WEEK 42

Queen Street School, Swinton

Queen Street Elemental School, Swinton, cost £4,829 to build and opened on Saturday 19th September 1908.

The school was built to accommodate 360 children and each classroom was designed to accommodate 60 children with the plans providing for four additional classrooms if needed. Special attention was given to the lighting, with each desk being flooded with natural light. Each classroom was separated from the main hall with glaze so as to allow easy supervision without inconveniencing the class.

Demolition of Queen Street School, Swinton

The “Natural” system of ventilation was adopted throughout the school, with fresh air being admitted through windows, while the vitiated air was taken off at ceiling level through ceiling grids connected to ridge extracts. The ventilation was so arranged to give each classroom a flush of fresh air when required without inconveniencing the children.

The heating throughout the school was the “low pressure” hot water system with pipes and radiators in sections, each section being under control and each radiator regulated independently.

Swinton Queen Primary School

The drainage for the school had been carried out on the point-to-point system, allowing the drains to be easily inspected and cleaned out.

A portion of the land had been reserved for an infants’ school when the needs of the locality required an extension.

It was announced circa 2008 that the school would be demolished and rebuilt. Demolition took place in April 2011 and the new school (Swinton Queen Primary School) was opened in the same year following a year of construction.