The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-10-18 00:00:00

4'

EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS AT OLD HILL

Mr. G. A. Haden Best, of Haden Hill, Old Hill,
has just completed the erection of a fir.e set of edu-
cational buildings, which are to be used for the re-
ligious, social, and moral benefit of the people of
that place. Within the last four years three also._
nificient buildings have been erected in the parish
by the family to which Mr. Best, the present donor,
b longs. Within that period, Holy Trinity Church,
a fine edifice, has been raised at Old Hill, through
the munificence of Mr. W. Bassano, fvho is brother-
in-law of Mr. Best, the present benefactor of Old
(lin. The total cost of this structure was £22,000,
of which amount no less than £lB,OOO. was sub-
scribed by Mr. Bsssano alone. In addttion to this
an organ was placed in the church, at a;cost of .21000
and it was also provided with a public clock at
great eaponse. This was supplemented by the erec-
tion of and endowing of national schools at Reddall
Hill by Miss Haden, another member of the same
family, the cost of these being over ..3,500. The
new schools and Working Men's Club, which ha,. e
been added recently to the many valuable outbuild-
ings in that locality by the liberality of Mr. Best,
are situated in Halesowen Road, near the Cross,
Old Hill, and have been opened this week, w:theut
any formal ceremony whatever, the family being,
it is said, adverse to anything like display. The
schools, though built primarily for school purposes
in connection with the Church of England, will
not be confined exclusively to this, but will he avail-
able as a public hall for any objens having in view
the socia,l, moral, or intellectual improvement of
the people. The reading rooms will be thrown
open to the general public, without respect to any
s ade of political or re:igious opinion. Mr. Bost
reserves for the time being absolute control over
the building, and it is understood that the working
men's institute will be governed by a local com-
mittee. A special fea'ure in the whole plan is the
provision of a depot for the sale of pure literature
at a cheap rate, Mr. Best being especially desirous
that thepeople should be supplied with pure read-
ing as cheap as possible. The buildings are de-
signed in accordance with the general characteris-
tics of English Gothic architecture of the early part
of the 15th century, treated freely to meet the re-
quirements of the present day .['hey are built of
the ordinary local brick, selected for faced work,
and relieved with Bath stone-dressings. The chief
features in the elevations are the large traceried
windows of the large hall or school room, mere orna-
mentation having been in all cases avoided. The
buildings are divided into three portions, viz, school
rooms, workmen's club, and curator's residence, will
depot for the sale of pure literature. The schools,
which occupy by tar the largest portion of the struc-
ture, consist of a large hall, 96ft. by 65ft capable of
seating about 1,000 children upon the ground floor,
in classes of fifteen each, and two rooms far infants,
each 35f by 30ft, giving accommodation for 400, or
a grand total of 1,400 children. These rooms era
approached by two wide and spacious corridors, for
the division of the sexes, fitted with ample cloak and
hat accommodation, and affording ready egress at
fi out and rear. The large hall is abn desigred for
use an assembly room, being provided with a gallery,
approached from the main entrance by a stone stair-
case. The hall, with the gallery, is capable of seat-
ing at least 2,000 persons. At the opposite end of
the hall is an ample raised platform and a covered
recess, in which it is intended to place an organ.
Full provision is made for the public gatherinas of
every deseription by the addition of retiring roams,
store rooms, &c. The hall is divided into cenfre
and side aisles by ornamental cast-iron columns,
supporting the plain wooden centre-barrel vaul•ecl
roof, with a series of similar roofs over the side
aisles, the whole having been designed with a view
to good acoustic properties, and in this respeot has
proved very successful. The infant school rooms—
one of which is fitted with a large gallery in the
circle—have open timbered roofs, and are to placed
as tp be available for retiring rooms in cases of
public meeting,. The second diyision of the
buildings, whice has a separate entrance, comprises
the club room, 40ft. by 20ft., in which roem there is
a refreshment bar, provided for the supply of whole-
some refreshmen s. Leading out of tho club room
are the reading and recreation rooms, the reference
library, and with all the necessary lavatory accomo-
dation attached. The third divisien consists of a
commodious front shop for the sale of pure literature
and tin curatei's residence. The club room is
warmed by Galion stoves, and the large hall and
' school rooms by a powerful hew ing apparatus by
Messrs. Henry Critchley and Co , Birmingham.
The whole of the rooms are thoroughly ventilated.
The total cost of the erection, exclusive of the site, is
£9,000., and a further sum of £6OO. is being spent
upon the organ, in course of erection by Messrs.
Brindley and Foster, Sheffield. The works have
been carried out from designs and under the superin-
tendence of Mr. J. T. Meredith, archictect, Kidder-
minster, by Mr. W. Nelson, contractor, Dudley.