The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-03 00:00:00

EXTENSION OF BROMSGROVE GRAMMAR

SCHOOL.

On Tuesday afternoon the new school buildings
which have recently been erected in connectio with
King Edward's foundation at Brom grove were
opened by the Bishop of Worcester. The
existing accommodation had long been f. rand inad-
equate to the requirements of an imp ,rta t school,
and some time ago a subscription list was
started to obtain funds to extend the premise.
Amongst the subs,ribers were the Bishop of Wor-
cester, Lord Lyttleton, Sir R. P. Amehleet, Sir
Owen Lanyon, Sir Richard Temple, Mr. G. W.
Has:ings, M.P., Mr. J. Ccrbett, M.P., and nearly
£1,50 was speedily obtainel. The work was then
commenced, and the schools have been completed
la a highly satisfactory manner. The new building
is in the Queeen Anne style, and is situated on the
n r. hern boundary of the school grounds, some
little distance from the chapel. It is erected in rod
b:ick, relieved with rouad oak stone, and forms a
parallelogram two storeys height. The whole
of the upper floor is utilised as the school hill,
wh 12 is divided into four rooms—the laboratory,
library, sixth form room, and class .room n The
school hill is about 65fr. long. 26ft. wide, and 16ft.
,o the wall-plate. The main entrance is near
the south.,west corner, and is surmounted with a
stone pediment, in the tyeapinum ef which is a
circular panel, bearing on a shield the coat-of arms
of Sir Thomas Cookes. This entrance gives access
to the laboratory and to the main s'aircase,
thiough a lobby leading to the school hall, another
doorway towards the mit-ldle of the elevation giving
admission to the remaining three rooms. The
building is well lighted and ventilated, arid the
gasfittiugs have been provided by Messrs. Thomason
and C.)., (1 Birmingham. The ceitract was ac-
cepied by ttlessrs. Brazi,e. and Weaver, and the
building has been erected from the designs of Mr.
John Cotton, architect, Birmingham and Broms-
grove. The carving has been very artistically
executed by Mr. J. Roddis, of Birmingham. The
expenses incurred in the erection of thi building,
exclusive of the fittings and furniture, were about
£1,530, and towards that amount £1,473 2s, 7d,
has already been obtained.
The proceedings in connection with the opening
ceremony were commenced by a service in the
school chapel, a sermon being preacliedby the Rev,
Dr. Blore, head master ot King's Sch .01, Canter-
bury, and late Lead master of Bromsgrove. School,
Subsequently a meeting was held in the new schoel
hall, there being a large attendance. The Head
Alaster (Mr. H. MillinAo•t) presided ; and there
were also present the Bishop of Worcester, Arch-
deacon Lewis (the .Bishop-designate of Llandaff),
the Hon. and Rev. A. H. T. Massey, the Revds.
Canon Lea, H. Tardy (Birmingham), A. S
Porter, J. B. Wilson, Trine, J. Kidd, I. G.
Dr.;Blore, and J. Goodwin, Messrs. H. F Vernon,
R. S. C. ekes, R. Smallwood, T. Scott, J. B. Hortoe,
Dr. Batten, Dr. Prosser, Sze._

The Head Master regretted the absence of many.
" old boys," particularly •oentiming Mr. (.1. vV
listings, M.P., and Sir Richard Vinple, and then
said that Lord Lyttelt on, weo had always tak,la tee
warme-t in erest in the r-ch.ol, w.s also unable to
on present throu.Ji ilness He expressed 'v.-at
pleasure at the presence of the p itt on of the school
—Mr. Cookes —saying that in that building Mr.
Cookes had founded for himself a monument more
las, iug than one of brass. (Applaus.) He con•
e•ra.ulated the meeting on the presence of th-
'Bishop o. Worcester and Archdeacon Lewis, who
ould so n be Bishop of Llaridaff —(applaus)—
and said he .-ante,l the Archdeacon to feel that it
was from the r. pre entatives of his own school
that he had received the first public words of
welcome. (Applause) lie was sure they all
sincerely desired for him a, career of g. eat useful-
n?ss and active beneficence. (Applause) That
building, he reminded them, owed its origin to the
munificence of the late Rev. John Topham, rector
of St. Andrew's Droitwich, and formerly ILAI,I-
- of Broulsgrove School, who gave £250 to
the school, wh.ch amount had since been largely
inc.-eased by toe subscriptions of many generous
donors and friends, in answer to an appeal which
was issued in January last year. (App.au4e,)
The Bishop of Worcester said that in c.,mmene-
ing the proceedings that afternoon with a service
in the chapel the head master had shown that he
wished to build up the education of the school upon
a right foundation. All who were interested in the
school, he was sure, regretted that for a long time
p Let the accommodation had been very insufficient.
If the scho 1 had been a very small one, containing
only tweniy-five or thirty boys, the purpose for
whin it was required; but as the school had c(m-
siderably increased, and they hoped that it would
still increa-e, it became perfectly impossible to
carry on the education of the boys very satisfac-
torily in the old building, They had no class-room
library, laboratory, or large hall like the one tiley
were then in; and therefore, considering how
essential it was in carrying on the educati ,n of a
number of boys to have every conveineuee, it be-
came absolutely necessary to extend the school
buildings. The governing body were fully alive to
the necessity, but they had no funds to enable them
to do the work. The endowninent of £5O. a year
left by the noble founder, who did so much for
Worcester at Oxford, wds sold not long ago with

the consent of the Charity Commissioner-s, a-ncl with
the pi'eceeds some troubleermie buildiu6-s elo•e to
the school were acquired, and removed iii order to
meike the premises tree from olijec iou. Although
the goyernirig body had no fun is, the tate Rev.
John Tophana, who was for many years toaster irf
t :e echo ite.left £250 , to be disposed of in any way
the head master deemed advisaele in the interests
of tire eeriool ; and Mr. eliilington thought tee suel
might form the nuclei" of a .uird ,or the enlarge-
ment of tee sk.h 01. lle was urged by the govern-
ing body whom he coneuited to star a suuscrip-
te n list, :in,' this ne eventually did Au appeal
was made to al i who were interested in the school,
and nearly £1,500. was soon obtained. This was
the amount that was put down as the cost of tee
school, but a great deal more reemined to be done
in respect to tee furnishing of tee achieol and tit-
ting-np the laboratory and library. Consequently
the subscription list was still open, and additional
amounts were required before tile school would be
free from debt. Unless the school grew very large,
far larger than they dared clop° tor, the present
buildings would be sufficient tor their le quirements
for many years to come. The scheme by which
the echool was governed took effect in 1869, before
the appoditment of the Endowed Schools Commis-
siou. The constitution or it was that tile Bishop
of the Diocese and the Vicar of bromsgrove shouiu
be permanent members of the governing body.
That provision, he considered, was a wise one, and
he only wished it was carried out in other places
more than it had been. It was highly important in
a school like that that the bhtion of the diocese
and the vicar of the parish should have some share
in the management of its proceedings. (Applause)
his Lordship next referred to tee connection of
that sch,ol with the Worcester College at Oxford,
explaining that two Commis-ions had been sitting
—one for the University of Oxf ad, and the other
for the University of Cambridge with the view
of regulating a great many highly important
matters in relatioa to the two univetsitiee. Among,
other matters treated hy the Commissioners at Ox-
ford, tie relations bet weeu the Brom,grove School
and the Worcester College were eiseuesed. The
first schema sent down by the Commiseioners to the
goveining body was eutirely disapproved or, and
they iiitimated that they should exercise the power
ihey possessed, and reject it. It Was consequently
withdrawn by the Commissioners, and an amen-
ded scheme was afterwards sent, and being aprovea
of, was now in operation. Under it there would
be five scholars .ips for welch the boys flour
Bromsg,rove School would have the p:eferenee
but they would not receive tirein mikes they
she, ecl they were qualified to take them. Three of
the scholarships were in sums not exceeding £BO
a year, and two exhibitions not exceeding £2O, a
year. The connection of is school with a college
was a veiy wholeeome and happy thing, and he
hoped it would long continue, and that boys
would go from Brotusgrove Sc ii:ed to Worcester
Colleeee, Oxiord, and not only assert their right to
the fit;re scholarships, but get them. (App ause.)
In conclusion, he co.igratula,ed the boys on the
ieereased acc immodati in thy would iloW have by
the eree.ion of the new buildings, which he Lhen
declared to be opened for the use of the school.
(Applause,)
Tue Rev Mr. Tring, head master of Uppiugham
School, and the Rev. Dr. Blore then deliveree ad-
dresses ; after which.
Archdeacon Lewis, Bishop-designate of Llandaff,
said that when he received an invitation from the
head master a few days ago to attend that meeting
he was overwhelmed with the weighty and solemn
responsibilities which with tear and trembling lie
had just ventured to undertake, and he was filled
with thoughts of the great work he was about to
enter upon. It was forty-eight years this month
since, as a little boy of thirteen, he first set feet in
13romsgrove. The total number ot boys in the
school then was seventeen, including his brother
and himself, so that since then there had been vast
and marked progress in the numbers attending the
school. Great and valuable improvements had
been effected in the school, and he was persuaded
that the inauguration of that building would mark
the commencement of a new era of prosperity foi
the school. (Applause.)
Several other gentlemen also addressed the meet-
ing, ard the proceedings then terminated.

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