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| 1804 - School Time |
| In 1804 Reverend Theophilus Barnes, after whom Barnes Road is named, established Castlefords first school. It consisted of two rooms and was built on land that had been bequeathed to the poor of Castleford by Thomas Dawtrie as early as 1571. Although later enlarged it was eventually demolished in 1885. |
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1857 - Wesleyan School |
| Built in 1857 this school was demolished in the early 1900's. |
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1863 - Whitwood Mere National School |
| Erected in 1863 it was extended in 1871 when it had accomodation for 247 pupils. Heating was by open coal fire. |
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1863 - Hightown Church of England School |
| The school, catering for seventy-two boys and girls and twenty-two infants, opened on the 10th. of March 1863, the wedding day of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. On its jubilee in 1913, the school sent a message to the then widowed Queen Alexandra who replied with a message of thanks. The school was enlarged in 1877, 1899, 1903, and 1913, but closed in 1970. |
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1877 - Welbeck Street School |
| The foundation stone was laid in 1877 for what was originally a girls' school. A boys school was added in 1894. The original infants' school part was demolished in 1974 and the boys school was removed a few years later. |
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1878 - Wheldon Road Board School |
| Erected in 1877, the school was enlarged in 1890 and 1894 to finally accommodate 1,083 children. The schools most famous headmaster was Lorenzo Padgett who took up the position in 1883 and stayed for almost twenty years. |
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1902 - Pontefract Road School |
| Erected in 1902 and enlarged in 1910 its first and most famous headmaster was Lorenzo Padgett. |
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1903 - Castleford Secondary School |
| Originally on Cemetery Road (now called Healdfield Road) the stone laying ceremony took place on the 7th. March 1903. The school itself started in 1906 in temporary premises on Wheldon Road with 163 pupils. The school proper, designed by W.R. Braithwaite and built at a cost of £3000, officially opened on the 7th. March 1908 on the eight and a half acre site. Around 1930 it became the Castleford Grammar School until September 1970 when it came under the Comprehensive Education System and became part of the Castleford High School. |
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1930 - Whitwood Mining And Technical College |
| Opened in 1930 the college taught industrial subject such as woodwork, metalwork, technical drawing to boys and the commercial subjects, shorthand, typing, etc. to girls. When the landlord of the Miners Arms, Edward McNeill called time finally in August 1977 he presented its weather vane depicting a miner digging coal to the school. It was re-erected over the college in 1979. |
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1941 - Whitwood Mere Infants School |
| Designed by Oliver Hill, with murals by John Skeaping, this is a unique building which provides each classroom with full open access to the garden area. Although closed in 1993 the building has been listed as of architectural value and is worth a visit. It is still a jewel in the lackluster area of school architecture. |
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