Listed Building record MDR11217 - Former School, Tamworth Road, Long Eaton

Former school, Tamworth Road, Long Eaton, built in 1911. 'Long Eaton: Long Eaton Community School (Secondary), Tamworth Road. 1909. Large impressive two-storey secondary school. To be made redundant and sold, 2003/4?' (1) 'Professor Sadler, formerly an official of the Department of Education, was asked by Derbyshire County Council to prepare a report after they took charge of the schools in 1902. Secondary education was one of the council's main concerns. Sadler was impressed by the flourishing pupil teacher centre at Long Eaton and Samuel Clegg's devotion to culture and education. Sadler's report recommended a higher grade school, where the technical and artistic needs of the predominantly lace making district would be met, as well as those of prospective teachers. The special emphasis he placed on drawing and artistic education was surely reflected by the views of Samuel Clegg, whose book 'Drawing and Design' was concerned with teaching art in secondary schools. Derbyshire County Council accepted Sadler's report, which recommended Samuel Clegg as head of the new Long Eaton school. Plans by the county surveyor, G H Widdows, for a school to hold 200 pupils, incorporating Clegg's suggestions, were approved and in 1909 Widdows laid the foundation stone. On 19 December 1910 the school, then named Long Eaton County School and Pupil Teacher Centre, was opened. Free places were awarded to 25% of the entry, to qualify the school for government grants. The numbers rose quite rapidly and reached the design capacity in 1912, and an extension was later constructed in 1931. The school was raised to secondary school status in 1913, meaning they could charger higher fees and lawfully teach Latin.' (2) 'Samuel Clegg described the school as being one that always specialised in art. Mlle Rosa Vaerwyck, later known as Mme Pauwaert, was a Belgian refugee of the First World War, when she arrived at Long Eaton County School to teach art. She was a fine artist and with Miss Nowell she painted the murals which remained showpieces of the school until 1948. Room 5 was so decorated as to be known as the Milton Room; Room 4 was the Tudor Room; Room 3 was decorated with French landscape and was the French Room; while local trade was honoured in Room 7, which became the Lace Room. This mural decoration of classrooms was an expression of Mr Clegg's ideas about presenting art to children incidentally, as part of their environment. In 1922 when a French artist, M Bissiere, had been on the staff for a short time as Art Master, Mr Clegg had seized the opportunity to persuade him to paint a mural of the Canterbury Pilgrims in Room 6. It was from this painting that the room became known as the Chaucer Room. Murals of Mlle Vaerwyck were an extension of this mural decoration. Some faint idea of these mural paintings can be gained from the photographs published in this book.' (3) The school appears on modern OS mapping [2015] as 'Mohan Business Centre'. (4) From The National Heriatge List for England: 'This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 20 July 2022 to update the name and address and to reformat the text to current standards SK 43 SE 4/40 PARISH OF LONG EATON TAMWORTH ROAD (West Side) Mohan buisness Centre (Former Long Eaton School) (Formerly listed as Long Eaton Upper School) GV II School. 1911 by G H Widdows (Derbyshire County Council architect). Red brick on ashlar plinth with stone and gauged brick dressing. Slate roof with bell canted overhanging eaves, moulded stone copings to gables on plain kneelers and vented brick ridge stacks, also octagonal timber cupola on leaded base with colonnaded sides and domed copper roof to ridge of central wing. Two storeys, with complex plan which has a four bay central range with short wings at 45 degrees to south and longer ranges at 45 degrees to north. Central hall has four, almost full height, three-light, double transomed windows with double chamfered segment heads plus double keystones and stained glass to top panes. It also has continuous flush stone bands at sill and lintel levels of windows and stone parapet over with canted stone piers between recessed panels. To east of the windows there is an inserted c1970 doorcase with glazed doors. Short wings to either side have central three-light, transomed casement windows below flat gauged brick arches with stone keyblocks, flanked by similar single light windows and similar arrangement of windows above. The gable ends of these wings have three single light similar windows to ground floor and a large five-light segment headed window above with deep stone band over, and a blind recess below. In the angles between the long and the short angled ranges there are single bays which cut across. Both these have semi-circular stone steps up to a deep stone segment headed doorcase with a curved bracketed cornice over and long curving keystone stretching from the door lintel to over the cornice. Above both have an area of brickwork with two lozenges in lighter brick and above again a stone, canted mullion and transomed bay window with stone turrets to either side, each with narrow slit windows near the base. Above the eaves between the two turrets there are canted stone parapets. Attached to north are the long ranges which have advanced gabled bays to each end. These each have a three-light double transomed casement window below flat arch with stone keyblock to centre flanked by similar single light windows on the ground floor, and similar windows above with a blind semi-circular gauged brick arch above the central window, also two flush stone bands in the gable. Between the doorcase and the gabled end bay there are two similar three-light windows flanked by similar two-light windows nearest the gabled bay and another three-light window with single light window nearest the doorcase. Above there are similar windows in same arrangement. Widdows was an exponent of advanced ideas on school planning and ventilation. Listing NGR: SK4897033325.' (5)