On this page: Bramford Road
School, Argyle Street School, Clifford Road School, Springfield Junior
School, Ranelagh Road School, Grey Coat Boys School
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BRAMFORD ROAD SCHOOL /
GATACRE ROAD
School buildings are a good source of lettering
examples. That which
stands
close to W.B. Kerridge at the corner of
Gatacre
Road and Bramford Road is now used as part of the redeveloped Suffolk
Record
Office. The renovation has revealed the polychrome brick and terra
cotta.
-
This remarkably decorative finish to the two gables has
the integral
lettering
on the friezes: 'IPSWICH SCHOOL BOARD' and 'BRAMFORD ROAD SCHOOL'
against
an almost Islamic diamond-decorated background with polychrome roundel
against
chequerboard background in a triangle. It was much later that we
discovered round the corner in Gatacre Road - home of the Sir John
Mills Theatre and Eastern Angles - that a veritable orgy of lettering
was spread over the 'side entrances' to the old school.
Long shot in 2005 (pity it was bin day...)
'GIRLS' and 'SCHOOL' in the Gothic script used
throughout
The central Borough crest (lion rampant with three ship
prows) in rubbed red brick
'ERECTED' and 'A.D. MDCCCLXXXVIII' (which we construe
as
1888) [see UPDATE below]
'INFANTS' and 'SCHOOL' with decoration at top
And, moving down to the corner with Bramford Road, we nearly missed the
following non-standard shield with 'Infants' and 'BOYS' above a
(probably) disused door behind which Suffolk Record Office buzzes with
scholarship. The enlargement shows it a bit more clearly.
[UPDATE 16.4.09: "I would be
suprised if Bramford Road Board School in Ipswich were built in 1838.
There were no 'school boards' in 1838, indeed until the 1870 Act
education was a rather hamfisted affair, mainly operated by the
Churches.
I would at a guess say 1878 - compared it to the Pauls Road 'Ranleigh
School' - the building looks older, much more in age and style to
Argyle St.
I would call in at the Ipswich records office (now based at the old
Bramford Road school) and ask for the date of the building.
Harry". Thanks to Harry for prompting a third or fourth look at these
troublesome Roman numerals: we're now sure that it's an 'L' for 50 in
the middle of the date.]
ARGYLE STREET SCHOOL
Meanwhile in Argyle Street, opposite the former Harry
Seaman premises, we find another fine example commissioned by
Ipswich
Board School in 1872. Crown, thistle, clover and rose motifs appear on
the
polychrome arched surround. The roundel is used as a masthead on our
hompage.
-
CLIFFORD ROAD SCHOOL
And at Clifford Road School, in east Ipswich some
rather fine relief
lettering
remains over several entrances, recalling the days of strict separation
of Boys, Girls and 'INFANTS'. The slab serif capitals are stretched in
relief
across the curving entrance to terminate in a splendidly-bellied
'S'.This
example faces Woodville Road and is now only used as a fire exit. The
school
was built in the first decade of the twentieth century.
See the 'Pathology'
doorway
for a similar
'feel'.
SPRINGFIELD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Springfield Junior School on the corner of Bramford Lane and Kitchener
Road is a typical redbrick-built single storey school which features
relief lettering built into two external doorways:
'BOYS
ENTRANCE'
No attempt to incorporate the plural possessive
apostrophe in " Boys' ". Presumably there is equivalent 'Girls'
lettering
on the other side of the building, not visible to the passer-by on
Kitchener Road. The sort of segregation of genders and age-groups
epitomised by these images, where groups clearly had their own
entrances and presumably classrooms, is rare today. However, High
Schools do - for good reason - tend to create discrete areas of
the campus for Lower, Middle and Sixth Form students.
RANELAGH ROAD SCHOOL
Below: a sunny morning picks out the very grand alcoved armorial crest
high
on the gable tops and lettered stone band below:
'RANELAGH ROAD ... COUNCIL SCHOOL'
Paul's Road is now an access road to small business and the Co-op
warehouses;
it's also a many-humped rat run from Ranelagh Road to Crane's Hill
(London
Road). From it we see what is effectively the rear of the buildings,
standing
on the gentle hill.
-
GREY COAT BOYS AND BLUE COAT GIRLS
CHARITY SCHOOL
Until it was demolished and replaced in 2007/8 by a
rather brutal modern structure, there stood in Curriers Lane a much
earlier school
bearing the tablet
below. Up to that time it was still used as an educational
establishment.
...and a clearer picture:
(Photograph
courtesy Mike
O'Donovan)
'GREY COAT BOYS
& BLUE COAT GIRLS
CHARITY SCHOOL
FOUNDED IN 1709. REBUILT 1875'
The Grey Coat School was the earliest of the charity schools in Ipswich
promoted by members of the Established Church. It was opened in
Curriers Lane in 1709 with the aim of reviving the practice of
Christianity by instructing young boys at the school. The master for 43
years was James Franks. For part of that time his wife Elizabeth ran
the associated Blue Coat School for girls while her husband took on the
teaching of navigation, in accordance with the bequest of a former
pupil, as well as everything else; he resigned ill and exhausted in
January 1874 and died six weeks later. The role of the schools was
taken over by board and later council schools. The Blue Coat School
opened to female pupils in 1710, however the belief in the unimportance
of girls' education was reflected in the withdrawal of writing classes
in 1737 due to the cost. One question: given the clear division of
gender and respective coat colours, why was there a notorious public
house not far away in Old Cattle Market (now a restaurant following a
fire and a
rebuild in the 1980s) called 'The Blue Coat Boy'? [See Reading List: Malster, R.]
[UPDATE
9.5.2010: This email was
received in relation
to the Grey Coat School, packed with personal and local historical
information. Our thanks to Derrick Palmer for finding our page and
contributing to it.
"My name is Derrick Palmer, I was born 20th January 1937 at 14 Curriers
Lane, Ipswich, our home was situated directly opposite the school. The
earliest memory I have concerns the war years when the school was
occupied by the War Dept, mainly Civil Defense, ARP and various Service
personnel. My Sister, Brother and myself were often in the building
when we would be dressed as war casualties, in fact towards the later
part of the war a big exercise took place in Ipswich with many people
in the town acting as bombing casualties. This I recall very well
because the school took part in the exercise with many children and
grownups in the Lane being involved. Military vehicles were used to
transport casualties to hospital and the whole event lasted for much of
the day, on our return to the school we were given cakes, drinks and a
few sweets, which in those austere days was quite a treat. After the
war the school remained empty for some time although I do recall young
people did use the premises for various activities. Something I would
dearly like to know, was the stone sign situated above the center door
destroyed, if so then I feel this is quite sad considering the
importance and age of the building. Although I no longer live in
Ipswich I still keep an interest in what goes on, and I have to say
that I was disappointed when hearing that the old school had been
destroyed. Sorry, I have no photograph to offer.
One other note, the building situated next to the school "Gipping
Mission", my Uncle Frank Palmer was Minister there before and after the
war, also he was a member of the ARP at the school. I hope the above
will be of some assistance. Yours Sincerely, D.Palmer."]
ELM STREET
SCHOOL
Round the corner in Elm Street is 'IPSWICH
BOARD SCHOOL' on a stone shield above an old
school entrance which is now occupied by the solicitors Gotelee and
Goldsmith. This is just down the road from Mrs Smith's Almshouses. It's quite well hidden... Thanks to Mike O'Donovan for
drawing it to our attention.
(Photographs
courtesy
Mike O'Donovan)
Here's a
retouched version of the lettering.
SPRING
ROAD SCHOOL
A similar vintage of school lettering can be found at
the Parkside
Pupil Referral Unit in Woodbridge Road. It still bears the tablets with
chiselled copperplate script:
'BOYS
SCHOOL.
1873.'
And here's a treated close-up:
See also Smart Street School, Ipswich Ragged Schools and Ipswich High School.
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Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
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