Westbourne: flats on old school site

Image: © Chris Downer Taken: 4 Sep 2008

When Bournemouth became a Local Education Authority in 1903, there were two schools in Westbourne: St. Ambrose infants' and the Westbourne British School which became a council school under the Education Act 1902. The latter, particularly, was in overcrowded and entirely inadequate buildings, and in 1907 after discussions with both schools as to future provision in the neighbourhood, nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 Middle Road were purchased (Middle Road later being renamed R.L. Stevenson Avenue). For a time, nos. 7 and 8 were rented out (13 shillings a week each) while 5 and 6 were demolished in readiness for the school building. The tender of J.M. McWilliams & Son was accepted on 31 December 1907, at a cost of £2,120. The tenants of those two houses were given notice to quit on 25 November 1907 and the buildings were opened on 16 November 1908. The school closed in July 1962 owing to falling rolls. A special school for those with behavioural difficulties (the 'maladjusted' as they were then called) moved to the site that summer, from premises in Pokesdown, an eastern suburb of Bournemouth. It closed around 1995 when those children were increasingly accommodated in mainstream classes, and was demolished shortly afterwards. These flats now occupy the site – they are very much in keeping with their older neighbours, incorporating the two-tone brickwork above the doors and windows. The remnants of the 'School Keep Clear' zig-zag lines are still evident in the roadway.

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