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Hollingdean

Hertford Infants School

By Joy Whittam

This article originally appeared in the May 2006 issue of Hollingdean News an independent community newsletter.

The building of Hertford Infants School, 1931
Hertford Infants School is celebrating it's 75th birthday this year. Here are some extracts from local newspaper reports at the time, about the exciting development in the 'new town' of Hollingdean - built to ease the overcrowding at Ditchling Road (now Downs) School.

The ideal school
The recently completed Hertford Road School near Hollingbury Rise, Brighton, built at a cost of over £10,500, was publicly opened by Alderman W. Stevens J.P, this afternoon (21st April 1931). The school is the last word in modern design and it is situated in one of the rapidly growing districts of Brighton. It is a possibility that many of the oldest inhabitants of Brighton could not say offhand exactly where Hertford Road is. It may be described as the central road of the new town which has sprung up within the past few years to fill the valley, not long ago a lonely Downland combe, between the Abattoir and Hollingbury Hill.

So new is the district that even today the steam-roller is at work grumbling its way up and down the steep hill, compressing the white chalk of the Downland into a solid foundation for the black tarmac. The army of builders is still storming the heights above where all suggestion of Downland is being smothered under bricks and mortar. It seems a curiously isolated and self contained district, and there can be no doubt that it needs a school for at least the younger children. So the education authorities, have provided the new school, which is capable of holding 288 children. The need for it is made plain by the fact that on the first morning the Head Mistress Miss M.F. Knight enrolled 218 "infants and junior mixed".

A nice place for children
It was an exciting morning, for Hertford Road is quite a charming place. It is a low long building, in the shape of a letter "L" with the inside turning toward the sun and the sea. On the inside of the "L" is an open corridor, covered, so that the children can, when necessary go from one part of the building to another without passing through classrooms, and can get both shelter and fresh air. The spacious hall and the six classrooms are all bright and airy, with as much window space as is possible. All the details are of the most approved modern kind, with special consideration for the cleanliness and comfort of the children. One feels that this is a nice place for children. The playground is spacious and an engaging feature of the place is that the approach from the street is made by paths through tree-shaded enclosures. The sloping ground of these enclosures, one expects, will in due course be green with turf. The effect is to retain for the surroundings of the school something of the rural charm that the necessities of building have expelled from the rest of the neighbourhood. The trees have been well preserved.

The Mayor, who spoke from a fern decorated platform, said the children would have the advantage of a school built on the most modern lines. One up to date feature he had noticed was that the school was warmed electrically, and he was pleased to see also that there was a school hall. If ever children were happy in school they would be here. Prior to declaring the school open Alderman Stevens said that the Moulscombe School for boys and girls and the Varndean Secondary school for boys had been opened within the last six months and now came Hertford Road.

The Mayor commented with pleasure on the fact that it was designed by a Brighton architect, Mr Gilbert M. Simpson FRIBA and built by a Brighton firm of builders, Messrs James Bodle Ltd.

Councillor Hone said that there had been a great need for the school. It had been built in record time - two years - and it was one of the best the Brighton Education committee had erected. It was the only school heated throughout with electricity.

Extracts from:
The Argus, Tuesday 21 April 1931
Brighton and Hove Herald, Saturday April 18 and 25 1931
Southern Weekly News, Saturday 25 April 1931

Hertford Infants 2006

Photo: J. Whittam

This page was added on 04/01/2007.

Comments:

Joy - The pages about Hertford Infants look great. Full of interesting information. They sparked a great deal of interest in the current intake of Hertford children when they discovered the website earlier this week. Our topic this term is Brighton so the children were using the internet to do some research and lo and behold there was their own school!
People may be interested to have a look at the school's own website - www.hertfordinf.brighton-hove.sch.uk - which has a lot more historical photos and information as well as loads of great pictures showing the things we get up to nowadays.

By Tracey Bowers (Teacher/ICT Co-ordinator @ Hertford Infants) (11/01/2007)

Very interesting. I must have gone to the school for a couple of years soon after it opened when I was proably six or so. I remember one teacher, a Miss Everett. I lived on Stanmer Park Road, and could see the school across the valley.

By Eric Feast (02/03/2007)

What's happened to St Joesph's infant school in Davey Drive?

By Bridget (24/09/2007)

Hi Bridget- Yes, Hertford Road School had three classrooms (because of overcrowding in the old school). Were you up there from about 1959 -1961? Mr Hickman (Headmaster), Miss Tozer and Mr Grant (about 7' tall and drove a tiny Goggomobil). After that us smart ones moved on to Dorothy Stringer and the remainder to Varndean Boys and Girls. Ha Ha !

By Paul Wheatley (30/09/2007)

I was there from 1970 to 1974. I remember a teacher called Mrs Macullta. I am trying to find any photos of St Joesph's School but no luck.

By Bridget (18/11/2007)

Paul, are you related, to the lovely Mrs Wheatley who used to teach at the school. It was in the time before Mr Hickman became Head. He was then a deputy to a Miss Young. Mrs Haffington was my first teacher, with Mrs Phillips. I remember Mr Grant, and Mr Hill the caretaker.

By Chris (26/01/2008)

I went up to FitzherbertSchool; it was a good school, the best in Brighton, all the smarts ones went there. Still I see no information of St Joesphs Infnats School in Davey Drive, shame really. I went to Cardinal Newman school after fitzherbertSchool.

By Bridget (04/04/2008)

I went to Hertford Infants from 1971 to about 1975, before going up to the newly built Hertford Middle School at the top of Brentwood Road. At the Infant School, Mrs Cromer was Head for a while, and I remember Mrs Kier, Miss Garner, and Mrs Phelan. In those days were taught in a demountable in the playground. Miss Tozer went on to teach at the Middle school and was a great teacher - she loved birds I remember and was a member of the RSPB.

By Lara (14/06/2008)

Hi Chris. That's interesting. My mother worked at the chemist in "The Dip", but not at the school. I attended the school from 1956 to 1961. I remember Ms Phillips. Pupils: Robert Virgo, Chris Cager, Robert Knight, the Wooton Brothers, Janet Black, Ann Brown, Marilyn Brown. And being overcrowded after the post war population explosion. When were you there?

By Paul Wheatley (in Australia) (25/07/2008)