School extension (1896)

Post date: Feb 14, 2012 2:3:1 PM

Extract from parish magazine of July 1896

THE NATIONAL  SCHOOLS.

The enlargement and repairs of the Schools, which has been occupying the attention of the parishioners generally and of the school committee in particular for some months, seems at length to have reached a satisfactory settlement.  With very few exceptions the parishioners have agreed to a voluntary rate of 1/- in the £ for three years, and of not more than 6d. in the £ thereafter, for the support of the schools. In pursuance  of the  resolutions  passed at a well-attended meeting of rate-payers on January the 16th last, a second meeting was held on the 4th ult.  It was not so well attended as the first meeting but this was no  doubt rightly accounted for by the fact that it was well known that the matter was already  practically settled on the lines sketched  out at the former  meeting.   The chairman, Mr. Augustus Leney, briefly stated the position of affairs, and, after some explanatory discussion, called upon the meeting  to elect a committee of management for the year 1896-7.  Mr. W. W. Blest proposed that electors should  vote by writing the  names  of not more  than five gentlemen  on slips of paper. Thirteen gentlemen  were thus  voted for, and the five who received  the  highest  number of votes  were elected members of the new Committee.    The Vicar then nominated three members.

The Committee is now constituted as follows :—

The Vicar, ex-officio chairman

Mr. R. H. Fremlin. Mr. E. J. Goodwin. Mr. Wm. Jude. General Schneider.

Mr. W. W. Blest. Lt.-Gen. Dawson-Scott. Mr.Augustus Leney. Mr. Amos Baker.

A meeting of the Committee was held at the Vicarage on June 13th.  The architect's estimates were carefully reviewed and discussed.  It appeared that a sum of £600 would be required for the following works: extension of girls' lobby, and two new stoves in girls' school; extension  of boys' lobby, enlargement of boys' class-room, and one new stove in boys' school; concreting boys' playground, and erection of corrugated iron coverings over space near entrance to boys' school and to girls' school.   It was stated that the first call on the voluntary ratepayers would be made in October of this year; and that the second and third calls in October 1897 and 1898, would enable the Committee to pay off the whole of the £600. A sub-committee was elected to raise a loan  of £100, to be paid off in two years from October next.It was decided that the works should be commenced about August  1st;  and  the correspondent  was instructed  to apply to the Committee of the Working Men's Institute for the use of the Institute as a Boys' School from that date until the schools  should  break  up at the  beginning of hop-picking.    The architect, who was present by invitation, was instructed to complete the plans, &c.; to send them to  the church societies in view of applications for grants; and to advertise in the local papers for tenders.

In the next edition it was reported that the tender of Henry Miller of East Farleigh in the sum of £465 had been accepted. With the addition of architect's fees it was expected that the total cost would be  £60 under the £600 original estimate. In September it was noted that there had been 'a little delay in the work after it was commenced' in October it was noted that the work had been 'much delayed' as a result of bad weather. By November it was impossible to forecast the date of the re-opening.