Page 38 - Colin Wheeler's Memories

Redditch Heritage My Palace Theatre and other Memories

My first recollections are of my mother taking me to the Infants School at the

age of five.

The building was on the site of the present doctors surgery across the road from
the church. It consisted of three classrooms, the first, ( I discovered just prior

to demolition was little more than twelve feet square) with a central coke stove.

Miss Ledbury, our first teacher, was more like a lovely mother figure and I have

fond clear memories of fine summer afternoons when she would take out into a
large wooden covered shelter in the playground and read us stories.

Adjoining the classrooms was the Parish Room which was next to the School
House, which was occupied by the caretaker Mr Haines, his wife and two sons.
The younger of the two sons, Dennis with whom I went to school, at the age of

sixteen, gassed himself in the house when his girl friend rejected him.

The playground area was at the rear of the present row of houses and extended
as far as the present driveway.

In those days both the Infants School and the St. Luke's C of E Mixed School
were referred to by all the locals as the Little School and the Big School.

Page: 38 © Redditch Heritage 2018