Hillside Histories
The building we call Hillside has been around since 1880. For most of that time it has been a school, first as Beeston Hill Board School, as a girls secondary school, a middle school and finally as Hillside Primary and the temporary home of New Bewerley Community School. We would love to hear the stories of people who came to learn or teach in this building - if you've got a memory you would like to share please contact us here.
To kick us off, the Council's planning department gave us this:
Hillside is Grade II Listed. The boundary wall, railings, gates, gate piers together with the caretaker's house adjacent and to the north, are also included in the listing for group value. The followng is extracted from the listing schedule:
Formerly known as Beeston Hill Board School. 1880. Designed by Richard L Adams, the architect to Leeds School Board from 1873-86. Built of red brick, with stone details and a slate roof. Symmetrical facade arranged into five bays of two storeys over a basement. Projecting end bays have "BOYS" and "GIRLS" entrances and pyramid roofs. The central bay projects with an ornate pedimented gable above with clock. Bay 2 on the ground floor (left) was originally a covered playground. By 1903 the school had 1,313 scholars in two departments, mixed and infants. A rear wing was added before 1908.
This is a fine example of Richard Adams' 2-storey schools designed in the Classical style.
In 1996/97 extensive refurbishment was undertaken of th existing buildings including the provision of a lift; a substantial new rear extension was also built for dining hall and kitchen, and Nursery (total cost of around £1.8m). It became surplus to requirements due to rationalisation of school premises resulting from falling school rolls. The school merged with Greenwood Primary to become New Bewerley community School, an all pupils transferred to an award-winning new campus on Dewsbury Road towards the nd of 2006. The original Bewerley Street School, demolished a number of years ago was the first purpose-designed school for Leeds School Board; it opened in 1873, two years after the founding of the Board and stood on what is now the Northcotes.
Do you remember ...
- The covered playground?
- The air raid shelter in the basement?
- The outside toilets?
- Who were the real characters (staff or pupils)?
- Did you represent the school at sports?
We would love to hear from you.
