Bank Street School

A Memory of Tonbridge.

This is the year when the school finally closed.  It was worn out but much loved.  The roof leaked, the knots in the floorboards stood high while the wood was highly polished with years of wear.  The teachers had large baby boomer classes.  Many pupils were bussed in from Higham Wood.  We sang "Now the day has ended" at the end of every school day before putting the chairs on the tables to help the cleaners.  There were large oil heaters and big black chimneys in every classroom and on cold and wet winter days the classroom would be filled with the aroma of the drying woollies draped over the guard rail.  In summer, jam jars of sweetpeas would sit atop the piano, filling the air with sweet perfume.  Juniors entered through the left door, infants through the right.  The coat hangers for infants had a picture next to each (mine was cherries) because we couldn't read yet.  The school colour was green to match The Slade.  Once a year a local PC would come and show us road safety films in the attic.  The top floors were generally not used because the floors were rotting and unsafe.  Hence the rumour that the headmistress would always be walking round the school because she was afraid to stay in her study on the first floor in case she fell through to the classroom below!  In fact, she preferred to get involved with every school day rather than command from above.

The building was originally the workhouse for the town and became a school around 1845 when the Workhouse Union built a new workhouse for the district at Pembury (now incorporated into Pembury Hospital).

I am in the process of writing a history of this building and it would be nice to hear from anyone who has memories of Bank Street School or has any old photographs or relevant historical information - full acknowledgements will be given.  Please contact me by email on "jennifgaye@saggers25.freeserve.co.uk".

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