ABBEYDALE GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYS
"Since memory is frail, sayings and deeds have to be reinforced by the evidence of writing, so that neither length of time nor the cunning of posterity can obscure the knowledge of past events"
(from a twelfth century notification by William de Braose of a grant of lands to Sele Priory - British Records Association)
The photograph on the left shows the main entrance of the school which faces Hastings Road Millhouses Sheffield. The square building on the right used to be a dining room whilst the bay windowed room in the middle was the staff room. The rest of the rooms on the ground floor were cloakrooms and toilets. The rooms above the ground floors were more or less exclusively classrooms
The above photograph to the left was taken in April 1966 in the schoolyard. It shows the class of 1R(Richmond) fronted by the form teacher Mr. Kenneth Ramsbottom. I am situated on the middle row, third from the left
In June 2009, I received another photo from a former pupil that was taken at the same time - April 1966. This shows the class of 1Y (York) this time without the form teacher, a certain Mr. Pomfret if my failing memory serves me correctly, seems to have gone AWOL.
Another visitor to this site in December 2009 kindly sent me a photo of a year 1 class taken in October 1959, which may have been the year when the school on Hastings Road opened.
It looks as though short trousers were "de rigueur" for the young chaps entering the school at that time. I wonder what the reasoning was behind that particular rule??
Another class photo from 1964 - it seems that as you got older you were allowed to wear long trousers!
This photograph was taken two years later in May 1968 and shows the class of 3G2(German). The teacher at the front was a Mr. Linstead. I am situated on the middle row, sixth from the left. For those who have long memories I have also listed the teachers who were employed at Abbeydale Boys Grammar School in 1968. The overall total is 41 and they were all male. Mmmm!
The final photograph is the school circa 1969 when it was being integrated into the comprehensive system and became known as Abbeydale Grange School
Abbeydale Boys Grammar School was the successor of an even older establishment, Nether Edge Grammar School. Founded in 1927. there is an excellent summary of the School's origins and development on Eric Youle's Sheffield web-site. Another former pupil of the school John Needham has also posted a page which contains some interesting photographs of the school just prior to its closure. In addition there are a number of old photographs and associated material that Eric has managed to compile with regard to the beginnings of ABGS. It is well worth bearing in mind these images and content when reading through this section of the site
Now that the scene has been set you will need to click here for the whole story to be told
This page was last updated on 16/01/15 15:01