Northern Woods and Water Route

The Northern Woods and Water Route is a 2,400-kilometre (1,500 mi) route through northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Western Canada. As early as the 1950s, community groups came together to establish a northern travel route; this was proposed as the Northern Yellowhead Transportation Route. The Northern Woods and Water Route Association was established in 1974, and encouraged promotion of the route with the promise of an increase in tourist travel. The route was designated in 1974 and is well signed throughout its component highways. The route starts at Dawson Creek as the Spirit River Highway and ends at the Perimeter of Winnipeg, Manitoba, after running through the northern regions of the western provinces. From west to east, the Northern Woods and Water Route (NWWR) incorporates portions of British Columbia Highway 49; Alberta Highways 49, 2A, 2, & 55; Saskatchewan Highways 55 & 9; Manitoba Provincial Road 283 and Trunk Highways 10, 5, 68 & 6. The halfway point of the NWWR is approximately at Goodsoil, Saskatchewan.

Fur traders and early settlers utilised the rivers and Red River cart roads such as Long Trail until the early 20th century when the railroad and bush planes supplemented travel to this northern boreal transition area. Corduroy roads provided a means for early land vehicles to cross over muskeg and swamp. Horse drawn ploughs filled low areas, settlers hauled gravel and cleared bush for the road ways surveyed along high elevations following lake and river shore lines. Municipalities would grade and gravel roads providing transportation between trading centres. The all-weather road arrived alongside of the NWWR association's impetus for a travel and tourism corridor along the northern area of the western provinces. Traffic volume along the route is a major factor to determine highway classification, surface type, and construction upgrades.

## Route description

### British Columbia

` In British Columbia (BC), the NWWR starts in Dawson Creek at the intersection of BC Hwy 2 and BC Hwy 49. Two kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the intersection is BC Hwy 97, where BC Hwy 97 north is the start of the Alaska Highway while BC Hwy 97 south is named the John Hart Highway. BC Hwy 49, also known as the Spirit River Highway, travels for 15 km (9 mi) before reaching the Alberta border. `

### Alberta

The NWWR continues east into Alberta on Highway 49, the Spirit River Highway. Alberta Highway 49 contributes 19.5 km (12.1 mi) to the NWWR in northwestern Alberta between Donnelly and the Alberta and BC border. The town of Spirit River's population is just over 1,000 and is supported by agriculture and the oil and gas industry creating an annual average daily traffic (AADT) near Spirit River that is about 2,000 vehicles per day (vpd). To the south is the Spirit River, a tributary of the Peace River, which is to the north. The village of Rycroft, "The Hub of the Peace", has a population over 600, and welcomes travellers with their tourism booth in a giant teepee at the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 2 where the traffic volume increases to about 3,000 vpd. Wanham Grizzly Bear Prairie Museum is at the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 773, where the AADT declines to about 1,000 vpd for the village of Wanham, which has a population around 600. Watino is an unincorporated area within Birch Hills County and the traffic volume declines to between 800 and 900 vpd. Bad Heart River is a tributary of the Peace River and flows through Watino. Donnelly is near the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 2 and is also west of Kimiswan Lake. At Donnelly, traffic volume rises to around 1,800, and the NWWR turns south before arriving at Highway 2A. The next connecting highway along the NWWR is Highway 2. One route would be to follow Highway 2 west from Donnelly to McLennan whenceforth it turns south through Kathleen and intersection Highway 679 until the junction with Highway 2A when the route turns east. This route following Highway 2 through McLennan is 49.9 km (31.0 mi). McLennan holds Northern Woods and Water Route caravans every August. The other route would be to follow Highway 2A, a designated alternative route to Highway 2, by turning south at Donnelly staying on Highway 49 until the eastern turn on Highway 2A. This branch from Donnelly till the connection with Highway 2 is 312.2 km (194.0 mi). From Donnelly to Athabasca, Alberta, Highway 2 contributes 56.5 km (35.1 mi) to the NWWR scenic route across the western provinces. High Prairie on the West Prairie River is west of the intersection of Highway 749 and Highway 2, where traffic jumps to about 7,000 vpd. Enilda is a hamlet on the East Prairie River that is within Big Lakes County. Driftpile is a community on the Driftpile River within the Drift Pile River 150 Indian reserve. The Hill and Hollow Campsite and Bay Shore Resort Inc. are at Faust, which is on the south shore of Lesser Slave Lake along Highway 2. Within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 is the small hamlet of Wagner. Canyon Creek, Widewater and Slave Lake, “The Jewel of the North", are also on Lesser Slave Lake. The town of Athabasca, "Land of the Whispering Hills", on the Athabasca River has a population over 2,500 and marks the transition between the NWWR connector routes Highway 2 and Highway 55. Traffic volume around Athabasca ranges from 6,000 to 8,000 vpd according to AADT traffic counts at various areas. Lac La Biche is located south of Lac la Biche and Beaver Lake on the junction of Highway 36 and Highway 55, where traffic remains around 7,000 vpd. Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park on Lac la Biche is to the north of the NWWR at this point. Rich Lake is in Lac La Biche County municipal district, and the traffic volume declines to around 800 vpd. La Corey, Beaver Crossing are along Highway 55, which is an asphalt highway and has yearly maintenance.

### Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan (SK) has six travel corridors of which the Northern Woods and Water Route is the most northerly. The NWWR begins its journey in north western SK on SK Hwy 55, which crosses 670.9 km (416.9 mi) of northern Saskatchewan. Pierceland, a small hamlet of the Beaver River No. 622 rural municipality (RM), is at the junction of SK Hwy 55, SK Hwy 950 north and SK Hwy 21 south where traffic volume is around 1,000 vpd. The unincorporated area of Peerless, is at the junction of SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 26 which bears a traffic volume between 600 and 700 vpd.Goodsoil, the approximate halfway point of the NWWR is on SK Hwy 26 6.2 km (3.9 mi) north of the NWWR en route to the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. Rapid View is an unincorporated area of the RM of Meadow Lake No. 588 RM. The town of Meadow Lake is on the north-western shore of Meadow Lake where the AADT is approximately 1,700 to 2,500 vpd. Green Lake, at the intersection of SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 155, is at the northern tip of Green Lake. Traffic volume is considerably higher west of Green River at about 900 vpd dropping to about 350 to the east. Between Green Lake and Shellbrook, the NWWR bears south east skirting around the western edge of the Prince Albert National Park. The NWWR follows the eastern shoreline of Cowan Lake until the southern tip at Big River which is just west of Delaronde Lake, and the highway volume at this point is about 1,000 vpd. Big River No. 555 RM provides civic administration to Bodmin. Debden, a village of about 350, is at the SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 793 junction where traffic volume is about 850 vpd to the north and around 1,200 vpd to the south of the intersection. Polwarth, at the SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 793 south junction, is a hamlet of Canwood No. 494 RM. The village of Canwood, population of about 350, is located between Polwarth and the town of Shellbrook. Shellbrook is at the intersection of SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 240 where the AADT increases to about 2,000 vpd. At Shellbrook, the 42.5 km (26.4 mi) concurrency with SK Hwy 3 begins and the multiplex ends in Prince Albert. Crutwell, a hamlet of Shellbrook No. 493 RM, is located south of the NWWR, and north of the North Saskatchewan River. On the NWWR, at Crutwell, the traffic volume rises to about 3,100. At the city of Prince Albert SK Hwy 55 connects with SK Hwy 3 and SK Hwy 2. Traffic volume west of the city is about 4200 vpd, whereas east of the city the AADT drops to approximately 2,090 vpd. Prince Albert, on the North Saskatchewan River, is within 89.8 km (55.8 mi) of the Prince Albert National Park. Meath Park is a village of about 200 at the junction of SK Hwy 55, SK Hwy 355 and SK Hwy 120 where the traffic volume is heaviest west towards Prince Albert at about 2,000 vpd, and the AADT trickles down to 1,000 vpd east of Meath Park. The NWWR is in the Boreal transition ecoregion which features agricultural fields on the parkland mixed with dense taiga and sparse population. Over the next 37.5 km (23.3 mi) there are three small unincorporated areas with populations less than 100; Weirdale is found in the Garden River No. 490 RM; Foxford in Paddockwood No. 520, RM; and Shipman of Torch River No. 488 RM. At the SK Hwy 55 and SK hwy 255 junction is the village of Smeaton, and at the SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 691 junction is the hamlet of Snowden. Choiceland is 1 km (0.62 mi) north of the SK Hwy 55 and the SK Hwy 6 national highway intersection. Garrick is a part of Torch River No. 488 RM and Love, a village of around 60, marks a turn south east for the NWWR. White Fox, a village of about 375 is near the SK Hwy 55 and SK Hwy 35 intersection where the traffic volume raises to 1,700 vpd. At the intersection, the NWWR turns south and a 12 km (7.5 mi) concurrency begins until the town of Nipawin. Nipawin on the Saskatchewan River, and near both Tobin Lake and Codette Lake is home to the Northern Woods and Water Route Association. West of Nipawin until the SK Hwy 23 intersection the traffic volume remain around 1,300 vpd and following the intersection to the east the traffic falls to about 400 vpd. There are no communities along the SK Hwy 9 route which contributes 40 km (25 mi) to the entire NWWR. At the junction between SK Hwy 55 and Sk hwy 9, the AADT is less than 100 vpd.

### Manitoba

Travel along the NWWR enters Manitoba via the MB PR 283 west ending at The Pas, a town of about 5,500 where the AADT increases to 980 vpd. MB PR 283 provides 38.6 km (24.0 mi) of the NWWR where the economy has been supported by the fur trade, trapping, mining, fishing, logging and agricultural industries. The Pas, which has not yet incorporated as a city (requisite population of 5,000), is located south of the Saskatchewan River and south of the Clearwater Lake Provincial Park and Cormorant Provincial Forest. Travel along the NWWR out of The Pas continues south along MB PTH 10 and continues on MB PTH 10 for 411.6 km (255.8 mi). Pasquia River flows through The Pas, and travels west of the NWWR until it turns west to Saskatchewan near Westray. Freshford and Westray are both within the R.M. of Kelsey. Overflowing River, a small community with less than 100 residents is a part of the Unorganized Division No. 21. Overflowing River community is on the Overflowing River and at the north-west tip of Dawson Bay of Lake Winnipegosis whereas Makefing is east of the Porcupine Provincial Forest. Bellsite, Novra, and Birch River are all small unorganised areas of Mountain (North) RM located west of Swan Lake. Bowsman with a population of over 300, is the next largest village along the NWWR after The Pas. Swan River, in the Swan River valley, is between the Duck Mountains and Porcupine Mountains. North of Swan River, the AADT increases to about 2,000 vpd and the NWWR changes course at Swan River and bears east. Minitonas is on the Favel River and at the junction of MB PTH 10 and MB PR 366 south. West of MB PTH 10 and MB PR 268 north intersection, traffic volume is over 1,100 vpd, and east of MB PR 268 traffic declines to about 750 vpd. Renwer is a small community found in the Minitonas RM. The MB PTH 10 and MB PTH 20 intersection is at the hamlet of Cowan in Mountain (South) RM and here the NWWR resumes its route south. Sclater and Pine River two places with populations less than 100 are also found in Mountain (South) RM. The NWWR is to the east of Duck Mountain Provincial Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Forest and west of Lake Winnipegosis. Garland is at the intersection of MB PR 489 east, MB PR 367 west, MB PTH 10A and MB PTH 10. Ethelbert, a small hamlet of the R.M. of Ethelbert, is at the intersection of MB PR 269 west, MB PR 274 south and MB PTH 10. The AADT along MB PTH 10 declines to about 680 vpd near this intersection. Ashville is located north of the MB PTH 10 and MB PTH 5 junction in this parkland area of R.M. of Gilbert Plains. The NWWR continues east along the MB PTH 5, using this connector route for a total of 40 km (25 mi). The city of Dauphin is located north of Riding Mountain National Park and south of Dauphin Lake. Near this city, the traffic volume jumps to 2,750 vpd, with the heaviest day of the week being Friday, and the highest volume occurring between April and October during daylight hours. Ochre River is at the junction of MB PTH 10 and MB PR 582 south of Rainbow Beach Provincial Park. Ste. Rose du Lac, a town of about 1,000, is at the intersection of MB PTH 5, MB PTH 68 and MB PR 276. Near this intersection, the traffic volume declines to around 1,800 vpd. At Ste. Rose du Lac, cattle capital of Manitoba, the NWWR continues west on MB PTH 68 and this connector highway will carry the NWWR for 128.2 km (79.7 mi). Shergrove is located close to the turn off north from the easterly direction of MB PTH 68. Ebb and Flow Lake is east of Eddystone which is part of R.M. of Alonsa. Wapah, another small community, is between Ebb and Flow Lake, and Lake Manitoba. [R.M. of Siglunes](Rural_Municipality_of_Siglunes "wikilink") administrates civic affairs for Vogar which is south of Dog Lake. At Vogar the NWWR returns to an east direction. At Mulvihill the NWWR turns south and the 10.4 km (6.5 mi) concurrency between MB PTH 68 and MB PTH 6 begins. At Eriksdale, MB PTH 68 turns east and the concurrency between MB PTH 68 and MB PTH 6 ends, however the NWWR continues on MB PTH 6 in a southerly direction for the final 135.6 km (84.3 mi) leg of the travel corridor. Deerhorn is found in the R.M. of Eriksdale. The NWWR continues south along PTH 6 and parallel to the eastern shores of Lake Manitoba. Lundar and Clarkleigh are both in R.M. of Coldwell. The unincorporated area of Lundar is at the intersection of MB PR 418 east, PTH 6, and MB PR 419. MB PR 419 west provides access to the Lundar Beach Provincial Park. The hamlet of Clarkleigh is at the intersection of MB PTH 6, and MB PR 229 east. Oakpoint is at the intersection of MB PTH 6, and MB PR 419, and St. Laurent is at MB PTH 6 and MB PR 415. The hamlet of Lake Francis is located west of West Shoal Lake. Both Woodlands and Warren are unincorporated areas with small populations below 100 of R.M. of Woodlands. The AADT along the NWWR increases to over 2,500 vpd near these communities. Woodlands is at thei intersection of PTH 6 and MB PR 518 and Warren is at MB PTH 67 and MB PTH 6. Grosse Isle is the last hamlet along NWWR before arriving at Perimeter Highway, the PTH 101 around Winnipeg, the ending terminus of the NWWR.

## History

The Long Trail followed the Peace River 100 miles (160 km)530 across northern AB. As the flow of traffic increased due to the fur trade industry along the Long Trail, stopping places developed providing rest and food for travelers. In 1923, the three routes out of Lac La Biche were to the west, which corresponds to the route of AB Hwy 55 along the south shores of Lesser Slave Lake. Edmonton or Saddle Lake trail departed to the south, which would be the initial stages of AB Hwy 55 out of Lac La Biche. Heart Lake trail traveled northeast from Lac La Biche, which would form a base for secondary AB Hwy 858. Work was done on the Athabaska Trail to make it passable for motor traffic as many roads had been graded. Before stopping places developed, caches were set up at stopping points along the way. Before the arrival of rails the waterways such as the Lesser Slave Lake near Athabasca, Alberta and the Saskatchewan River near Prince Albert were traversed by long boat, canoe, and steamship. The rail did not reach the northern areas until the early twentieth century due to the geological hurdles of mountains, muskeg, swamp, boreal forest, and river systems to traverse. A huge flood in 1899 near The Pas left no ground to walk upon, yet the railway track construction work began in 1906, with more continuing in 1911. In 1928, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) surveyed their line across the Saskatchewan River near Prince Albert, and contractors started work on the bridge. The upper deck served the train, and the lower deck was built for highway traffic opening for vehicles in 1932. In 1929, travel was overland on trails, and rivers were forded in many places.

As early as 1896 oil wells were drilled at Athabasca supplementing the rich soils and grain growing economy. There was a rush of settlers to the area in the early 20th century, at this time transportation for goods was freighted on Lesser Slave Lake to connecting river routes or via early rail lines overland. Fortune seekers during the gold rush of 1896 traveled north through Edmonton or took the rail as far north as Prince Albert. The westerly route proceeded from Prince Albert to Green Lake, and from there to the Long Trail by following the Beaver River to the Churchill River, Athabaska, Slave and Mackenzie rivers until bearing north following the rivers of the Yukon to Dawson City.

The first garage to service McLaughlin cars opened in High River as early as 1909. In 1912 travelers could stop here at a filling station for their automobiles. This same year the speed limit through town was not over ten miles per hour (16 km/h) and not over five miles per hour (8 km/h) upon approaching another horse or pedestrian, the fine was not more than

` The Pas, Manitoba saw its first car arrive in 1916, yet it had been active with fur trading posts and explorers in the area since 1741.`

Settlers would not only haul gravel for the new roadways, but they also cleared brush for the road allowance. Early roads did not follow the road allowances of the Dominion Land Survey, but rather kept to higher ground, however due to the nature of the Boreal transition ecoregion, muskegs and swamps still needed to be traversed. The first pioneers filled these watery areas with branches and brush and proceeded along their trip. Later corduroy roads were built across these areas were traffic got mired in the mud. A corduroy road consisted of logs laid across the road as a rail tie is across the rail line, however the logs were placed one against another and mud filled between the logs for a smoother surface. One log provided about 6 inches (15 cm) of roadway, so only the worst areas were constructed in this fashion.

Debden, Saskatchewan had a horse and caboose taxi for settlers as early as 1912 providing regular trips to Prince Albert and taking children to school. In 1945, the taxi service was provided by automobile. Bush planes arrived in the 1920s to the northern bus areas providing communication in an era where travel was limited when the snow fell, or the water froze. In 1968, High Prairie was looking forward to hard surface construction for AB Hwy 2 which would supplement the economic trading base with tourism. A new bridge across the Saskatchewan River at Prince Albert was erected in 1974, and caused re-routing of the highway by one and a half miles (2.4 km). Community groups came together as early as the 1950s to establish a northern travel route.

The early name proposed for these travel corridor was the Northern Yellowhead Transportation Route. The Northern Woods and Water Route Association was established in 1974, their further promotion of the route was to increase tourist travel. George R. Stephenson (1916–2003), of McLennan was one of the first facilitators to organise the Northern Woods and Water Route across Western Canada in 1974. Henry Andres was chairman of the Northern Woods and Water Association for eight years wherein the association worked on placing NWWR signs both on provincial highways and maps. Brochures promoting tourism were printed, and the association sponsored more than five cavalcades where wagons would traverse the route between Winnipeg and Dawson Creek promoting tourism and the creation of the travel corridor. On August 21, 1975, one of these Northern Woods and Water Cavalcades stopped at Nipawin Regional Park and toured Nipawin.

Current engineering concerns would be to determine maintenance of the current travel corridor and construction upgrades. The route does contain a variety of road surfaces ranging from asphalt concrete, thin membrane surface (TMS), granular pavements and gravel highway. Insight into current surface texture, traffic volume, traffic speed, percentage of loaded trucks, climate variations, construction costs and time as well as available materials will affect upgrade procedures. The entire route is paved except for a Class 4 gravel highway segment between Nipawin and the Manitoba border. Here the traffic volume declines to 80 and 85 vpd and two checkpoints near the Manitoba border.

## Major intersections

## See also

Highway in Canada


Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878 (also known as the Queensboro Elks Lodge or Elks Lodge 878) is a historic Elks lodge on Queens Boulevard in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The 3+1⁄2-story Italian Renaissance-style main building and two-story annex were both built in 1923–1924 and designed by the Ballinger Company. A three-story rear addition was added in 1930.

The building is made of granite, limestone, and brick. It features a granite-block terrace with granite balustrade, limestone arched entrance, and an elaborate cornice made of architectural terracotta. Lodge 878 was once was the largest such lodge in the Eastern United States, with 28 inn rooms, bowling alleys, game rooms, ladies' and gentlemen's lounges, and a 60-foot (18 m) bar. A statue of an elk is outside the Queens Boulevard entrance.

From its completion in 1924 until the late 20th century, Lodge 878 was extremely influential in Queens politics, with up to 6,600 members in the 1960s. The members were mostly white and male. In the late 20th century, Lodge 878 saw declining membership amid Queens' changing demographics, and the building was rented out for other events. The Elks sold its main building to New Life Fellowship Church in 2001, but it continues to meet in the annex as the Brooklyn Queensborough Elks Lodge. The building is a New York City Designated Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

## Description

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks' Lodge 878 building was designed by the Ballinger Company in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It is composed of the 3+1⁄2-story main building at 82-10 Queens Boulevard; a two-story annex to the east at 82-20 Queens Boulevard; and a three-story rear addition to the south of the main building. Elks Lodge 878 occupies a land lot on the south side of Queens Boulevard, between Simonson and Goldsmith Streets. The main building is on the western side of the block, nearer Simonson Street. The lodge's annex is on the east side of the block toward Goldsmith Street, while the rear addition faces south in the direction of Grand Avenue. The lodge and annex each occupy one land lot, but they only take up half of their respective lots, with the remainder being used as parking areas. An electronic sign is at the western end of the block, at the corner of Queens Boulevard and Simonson Street.

At the time of Lodge 878's construction, the architecture of fraternal organizations' buildings varied drastically. Many lodges built at the time were designed as freestanding structures that acted as monuments, and Elks Lodge 878 was one such example, being highly visible from Queens Boulevard. The main building's facade contained many Italian Renaissance details, including a rusticated limestone facade on its first floor; balustrades; entablatures; and decorative elements such as cornices. Lodge 878 had amenities such as a swimming pool, banquet hall, gym, bowling alley, lodge room, and residential suites for members; it once had a barber shop and restaurant as well. Decorations related to the Elks are prevalent inside, including elk reliefs on the building's doorknobs.

### Main building

The main building is three and a half stories, with a raised basement. It has a U-shaped floor plan. The structure measures 75 by 116 feet (23 by 35 m), with the longer side facing Simonson Street.

#### Facade

The facade consists of granite at its base, rusticated limestone on the first floor, and brick with limestone ornament on the upper floors. The main elevation on Queens Boulevard, facing north, consists of five bays, while the elevations to the west and east contain seven bays. Outside the main building's northern elevation is a set of stairs leading to broad terrace with a balustrade. A bronze elk statue is on a pedestal in the middle of the staircase. According to one legend about the building, Elks Lodge 878 members would squeeze the elk's testicles for good luck before they entered.

On the first story, in the center bay of the northern elevation, is the main entrance arch, which contains a double door and a semicircular window, and is topped by an elaborate keystone. The arch is flanked by a pair of Doric-style engaged columns, which support a frieze with the text queensborough lodge, no. 878 b.p.o.elks. The northern elevation's first floor also contains four segmental-arched openings, two on each side of the main entrance arch, each of which contains a double door and a keystone depicting a lion's head. The side elevations, including the four-bay-wide rear addition, contain casement windows with lion's-head keystones. An entablature and small cornice runs above the first story.

The second and third stories and the attic are clad with buff brick and contain casement windows. On the original building, but not its rear addition, the second-floor windows are set beneath curved architraves, with balustrades at the bottom of each opening. Similarly, the original building's third-floor window openings are topped by scrolled keystones and set beneath carved limestone panels. The rear addition contains a simple brick facade on the upper stories with rectangular windows. A small cornice separates the third floor from the attic, which contains wide carved limestone panels flanking each of the narrow windows. A larger, more extensively decorated terracotta cornice runs above the attic. The eastern elevation has a fire escape.

The rear addition's southern elevation is an undecorated brick facade with segmental-arched first floor window and rectangular second- and third-floor windows, as well as a handicap-accessible entrance. The main building's southern elevation is mostly blocked by the rear addition, but the upper stories of the southern elevation are similar to those on the other three elevations. A flagpole and brick elevator room are atop the roof, while a brick chimney stack is at the southeast corner of the rear addition.

#### Features

The basement had a grill room with a 60-foot-long (18 m) bar and a six-lane bowling alley. Also in the basement were lockers, restrooms, and a barber shop. The bowling alley was subsequently converted to a multipurpose room, while the rest of the basement was reconfigured with classrooms. It has a terrazzo floor, wooden wainscoting, wooden ceiling beams, and wood-sash casement windows with red stained glass. The basement is accessed by a stair from the first floor with wooden wainscoted walls and brass railings.

The first floor has a vestibule inside the main entrance, which contains limestone walls with wood trim. The vestibule leads to a first-floor lobby measuring 22 by 47 feet (6.7 by 14.3 m). It has plaster ceilings, wood-trimmed limestone walls, and terrazzo floors. There are two rooms, one to each side, which served as the men's and women's lounges; they have bronze chandeliers, parquet wooden floors, and decorative fireplace mantels. Other rooms extend from the lobby; on the east, there are stairs leading up and down, as well as an elevator bank. In the back (south) was a dining room measuring 24 by 72 feet (7.3 by 21.9 m), a ticket office, a coat room, restrooms, and a kitchen. The dining room still exists and has checkerboard terrazzo floors, square piers, and bas reliefs. The interior of the rear addition has a health center. The first floor was available for non-members to use as well.

The second and third floors contained offices and game rooms. The common area of the second floor has wood-trimmed plaster walls, parquet wooden floors, and wooden ceiling beams. The southern section has the former lodge room (doubling as an auditorium and used as a church room), while the northern section has offices. The lodge room has capacity for up to 700 people. It is themed to Mayan or Aztec culture, with stained glass panels symbolizing charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity, the cardinal virtues of the Elks. Inside the lodge room is a 3-rank, 9-manual Wurlitzer organ manufactured in 1924. The third floor is furnished similarly to the second floor, and has balconies overlooking the lodge room, with stationary wooden seats. In the rear addition, there are classrooms and offices.

The attic contained 28 suites for members to rent. These were arranged as six double-bedroom suites and 22 single-bedroom suites, with connecting bathrooms between pairs of suites. The suites were available to members for a monthly fee; The New York Times reported in 1995 that this fee was \$220. The suites were on the east and west sides of the main building, and lined a "T"-shaped corridor.

### Annex

The annex is clad with stucco and contains recessed arches with small rectangular windows inside each arch. The main entrance is on Goldsmith Street along the eastern elevation and contains three pairs of doors. A one-story western extension contains a side entrance to Queens Boulevard. A modillioned metal cornice runs atop the annex.

The annex originally contained the swimming pool on the first floor and a gym in the mezzanine, though the pool is no longer extant. The first floor was converted into a multipurpose room that could be used as a bar, dining room, or handball court. The mezzanine floor is smaller than the first floor and has a conference room and an office. The interior has wooden floors and sheet-rock partitions.

## History

### Planning and construction

During the late 1890s, the former town of Newtown was renamed Elmhurst and became part of the City of Greater New York. Elmhurst subsequently became developed as a commercial and residential neighborhood, with the arrival of the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, as well as the construction of Queens Boulevard in the early 20th century, connecting Elmhurst to the Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan. Prior to development, the plot that would later become Lodge 878 was undeveloped, and a stream called Horse Brook ran through the southern side of the lot, though this stream had ceased to run above ground by 1902. To accommodate the 200-foot (61 m) width of Queens Boulevard, buildings along the route were demolished, and the future Lodge 878 lot was decreased in size in 1910.

The Elks, meanwhile, had been founded in 1868 as an all-white, all-male fraternal organization, growing rapidly in subsequent years. Lodge 878 was founded in 1903, and for its first 21 years, met at the Lodge 828 building at 21-42 44th Drive in Long Island City. A 1906 Elks bylaw subsequently limited the number of Elks chapters to one in each municipality, making Lodge 878 the only Elks chapter in Queens. Lodge 878 bought the plot at the southeast corner of Queens Boulevard and Simonson Street in 1921. The Elmhurst location was chosen after extensive discussion. Elks from Jamaica, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven favored a location in Forest Hills, while Elks from Long Island City and Long Island's North Shore advocated for the Elmhurst location.

The cornerstone of the Lodge 878 building was laid on October 6, 1923. To celebrate the groundbreaking and Lodge 878's twentieth anniversary, a parade of almost 300 automobiles carrying 1,500 people drove down Queens Boulevard from Long Island City to the Lodge 878 site. The Ballinger Company had designed plans for the main building and annex's construction, while the McIntee Construction Company was contracted to erect the building. The Elks held a fundraiser for the building's furnishings in late 1924. The lodge was opened on October 26, 1924, and the Elks' grand exalted ruler John G. Price traveled to Queens in December 1924 to dedicate the new building. It had ultimately cost \$750,000 (equivalent to \$ million in ). Upon completion, it ranked as the Eastern United States' largest Elks Lodge.

### Elks use

Lodge 878 originally had a kitchen behind the main building, measuring 21.67 by 60 feet (7 by 18 m). The Elks planned to eventually add a four-story structure behind the main building, with a connecting passageway, but this was not built. Sidney L. Strauss, a lodge member, was instead hired to design the three-story rear addition, replacing the single-story kitchen. Babor-Comeau and Company constructed the addition, which was finished in 1930.

During the mid-20th century, Lodge 878 was influential in Queens politics, with members of Lodge 878 representing both the Democratic and Republican parties. The New York Times said that "If you wanted a job in 1960's Queens, you came to the Elks." By the 1960s, Lodge 878 had 6,600 members and 26 staff, with between 300 and 400 members attending the weekly meetings. Lodge 878 members were highly involved in charity; every year, Lodge 878 held a six-day Elks Bazaar in which it gave away up to 24 new cars. In addition, it was involved in arranging the funerals of its members.

Lodge 878 was reported in 1970 to have a membership of 4,093, making it New York state's largest Elks Lodge. A Times reporter, visiting two years later, said that the lodge was among the largest in the United States, with 3,500 members according to the lodge's executive secretary. However, Lodge 878 and the Elks as a whole suffered a major decline in membership in the late 20th century. Lodge 878 lost about 90% of its members between 1975 and 2001. This was despite the fact that people of other races were allowed to join the Elks in 1973, and women were able to gain membership in 1995.

### Decline and sale

After the annual property taxes on the building increased from \$35,000 in 1990 to \$86,000 in 1995, the Elks placed the Lodge 878 building for sale. Its membership had declined to about 900; the weekly meetings had been cut back to biweekly meetings, and attendance had declined to 50. The annual car raffle had been canceled in 1985 after only a single car was offered at the raffle. Elmhurst's population had changed dramatically from 1980 to 1990; during that time, the white population had declined by 40%, while the Asian population had doubled and overtaken the white population in Elmhurst. Lodge 878's membership was still mostly white and male in 1995; the lodge's treasurer stated that the neighborhood's more recent residents, who were predominantly immigrants, had not shown interest in the Elks. The New York Times described the lodge later that year as "an anachronism with an all-white membership that has failed to attract minorities". One of the Elks' problems was that, even though one prerequisite for membership was U.S. citizenship, an increasing number of Queens residents were not U.S. citizens.

The lodge started to rent out its facilities for celebrations such as Chinese weddings and Latin American quinceañeras. The New Life Fellowship Church, a Korean Pentecostal church, started renting space in the mezzanine in 1995. Wrestling groups started running shows at Lodge 878, including Extreme Championship Wrestling, which rented out the lodge room for several decades. Among the wrestling events at the lodge was the It Ain't Seinfeld supercard event in 1998 and the ROH One Year Anniversary Show in 2003. The building was also rented for film and TV shows. Despite the revenue from renting out the building, Lodge 878 was barely able to make a profit.

In 2000, the Elks began negotiating with the New Life Fellowship Church to sell the main building because the Elks were unable to pay a \$60,000 tax bill for the building. During the sale negotiations, the Elks stipulated that they wished to keep occupying the building's first floor for 99 years without paying rent. After a year of negotiations, the Elks sold the main building to the church in 2001. The Elks continued to own the annex, but closed the annex's pool and added partitions. By then, Lodge 878 only had 550 members. Because of the split ownership of the main building and its annex, these were divided into two separate lots for tax purposes. The New Life Fellowship Church turned the main building's rear addition into a health center in 2009, as well as made various improvements for handicap accessibility in the 2010s.

## Critical reception and landmark designations

Upon its completion, the Lodge 878 building received critical acclaim. The new building won the Queens Chamber of Commerce's Annual Building Award for 1925. In the September 1926 edition of Architectural Forum, which had a series of three article on the buildings of fraternal organizations, the building's elk statue was depicted on the first page of the three-article series. The series' last article praised the Ballinger Company as having "carried out, brilliantly and effectively, an adaptation of the highly decorative style of the ancient Maya builders of Central America."

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the main building as a landmark on August 4, 2001, acknowledging its importance to Queens politics and making it the first Elks Lodge in the city to be an official city landmark. Neither the annex nor the rear addition were designated as city landmarks. The lodge, annex, and addition were added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 2014.

## See also

- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens County, New York

Buildings and structures completed in 1924

Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City

National Register of Historic Places in Queens, New York

New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens, New York

Renaissance Revival architecture in New York (state)


Barnard Castle School

Barnard Castle School (colloquially Barney School or locally the County School) is a co-educational private day and boarding school in the market town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, in the North East of England. It is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). It was founded in 1883 with funding from a 13th-century endowment of John I de Balliol and the bequest of the local industrialist Benjamin Flounders. The ambition was to create a school of the quality of the ancient public schools at a more reasonable cost, whilst accepting pupils regardless of their faith.

Originally the North Eastern County School, the name was changed in 1924, but is still generally known locally as the "County School". The school is set in its own 50-acre (20 ha) grounds in Teesdale, within the North Pennines, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. An on-site prep school caters for pupils aged 4 to 11, while the senior school caters for pupils aged 11 to 18. The school was previously funded by direct grant. Founded as an all-boys school, it has been fully co-educational since 1993. There are around 660 pupils and some 200 members of staff.

Since the 1980s, the school has been one of Britain's most successful at producing top class rugby union players. During this period it schooled England international players Rob Andrew and Tony and Rory Underwood. The school has also produced Mathew Tait, Lee Dickson and Tim Visser, and appeared in three finals of the inter-school Daily Mail Cup. Former pupils in other fields include Edward Mellanby (the discoverer of Vitamin D); industrialist Percy Mills, The Lord Mills; fashion designer Giles Deacon and poet Craig Raine.

## History

The school can trace its origins to an endowment made by John I de Balliol, then Lord of Barnard Castle, in 1229. The school itself was established in 1883 when it occupied temporary premises in Middleton One Row, County Durham, whilst construction of the school was undertaken in Barnard Castle. Initially there were 25 boarders and 10-day pupils, but by the end of 1884, there were 76 boarders. Originally known as the North Eastern County School, the main school building was completed on 2 February 1886 and initially housed 116 boarders and 12-day pupils. The Bishop of Durham presided over the foundation ceremony. The building was designed by Clark & Moscrop of Darlington in the Jacobean style, and is a Grade II listed building built with local Yorkstone and Lakeland slate. The school was built for the trustees of Benjamin Flounders and the trustees of St. John's Hospital, Barnard Castle, who managed the Baliol endowment, and was overseen by a University of Durham committee. Flounders was a Quaker industrialist who had helped to fund the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The Flounders trustees financed the entirety of the construction of the school with a donation of £31,000. A further £20,000 was raised by subscription to cover initial running costs, £10,000 of which came from St John's Hospital. The gift from St John's was conditional on the school being situated in Barnard Castle, and this determined its location.

The school's governance was inspired by the county school movement of Joseph Lloyd Brereton, who was largely inspired in turn by the example of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School. The object of the school was to provide a liberal education, with fees a fraction of those charged by public schools. Tolerance of non-conformist denominations such as Methodism and Roman Catholicism informed the school's ethos, and the school has always remained independent of the Church of England. Brereton's son became the first headmaster of the school. In contrast to the largely classical education offered by many of the public schools of the time, the school always maintained a focus on scientific and technological education. A strong sporting programme was believed to build character. Extensions over the next few years included a sanatorium in 1890 (now the music school) and a swimming-bath block in 1896. In 1900 a £4,000 (£400,000 in 2010) science block was opened by Lord Barnard with Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham in attendance. The building is now inhabited by Tees and Dale houses.

The school name was changed to Barnard Castle School in 1924, and it was by this time one of the largest public schools in the North of England. When Harold Birkbeck was appointed headmaster in 1935 there were 193 pupils. In 1942 the school was elected to the Headmaster's Conference, making it an "official" public school. Following the introduction of the Education Act 1944, from 1945 the school became a direct grant grammar school and the number of pupils enrolled at the school increased substantially. In April 1961 a £65,000 (£1.1 million in 2010) appeal was launched for funding to build new science blocks and a library building. By this time there were 470 boys at the school, more than half of whom progressed to universities or higher education. Birkbeck introduced squash to the school, and made it one of the best-known schools for the sport in the country in the 1960s and 1970s. The novelist Will Cohu described the school in 1974 as "a rugged Victorian establishment in a brooding Jacobean-style building overlooking the Tees ... The school was popular with parents who were in the armed forces. It was cheap, did not have any reputation for abuse, and was strong on games". The direct-grant revenue stream was abolished in 1975, making the school reliant upon independent funding. An appeal was launched that year to ensure the school's survival, with £109,000 (£750,000 in 2011) raised within nine months. The school's first computer was installed in January 1978.

Frank Macnamara became headmaster in 1980, described as "an affable enthusiast" in The Guardian. Under his tenure the school would develop its reputation for fostering world-class rugby talent. For the duration of its existence (1980–1997) the school took part in the Assisted Places Scheme. Girls were first admitted to the Sixth Form in 1981, and the school has been fully co-educational since 1993. By 1992 there were around 610 pupils with an approximately 50:50 split between boarding and day pupils. From 1993, as the result of a HMC initiative, Eastern European children were awarded scholarships to study at the school; by 1995, 8 per cent of the school's intake came from overseas. Michael Featherstone, a former England hockey international, was appointed headmaster in 1997, and the school enjoyed considerable academic success during his tenure.

## School site

One of the North East's most famous schools, Barnard Castle is set in its own 50-acre grounds on the edge of town. It is located in Teesdale, and is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Giles Deacon has said of the location that "you could just walk out and you were in the middle of the Pennines". The Bowes Museum is situated next to the school. The school caters for pupils aged 4 to 18, with pupils younger than 11 being taught in a separate on-site preparatory school (Prep School). The original building is now used mainly for accommodation and administration and is described as "stately" by The Independent. The school spire is known colloquially as "The Pepperpot". It also contains the dining hall and "Main School", public school slang for the school hall. All teaching is undertaken in purpose-built classrooms. The school site contains tennis/netball courts, squash courts, a large sports hall and an AstroTurf pitch. A total of £3 million has been invested in the school's infrastructure since 2008, including a £1.5 million Physics and ICT block, a new hall for the Prep School and a new sports pavilion containing a gym and a dance studio. The school has been used as a filming location for the television sketch show The Fast Show.

### Chapel

The school's chapel was completed in 1911. It was designed by W. D. Caroe, and Nikolaus Pevsner described it as "impressive" both internally and externally. Somewhat unusually, it is oriented in a north–south direction. A large proportion of the funding to build the chapel was provided by Lord Barnard, the local nobleman and a leading freemason (with the remainder made up from public subscription), and accordingly the foundation ceremony was performed in full masonic regalia. The Grade II\* listed building contains a painting by Ary Scheffer and a Father Willis organ. It has stained glass windows commemorating John Balliol and Benjamin Flounders, the two founders of the school. A roll of honour in the chapel commemorates the 141 former pupils and 4 Masters who died in the First World War, the 55 former pupils who died in the Second World War and one who died in the Falklands War. There is a roll of honour in the main school building for the former pupils who died in the Second Boer War.

### Barnard Castle Preparatory School

The Prep School has access to all of the facilities of the senior school. It is situated in a separate area of the school grounds with its own organisation, staff and buildings. The school is sited around a main building called Westwick Lodge, "a sprawling Victorian villa with the modern dormitories and classroom block hidden at the rear. It [has] a long, sloping front lawn, thickly planted with shrubberies ... Round the back [is] a playground and a muddy hill with a few trees". Members of the Prep School are referred to throughout the school as "Preppies".

The school was founded in 1914 and was originally a girls' school, and independent from the County School. In 1989 there were just 65 pupils, all of them boys. By 2009 there were over 200 pupils, equally split between girls and boys. School on Saturdays was abolished at the Prep School in 1999.

## School life

### Intake

40 per cent of senior school intake comes from the state sector, and over 50 per cent come from the on-site Prep School. 25 per cent of Sixth Form pupil intake is from state schools. Day pupils commute from a wide catchment area that is predominantly rural in nature. These settlements are as far afield as Hurworth and Stanhope as well as larger settlements such as Kirkby Stephen, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Richmond and Darlington. Pupils are from a range of professional, managerial and farming backgrounds. There are 200 boarding pupils, significant numbers of whom have parents who are members of HM Forces, and many families are linked to nearby Catterick Garrison, Europe's largest military base. 15 per cent of boarders have parents living overseas, particularly Hong Kong. An Open Day is held several times a year when the school welcomes prospective students and their families to tour the school.

### Academic and routine

Every weekday (except for Wednesday) begins with a chapel service. School is held on Saturday mornings, with many sporting fixtures taking place on Saturday afternoons. There is an exeat weekend every term when pupils get respite from Saturday school. The Sunday chapel service is compulsory for boarding pupils. Homework, which is always referred to as "prep", (short for preparatory work) is set for every day with the exception of Sunday. During weekdays there is a mid-morning coffee break for all pupils when refreshments are provided, a tradition from when many day pupils would arrive at that time from outlying settlements. The school uniform is traditional, including a navy blue blazer and a tie. Merits are given as rewards for outstanding work. Punishments include weekday afternoon detention and Saturday afternoon detention. Corporal punishment had to be phased out by 1987 in line with state schools, as it received public funding. The headmaster is aided in his running of the school by the monitor (prefect) system. As well as the standard subjects, Latin, Classics, Ancient History, Greek, German and Spanish are taught. The school has a strong reputation for sciences. In 2011 the Independent Schools Inspectorate described the school's ethos as "traditionally unpretentious".

### Pastoral

Pastoral care is provided through the house system. Each pupil is assigned to a house. Each house has its own accommodation in the school and its own set of tutors to look after members of the house. There are eight vertically integrated houses in total, each with its own colour and heraldic-like shield: The two boys' boarding houses are York (red) and Northumberland (pale blue). The three-day boys' houses are Tees (dark green) and Dale (burgundy), both formed by splitting Teesdale House, the first day boys' house, and finally Durham (gold), which was converted from boarding to day when the school expanded in the 1990s. The boarding girls belong to the original Sixth Form girls' house, Longfield (dark pink), and the new houses formed for day girls when the school became co-educational are Marwood (purple) and more recently Bowes (pale green). The school considered abolishing its boarding facilities when, like many boarding schools, it suffered a significant drop in numbers during the 1990s. However, numbers unexpectedly improved around the turn of the millennium, and this turnaround has often been attributed to the positive image that boarding received from the Harry Potter series. The school is interdenominational, whilst maintaining its foundation in Christian principles and values.

### Governance

The school is a charitable trust governed by a number of foundation and four nominated governors, the latter with links to Durham and Newcastle Universities, Durham County Council / Barnard Castle Town Council and the Old Barnardians' Club. The school aims to offer the best independent education to children from the North East of England. According to information provided to the Charities Commission, the income of the school was £8.7 million in the 2017-18-year, with the vast majority of the revenue coming from school fees. It has been a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference since 1944.

## Extracurricular activities

The houses form the basis for much competition within the school. The first competition in the school year is the House Singing Competition in which every member of the school takes part. Thereafter, throughout the school year, the houses compete against each other in a variety of academic, artistic, and sporting events. An extensive range of almost 100 after-school activities are offered throughout the year, such as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme up to Gold level.

### Sport

Rugby for boys and hockey for girls are the major sports during the Autumn term. In the Spring Term the boys play football, hockey and squash whilst the girls play netball and lacrosse. Both boys and girls take part in cross country running and swimming. During the Summer term, cricket is the most important sport for boys. Teams have toured Majorca and the Caribbean in recent years. Members of the 1st XI often gain representative honours for their counties and the North of England. The school was described by The Daily Telegraph as "one of the premier cricketing schools of the north". Girls focus on rounders in the summer whilst both girls and boys partake in tennis and athletics. Sports Day is a major fixture in the school calendar.

### Barnard Run

The Barnard Run is a school competition, consisting of a cross-country trial over a hilly course. It is the most important sporting event in the school year. The course has varied considerably over the years. It dates back to 1892 when Lord Barnard donated and presented the trophy. The race takes place annually at the end of the first half of the Spring Term. The girls' and younger boys' race is 23⁄4 miles while the senior boys' is 4 miles.

Historically the Barnard Run was a seven-mile course which began at Towler Hill Farm, ran to Cotherstone suspension bridge, with an undetermined route back to the school. In 1898 a 4-mile junior Barnard Run was created for 11- to 14-year-olds. In 1904 it was decided that it would be easier for training purposes if the run began at the school, and a new course was developed.

### CCF

The Junior Officers' Training Corps was established at the school in 1909 following an invitation from Lord Haldane, then Secretary of State for War. By 1911 it had 103 cadets and 3 staff. In 1948 all OTCs were superseded by the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). As of 2012 it had almost 200 cadets and 10 staff, making it one of the largest contingents in the country. Facilities associated with the CCF include an armoury and an indoor shooting range. In 2012 the contingent won the Colts Canter competition, which saw it named the best force in the North of England.

## Rugby union

The school has produced 38 U19 international rugby players, leading The Times to comment that it has "a happy knack of producing some of England's finest rugby talents." The Observer commented on the rugby success in 2008, "Someone should analyse what they put in the food". The most prominent are Rob Andrew, brothers Rory Underwood and Tony Underwood, and Mathew Tait who have all played for England at international level. Former headmaster David Ewart explained the school's rugby ethos: "We believe the game breeds important life skills in those who play it. It's a civilising game and you need to be a gentlemen on the pitch, as well as off." During the period 1970 to 1995 no other British school produced as many England international players. In 2012 Tim Visser described his former school's rugby programme as "brilliant".

The school is a prominent feeder institution for the Newcastle Falcons, with signings over the last decade including Lee Dickson, Tim Visser, Alex Tait, Ed Williamson and Rory Clegg. Recent signings to other premiership clubs include Calum Clark, Alex Gray and Ross Batty. Many Barnardians represent junior international sides, as well as the North of England, several northern county sides (such as Durham, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Cheshire) and the Independent Schools' Barbarians. The 1st VII have appeared in the final of the North of England Sevens and National Schools Sevens.

The School's 1st XV team reached the final of the national Daily Mail Cup for U18s three times in five seasons between 2002/03 and 2006/07. Nicknamed the Barney Army, the team lost to Oakham School, Colston's School and Warwick School respectively in the 2002, 2003 and 2007 finals. In 2007/2008, the 1st XV were beaten in the semi-finals 19-16 by St Benedict's School. The school reached the finals of the National Schools Sevens in 2002 and 2005.

### International rugby honours

England caps

- Howard Marshall (1891–1893)
- James Hutchinson (1906)
- Tom Danby (1949)
- Rory Underwood (1984–1996)
- Rob Andrew (1985–1997)
- Tony Underwood (1992–1998)
- Mathew Tait (2005–2010)
- Lee Dickson (2012–2014)

Scotland caps

- Tim Visser (2012–2017)

## Tradition

Cheers: If a school sports team is victorious the entire team will, on return to school, stand on Central Hall Table (Central Hall being the school's focal point) and the captain will lead three cheers for the school. For the 1st XV cheers also take place after home victories. The team gathers in what is known as Back Porch immediately after the match and three cheers are sounded.

Foundation Day: Celebrated every 6 November. Initially the Barnard Run was held on this day. Before 1892 the tradition was to celebrate the day with a paper chase, but this was replaced after Lord Barnard donated the Barnard Cup.

Nailing Up: This occurs at every end of term school chapel service. Originally taking place in Central Hall, the captain of the house team which had won that term's major sporting event would climb up to his house shield displayed on the first floor balcony and nail the award to the shield. Nowadays the captain of the winning house team comes to the front of chapel and ceremonially taps the shield. "Jerusalem" is always sung at the last service of term.

Speech Day: Occurring on the final day of the Summer Term (usually a Saturday) the entire school community including parents, relatives and friends of the school, meet for Speech Day. The Chairman of the Governors, the Headmaster, an invited Speaker and the Head of School make speeches, and academic prizes are awarded to pupils. Past speakers have included Hensley Henson, Kenneth Calman, Kevin Whately and Angus Thirlwell.

## Old Barnardians

- Rob Andrew, former England and British & Irish Lions rugby union player and current Rugby Operations Director at the Rugby Football Union.
- Ross Batty, former professional rugby union player with Bath.
- Bentley Beetham, ornithologist, photographer and member of the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition.
- David J. Bodycombe, puzzle author.
- George Nicholson Bradford, Victoria Cross recipient.
- Joshua Harold Burn, pharmacologist.
- Andrew Cantrill, organist.
- Scott Carpenter, international water polo player.
- Ian Carr, musician and broadcaster.
- Mike Carr, jazz musician.
- Calum Clark, rugby union player with Northampton Saints.
- Rory Clegg, rugby union player with Newcastle Falcons
- Andrew Critchlow, business news editor at the Telegraph Media Group.
- Tom Danby, international rugby union and rugby league player.
- Giles Deacon, fashion designer.
- Karl Dickson, rugby union player with Harlequins.
- Lee Dickson, international rugby union player for England.
- Robert Dinwiddie, professional golfer.
- Barrie Dobson, historian
- Lionel Fanthorpe, priest, entertainer, television presenter, author and lecturer.
- Nigel Farndale, journalist and novelist.
- Peter Gilliver, lexicographer and OED historian, and TV presenter.
- Patrick Grant, fashion designer.
- Alex Gray, rugby union player with England Sevens, and former England U20s captain.
- Nicholas Hatch, former first class cricketer with Durham.
- Glenn Hugill, television producer and presenter.
- Ben Jones, former rugby union player with Worcester Warriors.
- George Macaulay, test match cricketer.
- Howard Marshall, international rugby union player.
- Edward Mellanby, discoverer of Vitamin D.
- Kenneth Mellanby, ecologist.
- Percy Mills, 1st Viscount Mills, Cabinet member and industrialist, Director of EMI and Chairman of its electronics subsidiary.
- Jack Ormston, speedway pioneer.
- Jon Paul Phillips, actor.
- Craig Raine, poet.
- Walter Raine, Conservative MP
- Neil Riddell, former captain of Durham County Cricket Club.
- Geoffrey Smith, horticulturalist and broadcaster.
- Mark Sowerby, Bishop of Horsham.
- Alex Tait, rugby union player with Newcastle Falcons.
- Mathew Tait, international rugby union player for England.
- RJ Thompson, singer-songwriter
- Andrew Thornton, jump jockey.
- Richard Tomlinson, former MI6 officer.
- Rory Underwood, former rugby union international.
- Tony Underwood, former rugby union international.
- Tim Visser, international rugby union player for Scotland.
- Kevin Whately, Inspector Morse and Lewis actor.
- Guy Wilks, rally driver.
- Ed Williamson, former rugby union player with Newcastle Falcons.

## Headmasters

- The Rev Francis Lloyd Brereton 1883–1887, 1893–1924
- Edward Henry Prest 1887–1893
- Arthur George Coombe 1924–1935
- Harold Edward Birkbeck 1935–1965
- Sidney D Woods 1965–1980
- Frank MacNamara 1980–1997
- Michael David Featherstone 1997–2004
- David Ewart 2004–2010
- Alan Stevens 2010–2017
- Tony Jackson 2018-Current

Current staff include the former first-class cricketer John Lister and former List A cricketer Benjamin Usher. Notable former staff have included the educationalist George Graham Able, Bentley Beetham and cricketer Martin Speight. Past governors include Joseph Langley Burchnall, who served on the board for twenty years, rising to the level of chairman.

## See also

- Benjamin Flounders – founder of the school
- John Balliol – founder of the school
- List of direct grant grammar schools

Public school in County Durham, England

Educational institutions established in 1883

Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference


Graham Hawkins

Graham Norman Hawkins (5 March 1946 – 27 September 2016) was an English football player and manager. During a sixteen year playing career in the English Football League he made a total of 502 league and cup appearances, scoring eleven goals. He spent fourteen years coaching and eight years in management, and spent the later years of his life working as a football administrator.

A commanding defender, Hawkins began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1964, and helped the club to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1966–67. He was sold on to Preston North End for a £35,000 fee in January 1968. In six-and-a-half seasons with Preston he made 269 league and cup appearances, and also served as their captain as they won the Third Division title in 1970–71. He was sold to Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £18,000 in June 1974. He was named on the PFA Team of the Year as the club won the Third Division title in 1974–75. He made 131 league and cup appearances in three-and-a-half seasons at the club before being sold to Port Vale in January 1978 for £6,000. He worked as a player-coach, but left the club in acrimonious circumstances during the 1979–80 season after he was overlooked for the caretaker manager position.

He served Shrewsbury Town as assistant manager from June 1980 until he was appointed as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1982. In his first season of management, 1982–83, he led the club to promotion out of the Second Division despite budget constraints. Wolves were relegated out of the First Division the following season and Hawkins was sacked in April 1984. He then spent six years coaching in the Middle East, with Bahrain SC, Al Hala SC and Al-Arabi SC. He led Bahrain SC to the Bahraini Premier League title in the 1984–85 season. He later worked as Head of Player Development at the Football League and retired in March 2011.

## Early and personal life

Graham Norman Hawkins was born on 5 March 1946 at 10 Castle Street, Darlaston to Ernest Norman Hawkins – a die miller at a forging works – and Ida Mary Hawkins (née Skitt). He had four siblings: Ernie (born 1935) – who drowned at the age of seven, Maureen (born 1950), Susan (born 1954) and Andrew (born 1962). He attended Addenbrooke Street Primary, Slater Street Secondary Modern Boys School and Wednesbury Technical College. He represented both Staffordshire Boys and Birmingham Boys, playing as a full-back. He married Jane on 26 June 1967, a secretary from Wolverhampton, who he had first met at the age of 16. They had two sons, Ian (born December 1969) and Richard (born December 1971). Ian became a financial adviser and played non-League football, whilst Richard attained a PhD in sports science and went on to work for various Football League and Premier League clubs.

Hawkins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in August 2009. He died on 27 September 2016, at the age of 70.

## Playing career

### Wolverhampton Wanderers

Hawkins was spotted playing for Staffordshire Boys by Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) scouts and was taken on as an apprentice on wages of £8-a-week. He made his professional debut in the Black Country derby against West Bromwich Albion on 10 October 1964, which ended in a 5–1 defeat, with West Brom debutant Jeff Astle scoring two of the goals. Under the stewardship of Andy Beattie, Wolves suffered relegation out of the First Division in 1964–65, though Hawkins did not play in any further games. His second appearance came on 11 December 1965, when first-team defenders David Woodfield and John Holsgrove were both out injured, in a 4–1 victory over Ipswich Town at Molineux. His third appearance came on 26 Match 1966, when a win at Norwich City started a run of six unbeaten games, and Hawkins kept his place in the team until the end of the 1965–66 season. He picked up the nickname "Harry the Horse" after manager Ronnie Allen criticised his running technique during pre-season, comparing his face with that of a tired horse.

Wolves secured a return to the top-flight after finishing second in the Second Division in the 1966–67 campaign, though Hawkins spent most of the season on the bench behind Woodfield and Holsgrove. He also had to spend three months on the sidelines after tearing his ankle ligaments in a clash with Derby County's Kevin Hector. He did start the game that secured promotion, a 4–1 win at Bury on 22 April, though Wolves missed out on the chance to win the division after losing on the final day of the season. In the summer he spent three weeks on tour with the club's affiliated soccer team in the United States, Los Angeles Wolves, where he shared a room with Derek Dougan. He made seven appearances in the first half of the 1967–68 season, playing his final game for the club in a 3–2 defeat to Manchester United on 30 December.

### Preston North End

Hawkins joined Preston North End for a £35,000 transfer fee on 13 January 1968. After a slow start to his Deepdale career, primarily due to injury, he became a regular in the starting eleven and was appointed captain by manager Jimmy Milne at the young age of 21. However he would relinquish the captaincy after finding it too much of a burden. Preston finished the 1967–68 season just one place above the Second Division relegation zone, before rising to 14th-place in 1968–69 under the stewardship of Bobby Seith, with Hawkins making 42 appearances in all competitions. He was selected by Jimmy Armfield to tour Asia and New Zealand with an England "A" team in the summer of 1969, taking the place of the absent Alan Bloor, for five uncapped matches in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Tahiti and New Zealand.

Preston finished bottom of the division in 1969–70, though finished only three points short of safety, and Seith was dismissed. Hawkins put in a transfer request, as did many of his teammates, but the board asked him to reconsider. New manager Alan Ball reappointed Hawkins as club captain and Hawkins this time felt experienced enough to accept the role. He was an ever-present as the "Lilywhites" made an immediate return to the second tier, winning the Third Division championship by a one-point margin over Fulham in 1970–71. Ball valued his captain at £150,000.

Preston finished 18th in the Second Division in the 1971–72 season, with the highlight of the campaign coming in the FA Cup, where they came close to taking Manchester United to a replay. Hawkins missed the match with injury and Ball stated that Preston could have got a positive result from the match had Hawkins been able to play. Ball was sacked in February 1973 and Preston ended the 1972–73 season above the relegation zone only on goal average. Hawkins was upset at Ball's sacking and felt that his successor, Frank Lord, confused the players with his tactics. Despite former World Cup winner Bobby Charlton being appointed as manager, Preston continued to decline and were relegated at the end of the 1973–74 season, with Nobby Stiles – another World Cup winner – taking Hawkins place as club captain. Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers made bids for Hawkins in January 1974, though he rejected the former as he did not wish to relocate to the south coast.

### Blackburn Rovers

Hawkins signed with Blackburn Rovers for a transfer fee of £18,000 in June 1974. Recently appointed manager Gordon Lee was in the process of revamping the first-team, as he also signed Ken Beamish, Pat Hilton, Don Hutchins, Jimmy Mullen and Graham Oates. Hawkins formed a strong central defensive partnership with Derek Fazackerley, and played 49 games as Rovers won promotion as Third Division champions in 1974–75. For his performances that season, Hawkins was named on the Third Division's PFA Team of the Year alongside teammates Roger Jones (goalkeeper) and Andy Burgin (full-back). Hawkins credited Lee with teaching him the concept of playing the ball out from the back, giving him permission to use flair and patience rather than direct football tactics.

Now managed by Jim Smith, the club finished mid-table in the Second Division in 1975–76 despite Hawkins and other players struggling with various injuries. Hawkins won the club's Player's Player of the Year award, though lost out the Fan's Player of the Year award after receiving only one vote fewer than winner Tony Parkes. Blackburn finished 12th at the end of the 1976–77 campaign and Smith began to blood new signing Glenn Keeley as a future successor to Hawkins at centre-back. Now aged 31, Hawkins became more of a reserve team player at Ewood Park in the first half of the 1977–78 season, and though he looked for a move away he rejected an approach from Shrewsbury Town as he wanted to secure a coaching role as well as a playing one.

### Port Vale

Hawkins joined Bobby Smith's Port Vale in January 1978, signing as a player and youth team coach for a transfer fee of £6,000. He scored one goal in 16 Third Division appearances in the 1977–78 relegation campaign, and was appointed as the first-team coach in May 1978, before being promoted to assistant manager by new boss Dennis Butler in September 1978. Hawkins scored twice in 46 games in 1978–79, missing only three Fourth Division matches all season long. When Butler stepped down as manager in August 1979, Hawkins was expecting to be appointed as caretaker manager. However, the board appointed Alan Bloor in this role, and Bloor took up the position on a full-time basis the following month. Feeling slighted by this, Hawkins resigned his position and took out an unfair dismissal claim after the club refused to release his player registration, but dropped the claim in April 1980 when the club offered compensation. Chairman Arthur McPherson described the 1979–80 season as "probably the worst season in the club's history".

## Style of play

Hawkins was a defender with a commanding presence and excellent ability to read play and organise the backline.

## Coaching and management career

Upon leaving Vale Park, Hawkins coached the reserves at Blackburn Rovers and the youth team at Stoke City. He was appointed as Graham Turner's assistant at Second Division Shrewsbury Town in June 1980.

### Wolverhampton Wanderers

Hawkins returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers as manager, having been appointed after the Derek Dougan-led takeover saved the club from extinction in August 1982. Hawkins accepted wages of £20,000-a-year, though the job offer was an unexpected one as he had only applied for the vacant management post at Wrexham. He installed Jim Barron as his assistant, whilst Frank Upton was put in charge of the youth team on the understanding that young players would be important to the first-team due to the club's tight budget. He got the players to devise their own bonus structure, which rewarded them for winning matches; he told the press that "they must stay in the top bracket if they want to earn their corn". With regular goalkeeper Paul Bradshaw unavailable, Hawkins signed experienced goalkeeper John Burridge from Queens Park Rangers, who would prove to reliable on the pitch and inspirational in the dressing room, winning the club's Player of the Year award. However, budget constraints meant that he had to rely on four teenage debutants – Ian Cartwright, Paul Butler, Billy Livingstone and Dave Wintersgill – against Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the 1982–83 season. The club's star striker, Andy Gray, openly agitated for a move away and was also injured. The team were fortunate to be only one goal down to Blackburn at half-time, but Hawkins remained calm and instructed the team to put in crosses to Butler, who went on to score a brace in the second half to give Wolves a 2–1 victory.

He refused to change his matchday suit until the team were beaten, which finally occurred in a 3–0 home defeat to Leicester City on 16 October, also ending a run of 817 minutes without conceding a league goal. Gray returned to fitness to play the following game, a 5–0 defeat to First Division Sunderland in the FA Cup. Midfielder Kenny Hibbitt was persuaded to return from the United States to captain the team and went on record to say that "I have never been happier in my 14 years in the game... we were treated like serfs before... now we're treated like human beings". However, veteran centre-half Joe Gallagher left in acrimonious circumstances as Hawkins tore up his contract after Gallagher made disparaging remarks in the press and refused to appear in the team photograph. Mixed results in November were followed by four wins and a draw in December, which saw Hawkins named as Second Division Manager of the Month with the club three points clear at the top of the table. However, another heavy defeat by Leicester City allowed Queens Park Rangers to catch Wolves in February. Rangers went on to win the league by a ten point margin as Wolves struggled for form in the latter half of the campaign. Wolves secured the second automatic promotion place with a 3–3 draw away at Charlton Athletic, despite throwing away a three goal half-time lead.

Hawkins drew up a list of players he wanted for the 1983–84 campaign, at an estimated cost of up to £1 million, with Gary Lineker the number one target. Tony Towner was on the list, though as a winger was not considered a priority, and Hawkins was furious when Dougan signed him for £100,000 whilst both Hawkins and Barron were out of the country on holiday. Wolves secured a 1–1 draw with reigning champions Liverpool on the opening day of the season, with Geoff Palmer converting a penalty won by Gray. Yet promised investment from Bhatti brothers was not forthcoming after their company, Allied Properties, were denied planning permission by the City of Wolverhampton Council, leaving the squad poorly equipped to handle life in the top-flight. The team failed to pick up a victory and were bottom of the table by October, with bare new signings and the existing squad largely unhappy that they had not been granted pay rises for their promotion success. In fact, Gray was sold to Everton the following month for £250,000. The team finally won their first First Division game on 26 November, with new loan signing Danny Crainie scoring two goals in a 3–1 victory at local rivals West Bromwich Albion; this ended a run of 19 games without a win. This was though followed by a 5–0 loss to second-bottom Watford. Wolves remained competitive though, beating Everton and Norwich City in December to remain within two points of safety. Despite being beaten by Coventry City in a second replay in the FA Cup, January saw Wolves beat Liverpool 1–0 at Anfield. Hawkins was sacked on 27 April, four days after relegation was confirmed with a 2–0 defeat at Everton. It took seven years of legal battles for the club to pay him his compensation, by which time Wolves were in the Fourth Division.

### Middle East

Hawkins emigrated to Bahrain and managed Bahrain SC in the Bahraini Premier League, winning the league title in the 1984–85 season after a crucial game with Al-Muharraq SC was replayed because of dubious refereeing and the fact that the Muharraq goalkeeper punched Hawkins in the face. Muharraq won the 1985–86 title and Hawkins services were not retained after Riffa SC were crowned champions at the end of the 1986–87 campaign. He successfully applied for the management position at Al Hala SC. He applied for the management position at Kuwait Premier League club Al-Fahaheel at the end of the 1987–88 season, but was not successful. He left Al Hala at the end of the 1988–89 campaign and returned to the UK in December 1989. He returned to Blackburn Rovers as chief scout in 1990, though left this position to take up the lucrative management post at Kuwait club Al-Arabi SC, before his time in the Middle East was ended by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during pre-season training.

### Later career

He later did some part-time scouting for Blackburn Rovers, as the chief scout post had been filled in his absence. He also took up employment at John Ritchie's wholesaler business as a door-to-door salesman. In October 1991, he took on the lease of the Coopers Arms public house in Woore. He ran the pub for seven years, at which stage he became a gardener and warehouse worker. He re-entered the football industry after being employed by Elite Sports, helping the company to earn screening contracts in order to prevent the sudden cardiac death of athletes. He was then recruited by Jimmy Armfield to work as the Football League's head of player development. There he expanded the Football League's exit trials to cover players released from Centres of Excellence rather than just Academies. He retired in March 2011, at the age of 65.

## Career statistics

### Playing statistics

Source:

### Managerial statistics

## Honours

### Playing

Individual

- PFA Third Division Team of the Year: 1974–75

Wolverhampton Wanderers

- Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1966–67

Preston North End

- Football League Third Division: 1970–71

Blackburn Rovers

- Football League Third Division: 1974–75

### Managerial

Individual

- Football League Second Division Manager of the Month: December 1982

Wolverhampton Wanderers

- Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1982–83

Bahrain SC

- Bahraini Premier League: 1984–85

English football player and manager

English expatriate sportspeople in Bahrain

English expatriate sportspeople in Kuwait

English expatriate sportspeople in the United States

Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States