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Site agent Jamie Picken instructs digger driver James Thomson in the careful removal of the main sandstone sign. |
Arran Banner reporter HOWARD DRIVER looks back on more than 60 years of history.
After 62 years as Arran’s most notable public building the old Arran High School bit the dust last Wednesday. During the demolition process The Banner was invited to make a photographic record of the demise of the magnificent old building.
Founder pupil Mick Cannon of Lamlash lamented: ‘I’m sentimental about the old school but it does seem crazy that my old school has gone now but my father’s school is still standing.’
Lamlash council offices are still housed in the building that used to be the secondary school which Mick’s father attended before the grand new school was built in 1939.
All that remains of the old high school are three large sandstone blocks from over the main doorways. The main block from over the front door saying ‘Arran High School’ will be the centrepiece of the landscaped gardens in front of the new school. It is planned to give the ones from each end saying respectively ‘Boys’ and ‘Girls’ to Arran Heritage Museum.
Five weeks of steady demolition work have seen the old school building in Lamlash finally reduced to a pile of rubble to reveal the bright new school set back in McKelvie’s fields alongside the Whitehouse woods.
The new high school building was completed at the end of last year and occupied by pupils at the beginning of the January 2008 term. Local contractors John Thomson Construction began demolition of the old building in early March.
More than 2,500 Arran youngsters have passed through the doors of the old school during its lifetime and some of them confessed to feeling a certain nostalgia in watching its demise.
The original school opened its doors to pupils on September 2 1946.
First children
One of the first children through those doors was Archie Nicol of Largiebeg who explained: ‘It was called Lamlash Junior Secondary School and took children of first, second and third year ages. The old geography room just above the girls entrance was our dining room and kitchens.
‘At first all we got was a cup of cocoa but gradually they began to serve proper meals.
‘When we first went in they were still spray painting the corridors.’
The school was originally built in 1939 but taken over by the armed forces during the Second World War.
Arran Heritage Museum archivist Stuart Gough said: ‘It seems that the new school became a barracks for navy ratings during the war and officers were billeted in private houses in the village.’
A message from Captain Gerald Jones, naval officer in charge, New School Lamlash, dated October 13 1945 tells the flag officer in Greenock that ‘it is essential that the present canteen ashore, which is part of the new school building, should be retained for the use of ratings coming ashore from navy craft in Lamlash Bay.’ It goes on to refer to the ratings which were berthed and billeted in the barracks (school building).
Archie said that after six years occupation by the navy, the décor needed a bit of sprucing up. He added: ‘The classes then were called after the teacher’s name; class1P was Mr Petrie’s and class1K was Miss Jean K Currie’s and so on.’
Other founder teachers were Tom Campbell, technical, George Faulkner, maths, Miss Hamilton, English, and Margaret McBride, nee Currie, science. Flora Currie, formerly of Pirnmill and now of Brodick, was the art teacher from 1949 to 1956. She told the Banner: ‘The art room was on the half-landing up the boys’ stairs. A building acquires a spirit and I think it is sacrilege that they have knocked it down.’
Sansdstone signs
Mick Cannon said: ‘I’m glad they have saved the sandstone signs. I went to Mr Auld and said that thousands of kids have gone under those lintels and they must be kept.
‘School dinners in 1946 were soup and pudding on three days a week and the pudding was almost always semolina. On the other two days it was mince or stew and one vegetable.
‘We used to have our own school gardens for growing vegetables. There were fine carrots and we would pick them and eat them on our way to the pictures in the hall.’
Donald Robertson of Shiskine was another founder pupil. He said: ‘I remember having cocoa and beef drinks from the canteen. And we had assembly every morning. It seems an absolute waste to see the old school go. It even had a lift.’
The school has had five head teachers in its lifetime. John Petrie was head from the opening until 1972. Archie Nicol said: ‘Mr Petrie also took maths and music. He taught us singing.’
Mr Petrie was followed as head teacher by David Oakes until 1994, then Iain Murray to 1997, Susan Smith to 2003 and Douglas Auld to the present day.
Arran High became a six year school in 1974 and Lamlash Primary was built in the early 1980s making the high school secondary only. The newest extension wing opened in 1986 but now all of this has gone.
Arran is left with a new community school built under a private public partnership scheme but with the very best of facilities.
The area where the old school once stood will become car parking and coach drop-off areas with a landscaped grassy knoll towards the McKelvie Road side.
Atop this knoll will be placed the red sandstone block from over the front door which was carefully removed by the contractors. It reads simply ‘Arran High School’ and will be a fitting memorial to the many happy times spent there by Arran children.
At the time of the 50th anniversary celebrations in 1996 a time capsule was buried in the front lawn, to be opened in 2046. Inside a watertight container are a £20 note, defaced so it cannot be used, an Irn Bru can, a punishment exercise, a school badge, English and Maths exam papers and a copy of the Arran Banner. The flowering cherry trees will still stand in front of the new school and the time capsule will remain undisturbed under the lawn.
