

It is taken from the headmasters office / main entrance end looking towards the stage end.

The windows on the left look out over the lower yard and canteen while those to the right open to a corridor beyond which is the quad.

Firstly, there is no stage :o , it has gone, - along with the backstage area seperated off by partitions which once carried those Furnival, Lovetot, Neville and Shrewsbury coats of arms and the house point tally. All thats left is that double door, to the right of the stage, which betrays its position.

Yes it has been refurbished several times since I was last there but oddly it has retained the original parquet wooden tile herringbone pattern floor and those old cast iron radiators. The other previous pictures of the school show more modern radiators along the corridors and those too were originally this old cast iron pattern.

So in this picture as well as seeing major changes I can still see little remnants of over 40 years ago, - a strange mixture of old and new, and for me, in those odd remnants lie a lot of memories.

It really does take your mind back all those years to such vivid memories of things you thought you had forgotten that its almost like being there again in the 1960's

Strange.

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Guest wayneybabes

OK so its a classroom.

It could easily be any of them as they all looked pretty much the same, the internal decor and fittings has changed over the years ( we had 2 seater desks with folding bench seats, lifting desk lids and fitted inkwells :huh: ) and without further detail in the picture it is hard to fix a position and perspective to get the exact room.

:rolleyes: so we had the same desks as you then

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Guest wayneybabes

while those to the right open to a corridor beyond which is the quad.

the corridor you mention was the library when we were there. seem to remember it looked out towards the quad and all the books were on shelves along the school hall wall

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Guest wayneybabes

This is the corridor which runs parallel to the one in the previous 2 posts at the opposite side of the quad and is taken from the top end like that one 2 posts previous, hence the staircase going down.

The photographer is stood outside the girls toilets. The windows on the right look out onto the old secondary school, - the glass tower and annexe.

The 2 rooms on the right are Man Beumonts class and Man Walsh's class. I was in Man walsh's class in my last year, he was the deputy head.

The corridor appears blocked at the bottom but it isn't it just does a 90 degree turn to the right towards the hall (stage end). The wall which appears to be blocking it is the back of the arts / crafts / practical matrhs room. A large room which looks out one way onto the annexe and the other way onto the lower playground and dining rooms.

i think you mean the classrooms on the left

and also you turned left to get to the hall ;-) . if you turned right at the bottom you would face the tennis courts and hit the wall lol

also, the arts/crafts room was a music/video room when i was there. seem to remember on the back wall was american style steps, 3 rows high (like the ones on films were they take exams) so that you could watch videos with unrestricted view

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i think you mean the classrooms on the left

and also you turned left to get to the hall ;-) . if you turned right at the bottom you would face the tennis courts and hit the wall lol

also, the arts/crafts room was a music/video room when i was there. seem to remember on the back wall was american style steps (like the ones on films were they take exams) so that you could watch videos with unrestricted view

Well done wayneybabes for persevering with this. Is there any way he could take a few more shots e.g. of different corridors, picture showing doorway to headmasters office, etc? Bearing in mind this is our very LAST CHANCE to get pics of the inside before works take place! ;-)

Would he even consider letting you in to take some video footage at all (wearing safety gear of course!)

Cant wait for the quad pics :rolleyes:

Keep up the good work. he he

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Guest wayneybabes

Well done wayneybabes for persevering with this. Is there any way he could take a few more shots e.g. of different corridors, picture showing doorway to headmasters office, etc? Bearing in mind this is our very LAST CHANCE to get pics of the inside before works take place! ;-)

Would he even consider letting you in to take some video footage at all (wearing safety gear of course!)

Cant wait for the quad pics :rolleyes:

Keep up the good work. he he

I cant see me being able to get in, the security is tight, and i also cant see anyone letting me in. Just have to hope Adrian can take more photos or video footage (he must be a busy man!)

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Guest wayneybabes

I cant see me being able to get in, the security is tight, and i also cant see anyone letting me in. Just have to hope Adrian can take more photos or video footage (he must be a busy man!)

UPDATE......... After the email i have recieved this morning.....Maybe, Just Maybe........watch this space :rolleyes:

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:rolleyes: so we had the same desks as you then

Yes probably.

But I bet you had the luxury of a biro to write with.

We had to use that awful inkwells filled with that messy black Indian ink, use blotting paper on every word and write with a bit of wooden stich with a nib on the end and after all that we went home permenantly stained blue black with all that horrible ink :(

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the corridor you mention was the library when we were there. seem to remember it looked out towards the quad and all the books were on shelves along the school hall wall

Yes, I think it must have changed around 1970 as it was already as you describe when my brother was there in the early 70's but was never like that before I left in 1967.

Library used to be the big room at the top of Brimmersfield road, just to the left as you came in from the top playground.

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i think you mean the classrooms on the left

and also you turned left to get to the hall ;-) . if you turned right at the bottom you would face the tennis courts and hit the wall lol

also, the arts/crafts room was a music/video room when i was there. seem to remember on the back wall was american style steps, 3 rows high (like the ones on films were they take exams) so that you could watch videos with unrestricted view

Yes you're right again.

It's me getting left and right mixed up :blink:

But when you've just done 3 posts all of which are about looking down corridors I suppose its an easy thing to do.

Music room used to be Mr. Beumonts room, it had a piano and small statues of busts of famous classical composers on the window sills :huh:

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Guest wayneybabes

Yes probably.

But I bet you had the luxury of a biro to write with.

We had to use that awful inkwells filled with that messy black Indian ink, use blotting paper on every word and write with a bit of wooden stich with a nib on the end and after all that we went home permenantly stained blue black with all that horrible ink :(

TBH i dont think we used biro's until the senior school, may be wrong though.

Suzy brought back a little memory in a chat the other day. On the corridor with the spooky toilets, the rumour going around amongst the kids was if you recited the lords prayer backwards then a ghost would appear he he

..........and yes, i tried it lol

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