Eversholt School in 1904

Eversholt School elevation 1842 [AD3865/15]

Bedfordshire County Council became Local Education Authority for the county in 1903, following the Education Act 1902. In 1904 the CountySurveyor reported on the condition of all the council and voluntary schools in the county under LEA control, excluding those on Bedford and Luton Boroughs which had their own executive arrangements. The surveyor's report [E/SA2/1/1] took the form below.

EVERSHOLT COUNCIL SCHOOL

GENERAL WORKS                         £79/12/10
SANITARY WORKS                        £22/3/0
HEATING & VENTILATION             £42/15/0
NEW WORKS                                  £5/0/0
                                                                                    £149/10/10

House

GENERAL WORKS                         -
SANITARY WORKS                        -
HEATING & VENTILATION             -
NEW WORKS                                  -
                                                                                    £149/10/10

Eversholt School (Council)
(The House is not connected therewith)

This is an old brick and tile building with stone dressings, not at all lofty. The windows are very shallow. Although numerous, they are not high enough to ventilate the room properly.

Main Room – 58 feet 6 inches x 17 feet 0 inches x 10 feet 0 inches x 14 feet 3 inches

Ten Tobin Tubes and two Exhaust Ventilators should be provided.

All whitening, colouring, painting, and stain and varnishing needs repairing, cleansing, and renewing.

The room is sufficiently warmed by two open fireplaces, which need repairing.

The floor is very much worn, and needs restoring in places.

N.B. – This room had a very unwholesome smell in it when I called. It needs early attention.

Boys’ Lobby

This is fairly capacious, but is not well lighted. The roof is very flat and faulty. A double stone sink is provided next window, one portion of which needs a drain plug and waste pipe.

The floor is partly York stone, and blue Staffordshire pavings.

More window light and through air should be provided and all renovated.

Girls’ Lobby

This is very long, connecting Large Room and Infants’ Room. It is lighted by a skylight. More light and through air is necessary. The roof is too flat; wet comes through in places.

Two lavatory basins are provided, but no waste pipes to drains.

Floor is very good. Slight repairs are necessary, and painting, stain and varnishing, colouring, and whitening need renewal.

Infants’ Room 30 feet 0 inches x 17 feet 0 inches x 12 feet 0 inches to 16 feet 6 inches

This is a more modern room, well lighted; several portions of the sashes hung to open, and well warmed by an open fire.

Five Tobin Tubes and an Exhaust Ventilator should be provided. Defects need repairing generally, and cleaning, whitening, colouring, painting, stain and varnishing renewing, as before.

Offices

An extensive block of well built offices for the dry earth system has been erected, with every facility for properly storing and working this system; these have all been ignored, and the common privy pit with its abomination now prevails.

These Offices and Urinals were vilely filthy and loathsome on my visit. That such neglect and abuse of well designed and provided premises is allowed is most regrettable, besides being very dangerous to health.

Yards

These were full of holes.

Drainage

This appears to be defective

These premises both externally and internally need repairs and complete renewal.

Two Coal Barns are provided, one of which is used only for Sunday School purposes.

A good Water Supply for drinking and lavatory is provided.