Introduction - This Guide Entry deals with the construction and financing of the Beeston Fields schools from 1928 to 1932 and then focuses on the operation and administration of the senior school from 1932 to 1978, when the school closed and the buildings were taken over by Alderman White Comprehensive.

By and large, teachers are not named. A companion Guide Entry provides a list of teachers and clerical staff at the Senior School from 1932 to 1978 together with dates and other information where available. A restricted list of staff at the Junior School is also provided. There is no information available relating to staff at the Infants’ School. Click here to access the staff list,.

Words in italics are taken directly from the source documents consulted (see below).

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Schooling in Beeston, pre-1930 - Under the 1870 Education Act, schools were built and managed by local school Boards. The Beeston School Board was formed in 1880 and the Church Street Schools 1 were built in 1882. The Nether Street Schools opened in 1898. Nether Street, in addition to being the only school for senior boys and girls, had an infants’ and junior school. Church Street Schools were specifically for infants and juniors. The Education Act 1902 (the Balfour Act) transferred education from the School Boards to Local Education Committees. Under this Act, Nottinghamshire County Council became the Education Authority for Beeston.

Temporary Wooden Huts - With the building of the Lenton Abbey Estate in the City of Nottingham, the need arose for a school to serve the children there. The nearest schools were some distance away and in Beeston, outside the city boundary. Further, the Nether Street and Church Street Schools were the other side of the High Road (now the B6464), the main thoroughfare between Nottingham and Beeston, which gave rise to safety concerns particularly regarding infants and juniors. In 1928, temporary wooden huts were erected on land owned by Beeston Urban District Council(UDC). These buildings were occupied by senior boys and mixed infants and juniors from the Lenton Abbey Estate; the senior girls were sent to Nether Street, notwithstanding the high numbers already that school. In April 1929, a further wooden hut was added at a cost of £640 with capacity for 96 junior children. Beeston UDC allowed free use of this land until 25th March 1929 when the site was taken over by Nottinghamshire Congregational Union and from Lady Day 1929 a rent of £25 was paid.

Population Growth - Even if the Lenton Abbey Estate hadn’t happened, new senior school capacity would still have been needed to relieve pressure on the Nether Street Schools. During the early part of the century, there was a dearth of school building nationwide. In the thirty years that followed the building of the Nether Street Schools, the population of Beeston more than doubled as people moved in to service the lace trade and the new industrial enterprises such as Boots, the Beeston Boiler Company and the National Telephone Company. With this population growth and no further school building class sizes increased to the point where they became unwieldy and the quality of education suffered. By 1932 the average class size at Nether Street School was 50.

Land Purchase - In January 1929, the Education Committee completed purchase of 1.38 acres of land from Beeston UDC for £138 and a further 5.56 acres from Bayley’s Trustees for £834. This land, bounded by houses on what is now Dennis Avenue, Wallett Avenue, Central Avenue and Boundary Road, was required for new permanent brick-built school buildings to accommodate senior boys (many of whom would be transferred from the Nether Street School) and mixed infants and juniors who would be drawn initially from the Lenton Abbey Estate, though some junior boys would be transferred from Nether Street. For the new permanent schools two buildings were proposed, one for up to 480 senior boys aged 10½ to 14 2 and a larger one for up to 816 mixed infants and juniors. These figures were later revised to 520 seniors, 432 juniors and 384 infants.

Improved Accommodation For The Senior Boys - Later the same month a contract was awarded to Henry James jnr of Mansfield to erect a permanent wooden building on the newly acquired land. The contract was for £3100. This building would be used to accommodate up to 200 senior boys until the new school was available, at which time it would be converted into ‘Practical Instruction Rooms’ for the senior boys. The new wooden building was opened on 20th January 1930 and 110 senior boys were transferred there from the wooden huts plus 14 new boys.

Raising The Money - The estimated cost of the proposed schools, including fencing, playgrounds and drainage of the whole site was £45700, of which the senior school component was £16634 and that of the infants and junior school was £29066. The proposal also allowed for erection of a caretaker's cottage on the site. The senior school comprised nine classrooms and a ‘Special Subjects Room’ (later converted into a Science Laboratory), a study for the headmaster, a staff room, a hall for assemblies, cloakrooms and storerooms, a medical room, a scullery for meals service and an outside toilet block. The building of the new schools was funded by loans. The contractor appointed for the works was Henry James jnr of Mansfield, whose tender amounting to £41299 was recommended for acceptance on 27th March 1930 subject to the approval of the Ministry of Health 3. The author assumes the disparity in the figures is explained by other costs such as furnishing the schools, street lighting, land purchase, legal costs, compensation payments etc. There may have been variations to the contract, eg, the tender was to ‘provide accommodation for 1256 scholars’, whereas the capacity at opening was 1336. On 29th May, the Ministry sanctioned the raising of two loans: £1050 for purchase of the land and £43000 for erection of the schools, each for a term of 15 years.

It was noted by the Sites and Buildings Sub-Committee that: the design and general arrangement of these buildings differ from any other school that has been erected by the Education Committee and the cost will be greater. Part of the excess is necessitated by the different levels of the site 4. The Beeston Gazette and Echo of September 3rd 1932 (Price: 3 halfpence) stated that: the School embodies all the latest ideas in school architecture, and is wonderfully planned to get the maximum light into rooms. This might explain why the school caretaker struggled to keep the classrooms warm in the winter and why there was an overheating problem in the summer months, especially in the Annex, the handicraft centre and the kitchen block, though the main building had problems too.

Five pianos were needed for the new schools, one in each school plus one for each school hall as the schools and halls were on different levels and pianos could not be moved easily from one to the other. As there were two pianos in the huts, only three new ones had to be bought for which the Education Committee, already alarmed at the cost of the schools, were duly grateful.

Regarding conversion of the wooden building into Boys’ Practical Instruction Rooms, the expenditure of £434 was approved for benches, metal lathe with motor, forge and anvil. A sum of £96 was paid to Mr J Norton Garrat (£17 10s per acre) in respect of tenant-right compensation for disturbance etc.

Headmaster Appointed - By September 1930, work was well in hand excavating the site and laying the new road. In May 1931, consideration was being given to staffing the new schools and it was noted that: the provision of rooms for 40 children instead of 50 or 60 as used to be the case in days gone by, has resulted in a considerable increase in staff . On 17th December 1931, Mr WA Brown, headmaster of the Nether Street Boys’ School, was appointed headmaster of the new senior school, effective from 1st September 1932.

The New schools Open - On 27th September 1932 it was reported that: the contract for the new schools is almost complete except for half the tar paving to the playground and finishing the road through the top half of the school. The sum of £77 10s 0d was paid to Beeston UDC for street works on Boundary Road.

The new schools (senior boys, infants and juniors) opened on Monday, 29th August 1932. Formal opening by the Chairman of the Education Committee was on Monday, 3rd October at 3 pm. On 29th August 1932, the temporary wooden huts were vacated and the infants and junior children sent to the new school together with the junior boys from Nether Street 5. The senior boys were transferred from their wooden building and were joined by the senior boys from Nether Street.

And on that day, Nether Street became an all girls’ school. Margaret Cooper writes in her History of Nether Street Schools: In June the school said goodbye to the Boys’ School which had shared the premises since 1900. They were moving to the new school at Beeston Fields. In August the girls occupied the whole building.

The new schools were not full to capacity on the first day, the numbers for the senior school being: accommodation 520, number on the roll 451. For the juniors, the corresponding numbers were 432 (313) and for the infants, 384 (335).

Press Coverage of the Opening - An article in the Beeston Gazette and Echo of September 3rd 1932 was headlined:

AMAZING SCENE OUTSIDE NEW SCHOOL AT BEESTON - POLICE CALLED TO DISPERSE CROWD

On the opening day local mothers protested when they were told their children were ineligible to attend the new infants’ department; their homes, albeit on the School doorstep, were outside the catchment area!

The Chairman at the opening ceremony was Alderman John Lewin, deputising for Mr JN Derbyshire. Mr WA Brown was the first headmaster, responsible for 450 boys. Discipline was severe in the early days and such grave misdemeanours as 'sulking', 'purposely forgetting gas masks', and 'mutinous muttering' received up to four strokes of the cane and were duly recorded in the headmaster's punishment book.

Further Work -In October 1932, a local builder, H R Hofton, secured the contract for conversion of the wooden building previously used by the senior boys into handicraft rooms for £315 – the actual cost was £238 11s 1d.

H R Hofton also won the contract to convert the ‘Special Subjects Room’ into a Science Laboratory for £436 1s 0d.

In December 1932, a contract was awarded to Henry Barker Ltd of Nottingham to provide electric lighting on the road through the school: cost £49 12s 6d.

Playing Fields, Sports, Gardens and School Dinners -The poor state of the playing field was noted and £95 was allocated for re-seeding a portion of the site and ploughing, cleaning and growing a crop of potatoes on the remaining portion. In May 1933, use of a horse and mower was approved to mow the playing field at 10s a time. This was considered a cheaper option than purchasing a mower. In July the same year after a successful sports day, the school log records: In the evening, Messrs Larwood and Voce – Notts and England cricketers – presented the prizes. The registers were not marked this afternoon on the occasion of the Sports Day.

About 40 boys in the senior school stayed for school dinner and the School Management Sub-Committee commented that: proper arrangements must be made to look after them. Purchase of a gas stove, kettle, table and table cloths, cooking utensils and crockery for just under £20 was approved as was the employment of Mrs Whittaker, the caretaker’s wife, to look after the boys for £15 pa.

The School Log Books -The earliest log books date from 1862 when legislation was introduced requiring head teachers to record the daily life in Government-financed schools. For the rules governing the production of school log books, see Instructions on the Keeping of a School Log-Book.

School Log Books were compiled by schools’ head teachers on a daily basis. They were hand written and can be difficult to read. They record the daily running of the school and are, in effect, a diary, frequently offering tantalising glimpses but no detail. There is a thirty year closure period on school log books. Much of what follows is abstracted from the school log books for the Beeston Fields Senior School.

The log books for Beeston Fields Senior School are dominated by staff joining and leaving, staff absences, ill health and errors in the attendance records. Barely a week goes by without at least one member of staff off sick or absent for domestic or family reasons. There are instances of teachers making mistakes in the register and boys’ marks having to be cancelled or reinstated, the wrong day being filled in or the total entered in the wrong box and the offending teacher sometimes admonished.

Infectious diseases are a recurring theme, affecting both staff and pupils. During January 1937 a serious influenza outbreak is recorded, resulting in attendance falling by over 40%. Several members of staff went down with it and the head waged a constant battle to keep the ship afloat. Influenza seems to have been endemic throughout the 1930s and 40s especially, less so in the 1950s and 60s. Cases of diphtheria, scabies, bronchitis and pneumonia, scarlet fever and poliomyelitis are noted to say nothing of nits and verrucas.

Health continues to be an issue in the 1960s however. On 21st October 1963, the head received the following notification: I hereby direct the exclusion of [boy’s name] for a period of 4 days from this date on the grounds that his foul/verminous condition is such that I consider the exclusion necessary in the interests of other children attending this school. Signed Dr Bebbington 6.

Whither Beeston Fields or What's In a Name - At first, the new schools were referred to as the Beeston Lenton Abbey Schools (sometimes, Lenton Abbey Council Schools), doubtless reflecting their proximity to the Lenton Abbey housing Estate and their prime purpose, which was to accommodate infants and juniors from that estate 7. The first use of the term ‘Beeston Fields’ is in the minutes of the Sites and Buildings Sub-Committee presented on 27th September 1932, however, the same minutes later revert to ‘Beeston Lenton Abbey’. Subsequent minutes of the School Management and the Sites and Buildings Sub-Committees refer to the buildings as the ‘Beeston Lenton Abbey Council Schools’. A minute of the Sites and Buildings Sub-Committee presented on 20th December 1932 is headed ‘Beeston Fields’.

The flyleaf of the first School Log Book is annotated as follows:

At the top of the page in a large flowing hand, unsigned but presumably that of Mr WA Brown: Beeston Fields Higher Council School Boys’ Department No 252.

A later entry dated 1st April 1935 reads: Beeston and Stapleford Beeston Fields Higher Council Boys’ School No 252. Beneath this a note has been added pointing out that the log book entry for 1st April 1932 omits ‘Higher’ and ‘Boys’. The note is signed KDR.

An entry dated 30th January 1950 reads: District office stated that the school is to be known as: Beeston County Secondary School for Boys.

And finally: On and after 13th October 1952: Beeston Fields County Secondary School 4134. The official number allocated to the authority is 432.

The Annex - In December 1936, the Board of Education approved plans for provision of an additional block on the ‘Plantation Site’ at Beeston Fields at a cost of £4800 for 92 children. This was the Annex. The driver for the additional building appears to have been pressure put on all the schools in Beeston and Chilwell by additions to the establishment at the Chilwell Ordnance Depot following the collapse of the disarmament talks in 1933. The Annex opened for business in 1937 and comprised 2 classrooms and an Art and Crafts Room plus cloaks and toilets.

The Kitchen Block - With respect to the Kitchen Block, the school log records on 1st September 1943: HMI and Mr Frear from the County Architect’s Department called re a site for a kitchen for 1000 children. A site in the spinney was advocated. On 4th October 1943: Licence No 464 received for carrying on of a catering establishment. On 3rd June 1944: Workmen began felling trees in the spinney for the new kitchen. And on 16th July: Meals supplied from New Central Canteen today.

By the 1950s, further classroom accommodation was required and the Kitchen Block was converted into two classrooms. The kitchen block was demolished, 23rd March 1976.

Death of the First Headmaster - On 19th January 1939 the school lost its first headmaster. The log book entry for the following day reads: I deeply regret to record the death of the headmaster Mr WA Brown, he having passed suddenly away during the night. Mr Brown’s successor was Mr Kenneth Dale Roberts, who ‘commenced duty’ on 1st June 1939. Presumably some interim arrangement was in place during the first half of the year.

The War Years - On 30th September 1938, some four months before he died, Mr WA Brown recorded: There is a sense of relief in the school due to the fact that the nations on the eve of conflict have reached agreement. Two months into the job and his successor, Mr KD Roberts, records: Letters issued to every parent to acquaint them with the committee’s preparedness in Air Raid Precautions.

During the early war years there is a steady loss of staff as they are either called up 8 or volunteer for war service and the head has to bring in temporary staff, often women, who were exempt from military service, and students, usually from the Loughborough teacher training college. There are air raid alerts at all times of the day and night, air raid practices and at least one nearby air raid (on 12th November 1940) that caused superficial damage to the school - tiles on Room 2 and two windows (woodwork) were reported broken. Attendance of both staff and boys suffers owing to ‘last night’s air raid warnings’ – a typical log book entry is that for 29th August 1940: Attendance very low (40%) after last night’s air raid warning. The log book for 13th November 1940 reads: Gunfire heard during the lunch hour and school opening delayed as children in shelters not brought out. No school milk.

There is no let up in the sickness rates. Diphtheria was reported in late 1940 and again in 1941 adding to the head’s woes. The log for 14th October 1940 records: The Sanitary Inspector [SI] called to inform the HT that [Pupil's name] (L1B) has been removed to hospital with diphtheria. The Medical Officer of Health and the SI came in the afternoon to take swabs of contact cases. The Correspondent 9 and the School Medical Officer were informed and installation of drinking jets was recommended.

A glimpse of the personal feelings in the staff room is revealed in the log book entry for 19th June 1940, which reads: Staff meeting held. Points which were stressed were the need the lads will have for the basic work the school can supply. The need to cancel the feeling of futility. One can imagine the air of unreality in the minds of those called to staff meetings where the topic of the day was typically handwriting and marking while for many of them conscription to the armed services lay just around the corner.

On 22nd July 1940 the school went over to what was termed half-time working with the school split into morning and afternoon classes. Whether or not this was a rehearsal for half-time working for the duration is not recorded but normal working was resumed on 12th August and continued to the end of the war.

Sandbags were delivered on 13th January 1941 and on 14th May: Two buckets (ARP) were reported to have arrived. One had a hole in it (repaired in Handicraft Centre). On 14th March: Mrs Lewis finished temporary uncertificated service, leaving on the grounds of insufficient remuneration 10.

Such was the staffing situation that on 4th November 1941 the head reported: No class teachers for form 4, L3A, 2B. On 5th November: Staff situation as yesterday. The HT phoned the director – apparently no amelioration of the position is to be expected. Form 4 dispersed as is 2B. At the end of November the log records: The HT took charge of classes without teachers in the hall. Form 4, L3A, 3B and L3B.

Conscription to the armed services created a demand for labour on the land, which the school was happy to meet by supplying boys for gardening, agricultural work, potato picking etc, all of which helped ease the staffing problem. The school had its own garden and in December 1942 started keeping rabbits as part of the war effort. In February 1943 the head records: The whole school heard talk on rabbit keeping from Ministry of Agriculture representative.

One way or another the school struggled through and after the war, some of the men trickled back 11, reclaiming their former jobs and displacing the temporary teachers 12. Some of these returnees didn’t stay long, quickly moving on to better things. Nevertheless, by the late 1940s the school had a large number of supernumeraries on the books and by 1951 the last of the wartime women teachers left (Mrs Elizabeth Gresham) and the senior school became an all male establishment until the arrival of Mrs Elizabeth Bishop in 1959.

Extreme Weather - The design of the main building with its large windows and poor insulation made it difficult to heat in the winter and difficult to keep cool in the height of the summer. The craft centre, being in essence a wooden hut, was frequently unusable in the harsh winters of the 1950s and 60s. Pipes froze, toilets froze, the roads and pavements and the playground were treacherous; no gritting in those days. The Annex had to be abandoned on more than one occasion owing to lack of heat. In particularly severe weather the caretakers kept the boilers going over the weekend.

Regular warnings were issued to the boys to keep away from the huge piles of coal and coke standing in the yard. Special assemblies of the whole school were called to drive the message home and dire consequences threatened for those who disobeyed.

It was not unusual for transport to fail in the height of the winter, causing difficulties for staff and pupils. The log book entry for 26th February 1958 is typical: Mr Martin rang to say that no transport was available and he could not get to school [off for 2 days].

Post-war and the 60s - In their report of 13th July 1949, HM Inspectors commented on the absence of a gymnasium and on 21st November 1950: Work begins erecting gymnasium apparatus in the hall. And on 28th November 1950: Erection of beams, ropes and a window ladder completed by workmen of Spencer, Heath and George. The gymnasium equipment was put to use the next day.

In 1960, HM Inspectors noted that:

The school is organised on a three stream basis except for the 1st year where numbers make four forms necessary.

This straightforward, quite normal, arrangement contrasts with the complicated and diffuse distribution of much of the work among the staff, 17 of whom share the responsibility of teaching English, 15 instruct in mathematics and lesser numbers the work in other subjects. Further sub-division of classes results in as many as 8 masters being responsible for English in one form.

In response to this, the early 1960s saw a radical restructuring of the school, with new teachers brought in and special responsibilities assigned for the first time to individual staff members. A careers master was appointed. Heads of English, Geography, Arts and Crafts, Social Studies and Swimming, Music and Handicrafts were created. The Head of Mathematics and Science and the Head of Arts and Crafts had no classes given to them; they were purely heads of departments. The Deputy Head also had no class assigned to him.

Norty Raskals (Nothing Changes) -

6th December 1940: Disfigurement of walls in the library brought to the notice of the school. Trevor Mason reported loss of a purse containing 10 shillings.

Several reports of parents being fined for their children's truancy. Final warning letters issued etc. On 1st February 1957: Mr Appleton reported that his salary left in a drawer in the staff room was £5 short. Enquiries made. In the afternoon, Mr Appleton informed the police who came to make enquiries.

On 14th November 1958: Barton Transport inspector called re condition of bus used on Thursday for transport to games. All boys were interviewed.

Break-ins and vandalism become more commonplace as the 50s turn into the 60s.

Assaults on pupils by teachers are reported. The HT (following a parent’s complaint) informed [teacher’s name] that his unorthodox method of punishment and his comment to the form were not in line with good parent teacher relations. This entry was brought to the attention of [teacher’s name] 13

And 15 months later: Parental complaint re [their son’s name] noted and looked into. The master concerned was seen by the head and the instruction referred to last year was reiterated (Entry signed by the teacher) 14.

On 7th May 1976 a staff meeting was held to draw attention of teachers to the vital necessity of complying with the regulations regarding corporal punishment.

School Roll - In 1933 the average roll was 425 with an average attendance of 385. The roll rose steadily through the years, with a few ups and downs, to peak at 546 in 1944. In 1960 the number was 456. By October 1964 the roll had fallen to 303.

Silverwood Hostel - The senior school took boys from the Silverwood Hostel for Maladjusted Boys on Imperial Road, Beeston (presumably located on the site presently occupied by the Silverwood Nursing pome.). This was accomplished not without difficulty and not without risk to staff and pupils as is illustrated by the following incident:

On 5th December 1957, one of the Silverwood boys drew a knife and his teacher, Mr Innes-Smith, was given formal permission to administer corporal punishment. Later the boy was found again with a knife drawn on a companion. The head administered further corporal punishment after ringing the Warden at Silverwood.

The parent/guardian of these unfortunate boys is given in the Admissions Register as Mr Fitch, the Warden. The last of the Silverwood boys left the school in April 1960. In a letter to the head, thanking him for his services, the Director of Education wrote: ...boys from the hostel will be transferred from next Easter to Orston House, Sherwood Rise, Nottingham and concluded by saying: Boys of this type must create problems from time to time and it is known that Mr and Mrs Fitch have been most grateful for the help they have received from you.

High Days And Holidays - Afternoons off (sometimes whole days) were given for Beeston Wakes’ Week (at the end of July) for Goose Fair (beginning of October) and Shrove Tuesday. These events were often preceded and followed by high levels of absenteeism. Empire Day was celebrated by a holiday and talks by members of staff. On 24th May 1950: members of staff gave short talks from their knowledge and experience. Mr Arden on Canada, Mr Wright on the W Indies and Sport, Mr Spencer on Canada and Timber, Mr Connop on Malaysia, jungle conditions and Singapore, Mr Long on the Navy and the Mediterranean. On Empire Day 1951: short talks by Mr Appleton on E Canada, Mr Arden on W Canada, Mr Mackintosh on Haifa and the pipeline patrol and Mr Spencer on India. Talks were also given by Mr Connop and Mr Shaw. 15

Christmas was always a joyous occasion with carols and games. Special lunches were laid on, sometimes in the hall; sometimes tables were set out in the corridors.

The Great Fire, 1976 - The handicraft building was destroyed by fire, cause unknown. The head was summoned to the scene on 25th November 1976 at 2.15 am by the head caretaker. The Beeston Gazette and Echo reported flames leaping 45 feet into the air and heat so intense that windows cracked in the main building. After the fire, oxygen and acetylene gas cylinders were found in the remains of the building and firemen expressed relief that these had not exploded. Presumably, they were stored at the top end of the building, which, in 1957, was used for metalwork. This was the only part of the building still standing after the fire. The site was later cleared and hard paved over. Arrangements were made with nearby schools for handicraft lessons to be conducted there.

Amalgamation And Closure of the Senior School - Work began on 25th April 1978 on the alterations required to change the premises to the Lower School Unit of the Alderman White Comprehensive. On 17th July, work began to combine Rooms 10 and 11 to form another laboratory. In August 1978 Beeston Fields Secondary School ceased to exist.

On 21st July 1978, for the lads, the last day of the school’s existence, Mr Spencer, a pupil here in the early days of the school, led three cheers for Beeston Fields.

In 2002, the senior school buildings were closed and boarded up, the County Council having decided that they were surplus to requirements. The school was demolished during the 2004 summer holidays, planning permission having been obtained to build houses on the site.

In December 2002, the author posted the following on the Friends Reunited Main Message Board for the senior school:

I have taken some photographs of the outside of the old school and will post a couple in the Friends Reunited photos area soon. The school is a sorry sight now, boarded up and ringed with security fencing and warning notices (see my postings on the message board). I had to climb over the wall at the main entrance (opposite the staf room) to gain access. It was smaller than I remembered and there's been some recent building work at the back. Nothing remains of the woodwork and metalwork buildings except an old boiler, which may or may not have once belonged there. The kitchen block has gone; trees are growing where it once stood and I searched in vain for the sandpit. The gardens, once worked under Mr Martin's supervision, are now grassed over. There were no worms on the path; there were no paths - Mr Martin would have been a happy man.

The city council wants to maximise the sale price for the property, which means letting it go for residential development. This will be subject to planning consents. There is uncertainty as to whether or not prior approval of the Secretary of State for Education and Employment is required. Finally, there are believed to be bats in the building. Until these problems are resolved the building will remain boarded up. [Telecon Andy Smith, Education Development, Strategic Properties Group, Estates Division, re Beeston Fields County Secondary School - Tuesday, 09 April 2002].

The senior school was demolished during the 2004 summer holidays, planning permission having been obtained to build houses on the site.

Famous Old Boys -

Sir Paul Smith, fashion designer, born 5th July 1946, in Beeston, Nottingham.

Sources And Acknowledgements -

Beeston and Stapleford: The Official Guide. Looking Back: Beeston by Arthur Cossons. Undated.

The History of Nether Street Schools 1898 – 1998 by Margaret Cooper. Published 1998.

The Development of Education in Nottinghamshire 1889 – 1989. A Personal View by Robert Ingles, Head of 1st Year at Chilwell Comprehensive School.

Beeston and Bramcote in Times Past: H. Lawton and H. O’Conner. 1932.

Beeston Gazette and Echo, 1932 and 1976.

Ordnance Survey Map Sheet 41/12.

Minutes of Nottinghamshire County Council Education Committee - Schools Management, Finance and Sites and Buildings Sub-Committees from 1928 [Notts. County Council Archives: Documents CC3/12/2/18, 19 and 20

School Log Books: Notts. County Council Archives Document Reference SL10/1/2 and SL10/1/3.

Sisson and Parker’s “Official” Admissions Registers, Archives Document Reference SA/1/5 (1932 to 1940) and SA/1/6 (1940 to 1950).

Ministry of Education Report by HM Inspectors 17th -20th May and 13th June 1949 (stapled into the school log book).

Ministry of Education Report by HM Inspectors 1960 (stapled in school log book).

Exploring Beeston’s History.

AJP Taylor, English History 1914 – 1945, published 2001, ISBN 019280140 6.

Thanks are due to the staff at the local history departments of Beeston and Nottingham libraries and the staff at Nottinghamshire

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Footnotes - (Note: the respective footnote text may now be viewed in a pop-up window by clicking on any blue, underscored note number within the main text)
Where reference is made to the Probate Calender (Index giving brief details of grant of Probate/Administration), unless specifically stated, the full will and probate documentation has not been seen.
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© Wallace Mason - 2006