Tong Park School
Address | Otley Road |
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Postcode | BD17 7QA |
Opened | Oct 1891 |
Closed | Aug 2000 |
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Tong Park First School was opened October 3, 1891 and closed on 31 August 2000 as part of Bradford District moving from a 3 tier school system to two tier. At the time of closure the head teacher was Mrs J Brown and the school taught children from the ages of 3 to 9.[1] The children from the school transferred to Baildon Church of England School that at the same time was moving from Baildon Church of England First School on Jenny Lane to be Baildon Church of England Primary School on Coverdale Way during the major school reorganisation. The Coverdale Way site and building had been Ladderbanks Middle School - closed 31 August 2000.[1]
Time Capsule and Foundation Stone
At the time of building a foundation stone was laid by the Chairman of the Baildon School Board, John Metcalfe Esq. and a time capsule buried under it.
At the time of demolition local historian Arthur Edwick kept the foundation stone and time capsule safe and when the Sorrel Way houses were built on the site the foundation stone was re-mounted against the inside of the wall on Otley Road. A ceremony, with an unveiling by Arthur Edwick, was held at the time and pupils of the school were shown the coins and newspapers that had been in the capsule]].[2]
The stone reads:-
THIS STONE
WAS LAID BY
JOHN METCALFE ESQ
CHAIRMAN OF THE
BAILDON SCHOOL BOARD
OCTOBER 3RD 1891
TONG PARK SCHOOL
When the foundation stone was laid a time capsule was buried under it.
Telegraph & Argus News 28th June 2007
History capsule is opened for pupils[2]
Ben Barnett
Historic artefacts which lay buried beneath a Baildon school for more than 115 years, have finally been unveiled to the last generation of its pupils.
The contents of a glass time capsule, which had been laid under a foundation stone at Tong Park Primary School on the day it opened on October 3, 1891, were revealed at a ceremony at the site of the now demolished school yesterday.
About 40 people turned up to witness the unveiling of the special foundation stone, which was returned to the former school grounds.
The last children to attend Tong Park were invited back and were fascinated by a horde of pristine coins and rolled up newspapers from the 19th century, including a copy of the Bradford Observer, a forerunner of the Telegraph & Argus, which were discovered inside the time capsule.
The items had been preserved in perfect condition even though the cork which secured the jar had disintegrated when it was removed from the ground 16 years ago.
Local historian, Arthur Edwick, 73, of Baildon, has been keeping the precious stone and capsule safe since he bargained with the demolition team who pulled the school down.
The stone, which is inscribed with the name of Tong Park's first school board chairman, John Metcalfe, used to sit proudly on the corner of the school walls looking out over the boy's side of the school playground but has been resting outside Mr Edwick's house since he rescued it.
He managed to barter with the workmen to secure the stone for £20 and gave the three workmen £5 of beer money each for the capsule.
The return of the stone was made possible by a £400 grant by Shipley Area Committee's Community Chest Fund and help from Bradford Council's Parks and Landscapes Service.
Mr Edwick, who unveiled the stone, said: "I have been interested in local history for 40 years and I like to collect things.
"I collected the stone with my son and we put it in a pick-up truck, but it was so heavy it pushed down on the axles.
"I managed to persuade my son to take it away and we got it reduced to about a third of its size. I always had it in mind to put it back at the school grounds and I'm grateful for the Council for coming up with the money."
John Briggs, a former councillor for Baildon, who helped organise the unveiling ceremony, said: "The school children who attended can say they have taken part in a bit of history. It was amazing to see such old items so well preserved and the children were very interested to see what was inside."
Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said: "It is great we have been able to help have this stone cleaned and laid in an appropriate location where visitors to the new recreation ground can see and enjoy the stone."
Now, the former Tong Park pupils, who transferred to Baildon Church of England School, will be deciding what to put into a 2007 time capsule which is to be buried under the returned stone along with the original capsule.
Photos
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Tong Park School
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Tong Park Pupils 1919
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Tong Park School shown on a 1967 map
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Tong Park School Foundation Stone
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Don Edbury, John Briggs, ?, Stewart Main
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Arthur Edwick & capsule
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Tong Park School, 1990s not long before it closed
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 School Information Service on .gov.uk
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Telegraph & Argus News 28th June 2007.