The Leyton County High School was not a new entity when it moved to this new building in Essex Road in 1929. It was however, a move to vastly improved facilities and not least so in sport.

The top left photo shows the staff who worked here in the early 1930’s. In the middle of the front row sits Mr McDowell, the PE master, and the middle photo shows one of his PE lessons, conducted on the field. Nottingham Road and Peterborough Road look little changed and the turrets of Whipps Cross Hospital can be seen back right.

Mr McDowell was quite a name in the field of Gymnastics during the 1930’s and he wrote a number of books on the sport, as shown in the bottom photo. He also linked with a school in Denmark and there was an annual exchange visit between Leyton County High School and Odense. The ‘Trophy Stick’, which still remains at the college, in our trophy cabinet, has attached to it plaques for each of the visits made. This exchange programme seems to have ended in 1938; unfortunately a situation developed which made such things impossible.

In the archives of the British Film Institute (BFI) you can view a lesson of Mr McDowell’s in the old gymnasium. This is now the space where the canteen is positioned.