Village Schooling

 London Colney rarely features among our blogs, partly because it has its own local history group, but originally St Albans' Own East End excluded surrounding villages which were previously published.  But here we make amends, since London Colney has demonstrated a history of schooling which could be said to be typical of the St Albans' area. What follows is merely a summary, but can be taken in the context of previous blog posts in this series.

A copy of the OS map of 1898 with the former National School on the north-east side of High
Street (circled) with glebe land behind.  St Anne's Road bordering Sheephouse Farm to the south,
now residential, across the lower left of the map.
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An early photograph of the school sited hard against the High Street. Almost opposite but out of
view, on the south-west side of the road is the War Memorial.  When finally demolished the
homes of Richardson Close were built here.
COURTESY LONDON COLNEY HISTORY SOCIETY

The first formal National school was located on a plot of land donated by Dowager Countess Caledon c1825, and located against the north side of High Street between St Anne's Road and the Golden Lion.  The original building contained one general classroom for up to c80 children, all under the age of ten.  A second room was added by c1850, and a three-classroom extension constructed on adjacent glebe land took the capacity beyond 200 children in 1896. Which shows the measure of the village's expanded population in those 75 years,  the requirement for a wider range of children to attend a school, a tighter attendance regime, or all three.

As High Street became busier with heavy vehicles as well as cars, and the existing basic buildings became increasingly inadequate, classroom conditions, especially in the hot summer months, were challenging.  This was especially the case in the front classroom.  Ventilation by opened windows was countered by continual traffic noise and airborne dust.

The same 1898 map, with an almost undeveloped High Street in the area of the King's Head PH,
shows the parallel lane in pink, later named Alexander Road. Circled is a later pencil drawn plan
showing where the County Council would build the Secondary School

During the mid twenties the County Council ensured the village school was placed on the building programme.  The first stage was a new senior school nearer the St Albans' end of the village, and senior pupils from London Colney would be joined by those from Shenley.  The authority was mindful of the potential for rapid population increase and designed the building accordingly.  The first phase intended four classrooms, a practical room, and a room for woodwork and home economics.  For those who knew this building, it was one long side and two short sides of a "square"; a future hall/gymnasium would later occupy the fourth side.  Two classrooms on one side were linked by a full-height screen to create a temporary assembly space when required (at least until the hall materialised).

Intended as a girls' school and a boys' school and may have operated as such until 1947.
An almost complete building shown off less than a month before opening in 1932.
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A start was made on London Colney Senior School in 1928, producing a C plan of 8 classrooms.  When complete and opened in Alexander Road improvements were made to the existing National/Elementary building to accommodate 180 infants and juniors; so they weren't so fortunate in receiving a new school just yet.  Back to the new senior school, phase two – the hall/gymnasium, craft and domestic science rooms – were added to close the square.

This is a recent photo of the secondary school building now used as a business centre.  The design
is typical of the county's 1930s design palette.  The access road from Alexander Road has been laid across the secondary school's former playground. 

Almost a decade later the modernised palette for London Colney Primary School, including
a post-war addition.
COURTESY GOOGLE STREET VIEW

Finally, some hope for the younger children was the addition of a new primary school into the building programme.  Occupying a site next to the Senior School, London Colney Primary (JMI) opened on 4th September 1939, considered just in time in building terms before such works halted for the duration of the war.  The old school finally closed, much to the relief of its teachers, working against intolerable traffic conditions throughout the 1930s.

Activity for an open evening in the science room in 1964
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Trophy winners at the school's sports day in 1964.  Head teacher Mr Davies in centre position.
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From 1947, along with other senior schools, it was renamed London Road Secondary School (strictly Secondary Modern).  In common  with several other secondary schools it was supplied with temporary HORSA huts (Huts fOr the Raised School Age), the top age moving from 14 to 15.  The hall continued its multi function usage, and included a busy dining session as more children remained for school dinners.  Finally, a new gymnasium and changing rooms opened c1960.

The Comprehensive model being introduced in the 1970s did not suit Hertfordshire's existing preference for small secondary schools of up to 800 places, and brought a bright future of village schools such as Redbourn, London Colney and Wheathampstead into doubt.

A serious fire at the secondary school in 1980 destroyed the hall and craft wing. It was thought that the fire might prompt the closure of this particular small secondary school.  However, the damaged accommodation was replaced and re-opened a year later at a ceremony with village resident, wildlife artist and naturalist Gordon Beningfield.  With a healthy roll of 500 for a village school of its time the school's admission total in 1983 was, however, low, as if many families sensed its fate sealed.  London Colney Secondary School closed in 1984.  Today, the two school sites are separated by Perham Way, and the houses built on the school field would provide children for the school had it remained open.  A compulsory purchase order was placed on the former National building in 1959, and the site converted to housing – Richardson Close.

Post-war school design on the residential Sheephouse Farm estate; Bowmansgreen JMI School.
COURTESY BOWMANSGREEN JMI SCHOOL

Such was the village's pre- and post-war growth that, in addition to London Colney primary, a second school was provided after the war in the form of Bowmansgreen JMI, which was to satisfy the needs mainly of the Sheephouse Farm development.  It opened in 1952 with spaces for 320 children and has been enlarged since. Further, Catholic primary education arrived in the village in 1971 when St Bernadette's School opened.

London Colney Secondary School buildings are now part of Hertfordshire Business Centre.