This is the stone sign, above the Blue Sign.
This is what is carved.
LEFT: The Old Grammar School in The Church Yard, was endowed by Nicholas Waller Esq.
AD1626.
MIDDLE: Snaith Grammar School AD1878.
RIGHT: This building was erected for the purpose
of a Church, Nat.and Sunday School. Charles. E. Storrs Vicar.
NOTE: Nat is an abbreviation for National
Here is a photograph showing the school before houses were built next to it. Behind the school was Old Hall Farm.
This school opened in 1878. It was built for The Church of England to replace an earlier school that had been deemed no longer fit for purpose. (1626 – 1877). The windows were set high in the walls, so there was no fear of children being distracted from their studies.
It was called The Grammar School or The Church School or The National School and when it opened it had places for 143 children. It also provided a Sunday School. There was another school in Snaith, opened in 1848 and run by The Wesleyan Methodist Church, that had places for 200 children.
In 1880, school attendance was made compulsory, which created great hardship for many families as,at that time, both schools charged
a fee for every pupil. In 1891 the fees were abolished as the government announced free education.
As more children came to the school, not just from Snaith, but also other local villages and hamlets, the classes became larger,. At times there would be as many as 60 children in one class.
In 1900 the school was divided into two sections by the introduction of a folding screen. On one side of the screen were the pupils aged under 7 (infants) and on the other side were the upper school pupils (7-12)
In 1902 West Riding of Yorkshire Council took over the responsibility for education in the county, which included the two schools in
Snaith. They decided that places would be allocated geographically. Pupils living on the east side of Snaith were sent to the former Methodist School. Pupils living on the west side of Snaith attended this school.
In 1918 the school leaving age was increased from 12 to 14.
Three classrooms were created: one for infants, one for juniors (7-11) and one for Seniors(11-14). Each classroom had a coal fire.
Each Shrove Tuesday there was a Scripture Examination. to test the pupils knowledge about The Bible. It was conducted by an Inspector of Religious Education accompanied by The Vicar of Snaith.
For 25 years the caretaker of the school was Mrs Ada Punton, who lit the three fires early every morning and at the end of the day returned to clean out the grates and lay the coals ready for lighting next morning.
The 1944 Education Act introduced the 11 plus exam and raised the school leaving age to 15.
The former Methodist School became Snaith Primary School for children aged up to 11 and this school became Snaith Secondary School,catering for pupils who had not attained the grades required for entry to the Grammar Schools.
The building closed as a school in 1957, when it was replaced by the new Snaith School further along Pontefract Road.
AFTER CLOSURE
On 1st February 1965, this building became a rehabilitation centre for adults with learning difficulties. The manager was Mr Herbert Purchon. It closed when West Riding County Council was disbanded in March 1974. The following decade, Humberside Health Authority used the building as a Day Centre, until that authority disbanded in 1996.
In 1998 Peppers Marquees moved in to the building, where today they manufacture fabric products for marquee and associated industries.
In November 2023, Peppers carried out general repairs to the building and painted the woodwork around the windows.This included the tower which they found to be in a sorry state with very rotten woodwork.On removing the panels, they discovered a bell inside. They put new lead flashing to the base and made totally new waterproof panels in their workshop. They have not been able to discover where the bell pull would have been..
THIS IS THE BELL
THE DAMAGED PANELS
THE NEW PANELS WITH MAREK REGULSKI WHO FITTED THEM
THE NEW PANELS WERE MADE BY TADEUSZ NOWICKI
The morning sunshine in January 2024 has captured the newly painted window frames and the newly restored Bell Tower
