Tag Archives: 1960

Western Road County Secondary School

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Western Road County Secondary School consisted of two schools, one for boys on the upper floor, and girls on the ground floor. It became a high school in the late 1960s, and today it is a primary school, renamed Liberty, after the print works at Abbey Mills.

Timetables were organised such that the boys and girls never met each other. They also had separate playgrounds and the staff for the boys school were all men, for the girls school, all women.

 

Date possibly 1954. The BOYS entrance can be seen on the left. From a private collection.

 

Originally one main building built by Surrey County Council in the 1930s, it may have been extended in the 1960s, as shown on these two OS maps. Refer also to the 1959 newspaper article below.

1934 OS map

1934 OS map

Layout of sports ground and gardens from 1952 OS map

1967 OS map

School Keeper William Albert PILE lived at the School House from its opening to his death on 28th April 1939.

Newspaper articles

Streatham News – Friday 22 December 1961

Teenagers go climbing

Forty boys from Western Road School, Mitcham, travelled to Kent recently for a day’s rock climbing at Groombridge, near Tunbridge Wells. This was the second time the school had sent a group of boys climbing. On the first occasion they were instructed by Olympic steeplechase champion John Disley, deputy physical education officer for Surrey. The boys taking part in the latest climb were in the 14 to 15 age group. One of the teachers instructing them was Mr. K. Knapp, an American visiting England by an exchange scheme. Some of the boys hope to compete in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme next year.

Norwood News – Friday 03 April 1959

New classrooms

Four transportable classrooms may be erected at Western Road County Secondary School, Mitcham, Ito help relieve the overcrowding problem.

Norwood News – Friday 07 November 1958

MITCHAM Boxing Club have solved their accommodation problem.

Recently they have been unsettled at their Western Road School, Mitcham, headquarters. because they were unable to use the punchbag and other equipment as the noise upset other people using the building. So president Jimmy Tring his arranged for the club to move into the old Parish Rooms at the Cricket Green. Mitcham’s young boxers begin training there on Tuesday night.

Sutton & Epsom Advertiser – Thursday 09 November 1950

QUESTIONS BY CHILDREN

Problem for parents and teachers Speaking at Western Road School Mitcham last week in the series “ Yourself Your Home and Your Family” arranged by the Mitcham Marriage Guidance Council Mr Alan Ingleby education secretary of the National Marriage Guidance Council dealt with a difficult problem how best to answer children’s questions.

Questions about sex should be answered truthfully and without any sense of furtiveness he said There need for co-operation between teachers and parents but parents must not evade their share of the problem and put the whole burden on the teachers Dealing with the troubles of the child of divorced parents Mr Ingleby said that he did not that there was any real way of helping except to find for the child a home in which there was a happy atmosphere and a feeling of security lively discussion in which Dr Mrs Evans and Coun Mrs Martin took part followed the lecture.

Streatham News 20th March 1936

PAYING THEIR TAXES!—But it is only a play. A scene from “Daylight Robbery,” as produced by boys of the Western-road School, Mitcham. (Streatham News 20th March 1936. Copyright holder unknown.)

Memories from pupils
I asked on the Mitcham History Facebook group for memories of the school, and here are the replies.

George was at the boys school between 1947 and 1949 and has kindly shared his school report for the term ended 31st March 1947. A scab is shown below, which is followed by the subjects and marks in text.

Note that the subjects on the report form was for both boys and girls, as the latter did needlework, handicraft and gardening. The school used a rubber stamp to show ‘Boys County Secondary School’ in this case.

Western Road Boys School 1947 Pupil Report

Subject Exam Mark Term’s Work Remarks
Scripture
English 26 39 Keen & works well.
History 29 38 Fairly good
Geography 24 32 Fair
Mathematics 21 61 Disappointing in exam
French 25 35 Has made steady progress
Science 67% Good
Domestic Subjects
Needlework
Handicraft
Gardening
Drawing (Geometry) 20 36
Drawing
Physical Training Good. Tries hard.
Book-Keeping
Shorthand
Homework

George has also provided his athletics certificate, which shows he was in ‘Eagle’ house. The boys school was divided into 4 houses. During the 1940s these were named Eagle, Hawk, Raven and Swift. In the 1950s these were changed to Graveney, Ravensbury and two others.

He remembers getting the cane from the headmaster Mr Deubert:

My memory of the boys playground from when I was there between 1947-49 was in the black area. I have vague memory of watching the girls playing on the other side of the building. If you got caught the punishment was having to spend a lesson with them on something like needlework or cooking.
However this was about 78 years ago but the memory seems reasonably clear. As does the memory of getting caught and suffering our headmaster’s idea of punishment.
His name was Mr. Deubert and once when he gave me the cane in error, his apology was to say “It won’t do you any harm”.

Dave remembers his time at the school:

I started in 1957 and left in 1961. Both entrances was used by the boys, you came out opposite the art room and room 6 was on the left and 7 was on the right at the top of the stairs when you used the door on the right. We had a garden, but it went when the extension was being built.

Chris recalls:

I started at Western Road in 1960 and were the garden was, is where the new technology wing was almost finished being built. The girls entered the school at the front near the road. We had a garden but it was at the very front of the school by 1960 it didn’t look like there was much gardening going on, certainly my class didn’t do any. Both my brother and sister were at the school in the fifties.

Toni remembered a haunted toilet!:

I was there in 1970, when it was the stupid 3-school system that Merton instigated. I was only there for a few years from Bond then off to Rowan. Miss Narge was the French teacher, I think Miss Ward was science, Mr Coward Maths. In the new block there was metalwork, woodwork, Art (with a very attractive art teacher, the boys loved her), sewing room and home economics. The P.E. teacher looked like Gorge Best.

And the haunted toilet no 5 behind the tennis courts.

Jackie remembered the art teacher was a Miss Duey, but wasn’t sure of the spelling of her surname. Derek Moore was the P.E. teacher, and her dad played cricket with him.

Peter said did he a bit of boxing there at night in the early sixties

Pat recalled that the health centre included a dentist:

I lived at the northern end of Mitcham so attended Gorringe Park infants and juniors 1945 to 1952 and then went to Links Road Senior girls. I loved it but the only connection that I had with Western Road school was the dreaded clinic there attending the dentist!

Lillian recalled that she:

went there left in 1955. Miss Norris was the head mistress. She caught me and my friends playing round the toilets she made us get buckets and cloths, marched us across the playground and made us wipe the seats where we stood on them. Happy days.

I recorded Sheila in 2022 when I asked her about her time at the school. She was there from 1960 to 1965 and remembers Miss Norris as the head mistress. Listen to her on this audio recording here.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

G.A. Cramp & Sons, Ltd.

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Wholesale Bookbinders, whose address in the 1954 phone book was 35 Eveline Road. It moved to that address from Tooting in 1929 and in 1956 moved to the Willow Lane estate. Listed in the 1963 Borough of Mitcham List of Factories as Bookbinders and Leather Goods at Willow Lane.

At Eveline Road as seen in this 1951 OS map:

1951 OS map

Articles and Adverts from British Newspaper Archive

From the Norwood News, 29th January 1960:

Book edge gilding is a dying art
By Wendy Scott

THE centuries-old craft of book edge gilding is gradually dying out. But a Mitcham firm of book¬binders is intent on carrying on the art — using the traditional 22 carat gold leaf.

A section of the modern premises of G. A. Cramp and Sons Ltd., on the Willow Lane factory estate, is devoted to gilding — mostly Bibles, hymn and prayer books.

Two men and a 16-year-old apprentice carry out the various processes — which haven’t altered much for over a century.

Man with a high service record is Mr. V. H. Sutton whose home is in Merton Park. Mr. Sutton has been with the firm for over 20 vears and has practised the trade of gilding for nearly 30 years.

FOUR YEARS

His assistant Mr. George Cowing, who started training in the bookbinding department at the age of 14, has been gilding books for about four years Mr. Cowling’s home is in Sutton.

Third member of the trio is Barry Payne, Eastfields Road, Mitcham. Barry left Gorringe Park School a year ago to start learning the trade.

But the man who has been gilding hooks for nearly half a century retired on December 31. He is Mr. H. M. Cussen. who joined the firm before the 1914 war, when it was confined to small premises in Tooting.

After being demobbed, he carried on his old trade — moving with the firm to larger premises in Gatton Road, Tooting, then to Eveline Road, Mitcham in 1929 and in 1956 to the Willow Lane estate.

The gilders receive the book sections which have been sewn together by machine. These are placed side by side in a press with the pressure altered by a wood screw. The top and sides are then made perfectly smooth and coated with a mixture of red ochre and black lead to close the pores of the paper.

When this has dried, a second coating — this time of egg albumen — is painted on. A delicate operation follows. The lighter-than air sheets of gold, measuring about four by three inches, are carefully placed on to the books with the aid of cardboard.

The cardboard acts as a strengthener until the gold can be manipulated into the exact position.

Then the leaves are burnished and smoothed with beeswax — giving a polished finish and ensuring that the gilded pages (the mark of a high class book) will last a lifetime.

A machine has in the last month been perfected for gilding the cheaper type of Bible — also diaries which the firm manufacture about three-quarters of a million every year.

But tools used in the gilding shop are not the sort that you can buy easily, for most of them are hand-made by the employees.

It’s a laborious task grinding a flint selected from pebbles on the beach, into a suitable wedge shape. A task which the apprentice has been carrying out for nearly six months. And the result? A tool reminiscent of one used by the Romans.

Another stone used frequently is agate. Held up to the light it looks rather like a mottled tortoiseshell. A wedge of iron ore, called a blood stone because of the reddish colour that appears when rubbed on to a wetted surface, also proves useful.

These stones that enable the craftsmen to obtain the best possible gloss and finish, are set into a metal haft attached to a wooden handle.

When the gilding process it completed, the books are taken to the main body of the factory for binding. The high quality Bibles and prayer books have leather covers. The covers are cut to size by a clicking press. Then the edges are pared down so that there is a neat seam when the outer cover is glued to the inside stiffener.

A gauze is pasted on to the spine as a preliminary strengthener. Some of the more expensive books have leather inside and outside while others have a thin card “lining” which is pliable.

TITLE LINE

The blocking lines — for decorative effect – are made by a heat process which also applies the gilt title line. The “thumb” page indexes are gouged out by a compressed air cutter and then painted with dye by hand.

Many of these Bibles have passed through the hands of Mr. Stanley Cain who joined the firm at the age of 14. Mr. Cain, who lives in Cheam, has been with the firm 14 months longer than his former colleague, Mr. Cussen.

His job is to fit the cover and book together — so accurately that the book lies perfectly flat when opened.

Mr. Cain works swiftly, pasting the two surfaces carefully and then rounding the spine with a few expert taps. After the paste has dried, the heavy weights are removed from a pile of completed books and they are then checked and packed ready for dispatch.

Automation has come to other industries, but not to book binding where even the cheap paper backs need the individual touch — and certainly not to the ecclesiastical section where some of the highly priced editions are handled about a hundred times.

From the Norwood News 29th January 1960 (c) Reach PLC via the British Newspaper Archive. “Pressure applied during one of the gilding processes – using a hand made tool.”

From the Norwood News 29th January 1960 (c) Reach PLC via the British Newspaper Archive. “An operator collects a pile of India paper Bibles that have been folded by machine.”

From the Norwood News 29th January 1960 (c) Reach PLC via the British Newspaper Archive. “Mr. K.G. CRAMP (Managing director)”

Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer – Saturday 02 February 1952

FOLDING MACHINE OPERATOR (Male) required to take charge of section in London Bookbinders; latest type Cameo and similar machines; someone used to Bible folding preferred.— State salary required Cramp and Sons Ltd.. Eveline Road, Mitcham, Surrey.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.