Hough Memorial School, Netherton

Now known as the South Crosland Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School, the Hough Memorial School is situated on Moor Lane, between Netherton and Armitage Bridge.

Although the school was strongly linked to Rev. George Hough, vicar of Holy Trinity, South Crosland, it was actually built and named in honour of his sister, Elizabeth Hough, who died in 1870.

History

The building was designed by John Kirk and Sons of Huddersfield in the gothic style and bears the inscription "In Memoriam" over the gable end window. The grounds were originally laid out by Joseph Hey of Berry Brow.

The acre of land the school was built on was purchased and donated by Rev. Gough. The initial six trustees were:

The school was officially opened on Saturday 3 January 1874 and was built to initially accommodated 200 infants. The cost of the school was partly covered by donations and subscriptions, and it was opened free of debts.

The Huddersfield Daily Chronicle gave the following description of the school:[1]

Besides the Memorial School there is a teacher's house, and these are built on the south side of Moor Lane, leading from Netherton to Armitage Bridge, and are in the Gothic style of architecture, from designs prepared by Messrs. John Kirk and Sons, architects, of Huddersfield and Dewsbury, and under whose superintendence the works have been carried out. The school and teacher's house are semi-detached, and when the boys' school is added, which is proposed to be done at some future time, will form a very pleasing front, with the teacher's house, clock, and bell turret for the centre. The infants' school forms the left wing, which projects from the main front about 10 feet with a gable, in which is a bold five light tracery headed window. Over this window carved in stone, is the inscription "In Memoriam." The school has an open timbered roof, stained and varnished, supported upon molded and carved stone corbles. The walls are plastered and lined out in blocks to look like ashlar. The school is lighted by three very handsome coronas of a pretty design, painted blue, relieved with red and picked out with gold. The school is very effectually warmed with hot air, which does great credit to Mr. John Grundy, of Manchester. Between the school and the teacher's house are the porch and lavatory, and behind these a large classroom, 18ft. by 15ft., entered from the porch. The lavatory contains three wash-basins and double rows of pin rails, and shelves for caps and cloaks. The teacher's house contains on the basement, a coal cellar and keeping cellar, on the ground floor, porch, staircase, sitting-room, kitchen and scullery, and on the chamber floor two bedrooms and dressing room. The above schools stand upon an acre of ground, and are entirely walled in with a good and substantial lime wall, finished with three carved toppings. The front gateway has two bold and handsome posts, and an ornamental iron gate.

Canon Hulbert's Annals of the Church and Parish of Almondbury, Yorkshire (1882) contains the following section on the school (page 309):

The Memorial School, Netherton, was built in 1873, in Memory of the sister of Mr. Hough, the Vicar, and who had lived with him since the death of his wife in 1834. Miss Hough had endeared herself to the Parishioners, and as a Memorial of their attachment they erected a School in Netherton to her Memory. She died on the 24th day of December, 1870. The School is now used partly for an Infants' School, and Divine Service is also conducted there. The late Mr. Hough himself purchased the freehold for the site of the School and adjoining ground (containing altogether 4,840 yards) from the Trustees of Godfrey Beaumont's Charity, for the sum of £242 : and the property was conveyed by Deed, dated 15th Septr., 1873, from George Armitage, Joseph Taylor Armitage and William Brooke, Esquires (Trustees), to the Rev. George Hough, and Messrs. James Wrigley, Joseph Wrigley, Henry Wrigley, George Dyson and James Albert Wrigley as Trustees of the Building of the School, to be used as therein mentioned for the purpose of education and Church Services, and wide discretionary powers are contained in the Deed for the Trustees to alter the Trusts, and particularly to make conveyance of the whole or part of the premises for the site of a Church.

Further Reading

Location

Links

Notes and References

  1. "Memorial School at Netherton: Opening Ceremony" in Huddersfield Daily Chronicle (05/Jan/1874).