Archives Service Celebrates 90th Anniversary of the Kingsholm School Building
If you have ever visited Gloucestershire Archives you might have twigged it is based in an old school building. In fact, the Archives premises were originally built for Kingsholm Council School and formally opened by the mayor of Gloucester 90 years ago, on 11 October 1926.
Image of the opening ceremony on the front steps from the Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic, 16 October 1926
The red-brick, single storey building is a significant feature of the local landscape in Kingsholm. The original layout is still recognisable, despite many changes over the years. So it brings back memories of old friends and shared experiences for visiting former pupils.
The Archives celebrated the building’s special anniversary by holding a free ‘drop-in’ event in Roots Community Café in Alvin Street on Tuesday 22 November. This featured a small display about the history of the school and Gloucestershire Archives service, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
The building’s history is quite well documented through personal memories and a variety of written material that details the original building work and the school’s working life. It was the first school built by Gloucester City Council after World War 1 and its completion represented a triumph over what the mayor described as ‘extraordinary difficulties’. These included the sudden death of the architect and shortages of both manpower and materials in the economic depression following the end of the war. The first pupils appreciated its innovative, modern design and state-of-the-art facilities including central heating and hot water on tap. Amenities we take for granted today but which few of the pupils would have enjoyed at home in the 1920s.
After the school closed in 1973, Gloucestershire County Council bought the site and adapted the building to house the County Record Office, now known as Gloucestershire Archives.
It seems fitting that as it enters its 10th decade the building is to be given a new lease of life. Re-modelling and construction works are due to start in the New Year and it will reopen as the home of Gloucestershire Heritage Hub in 2018. You can discover more about this in the Gloucestershire Archives section of this newsletter.
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