Oldham Hulme Grammar School

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

6 inch map from 1891 showing, outlined in red, the land that was acquired for the school in 1892. The proximity of Chamber Colliery to the north-east and a colliery tramway running through the site shows that this land was on the Oldham coalfield. Chamber Road was little more than a track running from Ashton Road to Chamber Hall, while the other roads that now surround the school did not exist at this time.

Maps: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

6 inch map from 1906 showing the original 1895 school building. The track from Ashton Road to Chamber Hall has now been realligned to follow the boundary of the school land. Both Windsor Road and Frederick Street have been extended to the south-east side of Chamber Road, again along the boundaries with school land, with three blocks of terraced housing on the former and a further block on the latter.

Maps: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

6 inch map from 1916 showing the school building. College Road now exists with the first terraced housing being built on the south-east side of school. Gainsborough Street has changed to Gainsborough Avenue as the housing has extended.

Maps: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

6 inch map from 1932 showing three additions to the school building: The north-west corner has been extended a short distance. The pavilion has been built on the playing fields. The large extension for the girl's part of the school has been built. New roads with additional housing have appeared, particularly in the areas to the north-east and south-east of school. Chamber Colliery became disused in 1928.

Maps: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

An artist's impression of the new building.

Oldham Hulme Grammar School Archive.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

An early photograpgh of the school.

Photo: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

An early hand-coloured postcard of the school.

Postcard: Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

These plans of the school show that the building originally had two floors. Shown here, the ground floor contained the classrooms, many of which opened onto the assembly hall. Note the rows of parallel lines in each classroom on the plan; these represent the tiered wooden floors, the type often found in lecture theatres. Many classrooms also had an open fireplace. There were separate classrooms for boys and girls and, in the boys' part of the building, chemical and physics laboratories.

When the building was greatly extended in 1925, the original part of the school became the boys' school.

Oldham Hulme Grammar School Archive.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

The basement contained the gymnasium, two dining rooms (as boys and girls were separated at all times), locker and recreation rooms, a boiler room, store room and drying room.

Since the addition of the girls' school extension in 1925 there have been many changes to the original building, including a first-floor extension to the boys' school and, in order to accommodate increasing numbers of pupils over the years, the school occupies a number of buildings in the surrounding area.

Oldham Hulme Grammar School Archive.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

Photo showing the north-east elevation of the original building as it appeared from 1895 to 1991.

Photo: Oldham Hulme Grammar School Archive.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

Photo showing the north-east elevation of the building as it appeared after 1993. Originally a single storey consisting of classrooms with very high ceilings, a second storey was added without raising the height of the roofline.

Photo: Oldham Hulme Grammar School Archive.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

The foundation stone was laid on 16th September 1893 by Mr Joseph Travis, a local cotton manufacturer and JP who had been instrumental in obtaining a grant from the Hulme Trust.
It is interesting to note that the foundation stone is no longer on an outside wall of the school due to later extensions of the building. Although it remains in situ, it is now located at ceiling height in the staff dining hall in the basement.

Photo: Tom Banister 2011.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School

One of many original radiators that are still in everyday use. Only three of this particular design remain, plus a number that are similar but without the figures at each end. The radiators were manufactured and supplied by W F Spencer, heating engineers of Crossbank, Oldham.

Photo: Lynne Banister 2019.

Oldham Hulme
Grammar School