The Blake

A Memory of Chadsmoor.

The following information relates to the opening of the Blake school in Hednesford.

The Blake school was built to replace the Central Secondary school for boys which was in Burns Street Chadsmoor (where Chadsmoor junior school is now sited)
The building of the school commenced in March 1961 and was taken over in December 1962. The cost was £157,000. The school then consisted of a large and small hall, a library, 7classrooms, a music room, 5 practical rooms and a kitchen which could serve up to 200 meals a day. A caretaker’s house was also provided.
The information given at the time of opening stated that the school was of traditional construction but very adverse site conditions necessitated the use of heavily reinforced foundations and restricted the height of the building. Praise was given to both the architect and the playing fields department on the transfiguration of a derelict site.
The school was built on land formerly owned by West Cannock Colliery Company. It is situated in the former main access road to the colliery and was crossed by a tramway that connected the old West Cannock pits with the wharf that was opposite the White Lion pub on the Stafford Road.
The wharf and the tramway were in use from the 1870’s until 1925. The site was then used to stockpile coal until the National Coal Board disposed of the site to Staffordshire County Council. For many years a pit mount sat on the boundary of the school.
The name Blake derives from the historic associations which the site has with the former Blake Street (from Black Street, indicating the surface of the roadway) one of the most ancient roads in the Midlands.) It was a direct link between the South of England and the Cheshire Salt Pans.
The official opening of the school was on Tuesday 15th September 1964 but the boys from the Central school moved in on January 5th 1963.
The head teacher, Mr G Harris of the Central Boys School wrote:
December 19th 1962
The school completed packing and loaded 2 vans with equipment for the new school. The driver of the van knocked off the pillar cup to one gate post. School was officially closed today as 1 day’s holiday was granted for moving into the Blake school.
December 20th 1962
Only the ghosts of the old Centralians walk the corridors today. The last names have been inscribed in the lead roof and the hand bell will ring no more. The last mile-stone has been passed and the road leads onwards and upwards to the Blake.

Chadsmoor Junior girls school moved into the empty school. They had previously been based in Cecil Street. The junior boys were situated in the wooden school in Church Street but because of overcrowding had to have some lessons in the Babtist Church in Arthur Street.
Later the boys moved to join the girls school and became Chadsmoor Cof E (c) junior School. The school at Church street was then demolished,

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