History

The School at Huyton, Liverpool (1926 - 1939)

Information About the early years of the school and many pictures can be found by following the link given below:

https://sites.google.com/site/huytonhillschool3/

The school was originally established in September 1926 with 6 pupils at Victoria Road in Huyton near to Liverpool, England. (Co-ordinates: 53.412218N, -2.833303E). It is listed in the Liverpool Schools directory[1] together with the headmaster, Hubert D. Butler[2]. (Note that the school had its entrance on the north side of the site onto Victoria Road, whereas the present school has its entrance on the south side of the site off Seel Road).

The school is listed in the Liverpool & S.W. Lancashire telephone directory 1931, page 27 as:

"Butler Hubert D,Boys Prep Schl,Huyton hill.Huyton 105"

The school motto was “I will with a good will”, which set the tone for the ethos of the school and the way it was run.

It was the first school in the country to host its own aircraft landing strip as reported in Flight Magazine[3]. Hubert Butler had previously served in the Flying Corps in World War I as 2nd Lieutenant Flying Officer.

Here is an extract from the 'Lost Villages of Liverpool - Part 3 by Derek Whale:

"The Headmaster of Huyton Hill Preparatory School was responsible for an exciting pre-war development in Huyton...he constructed an airfield there. The airfield or landing strip as it was then occupied the 25 acre field adjoining the school, where it stood in Victoria Road. The idea was conceived by Mr. Hubert Butler so that his pupils might gather an early knowledge of aircraft.. For its inauguration on 1st July 1932 the name Huyton Hill was laid out in concrete. Although the airfield was private, the Luftwaffe considered it important enough to have it marked on their maps as GB 10 833 Landplatz Huyton Hill. St. Aiden's Church situated on what would have been the northern boundary of the airfield incorporates steel girders in its structure which were once part of the hangar at Huyton Hill."

An article was published in the Westmorland Gazette in Summer 1969 giving Hubert Butler's reasons for closing the school:

Westmorland Gazette 1969 

A NOTED LAKELAND SCHOOLThe 9 a.m. bugle will be heard no more.

HUYTON HILL TO CLOSE AFTER 43 YEARS

    Every morning at nine o'clock, come rain or

shine, the flag at Huyton Hill School, near

Ambleside, is hoisted by pupils to the sound of

buglers blowing the "school call". Then they call

out the school motto "I will with a good will."

    This is just one of the traditions which will

disappear in July, when the school closes down

after a history spanning 43 years (writes a

Gazette representative).

  The closure is planned to coincide with the retirement

of Mr. Hubert Butler, who has been headmaster of the pre-

paratoty school during all those 43 years.

  The school, which is situated on the north-west shore of

Lake Windermere, has been hit by the Government's Se-

lective Employment Tax. Because Huyton Hill is a private

school, S.E.T. has to be paid for all members of the staff.

        Protest

  Mr. Butler told the Gazette this week: "I am retiring

partly as a protest about ridiculous legislation. If someone

in the north-west region manufacture cigarettes and pays

£1 17s. 6d. S.E.T., then because they are in a develop-

ment area, they will get back £3 2s. 6d.—a net gain of £1. 5s.

But if I try to manufacture good citizens, I pay £1 17s. 6d.

per week for every person I employ, and get nothing back.

And in July, S.E.T. is to be increased to £2 8s."

  Mr. Butler went on to say:

"Things like this make it absurd to invite any young man

to take over a school such as this, and so when I retire in

July the school closes."

  The increasing traffic in the Lake District, both on roads

and on Lake Windermere, is another reason for the closure.

Mr. Butler explained: "One of the things that we have valued

most in the education of our boys has been the weekly

bicycle expeditions to Langdale, Coniston, Grasmere, Thirl-

mere and other areas, for climbs on the Lakeland hills.

But the increased amount of traffic on the roads is mak-

ing this impossible. For the past 30 years, the school has

been lucky enough to have the use of the bay off the school

foreshore to itself, but the increasing boat traffic has

changed the situation."

        Pupils

  "Another reason for closing the school," said Mr. Butler,

"is that I do not agree with the current expenditure of

large sums of money on elaborate science equipment for

small boys. In my opinion, what we need to teach is not

more science but more wisdom to use it."

  The school was established in 1926 at Huyton, near Liver-

pool. Originally, there were four pupils but the number

steadily increased until in 1939 the school was moved into the

present premises, which was built in 1891 for Sir William

Crossley.

  Since 1926, about 400 boys have passed through the school,

many of them from British and American parents working

abroad in such places as Malaya, Borneo, Jordan, Hong-Kong,

India, Rhodesia, Greece, and other parts of the world. In

any year, the distance travelled by boys to and from school

exceeds 300,000 miles.

  The school teaches about 60 boys between the ages of seven

and 14, and great emphasis is placed on outdoor activities

such as climbing, cycling and swimming. Great interest is

taken in music, the school having provided two 13-year-old

harpists for the Westmorland Orchestra. "Our immediate

aims here have been health, happiness and hard work."

commented Mr. Butler.

  "We have made full use of all the opportunities surround-

ing us and have tried to give boys responsibility, thereby in-

creasing their self-confidence and self-reliance."

        Plans

  Mr. Butler is chairman of the Education Committee for

the United Nations Children's Fund in Britain. When he

retires, he intends to devote more time to his work in the

organisation.

  When the school closes in July, he intends to remain at

Huyton Hill to maintain a "central link" for old boys of the

school.

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Another article was published in the Westmorland Gazette after the July 1969 Summer Revue: