Eaton Bray School in 1904

A plan of the school about 1860 [AD3865/13/2] - to see a larger picture please click on the image

Bedfordshire County Council became Local Education Authority for the county in 1903, following the Education Act 1902. In 1904 the County Surveyor 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.

EATON BRAY COUNCIL SCHOOL

GENERAL WORKS £74 9s. 11d.
SANITARY WORKS £105
HEATING & VENTILATION £43 12s. 0d.
[TOTAL] £223 1s. 11d.

House

GENERAL WORKS £19 13s. 6d.
SANITARY WORKS £10
NEW WORKS £60 0s. 9d.
[TOTAL] £89 13s. 6.

[TOTAL] £312 15s. 5d.

Eaton Bray School and House (Council)

This is a large block of brick built and slated buildings, fairly strong, but not apparently provided with proper damp courses.

Infants’ Room. 56 feet 9 inches by 16 feet by 12 feet 6 inches to 16 feet

Lighting by six windows, all of which open.

Ventilation by windows named above.

The bottom sashes should be blocked up three inches, and an Exhaust

Ventilator provided.

This room needs thoroughly renovating.

Class Room. 20 feet by 13 feet by 12 feet 6 inches to 16 feet.

Lighting by four windows and ceiling openings.

Ventilation by open sashes. Bottom sashes should be blocked up three inches, and an Exhaust Ventilator provided.

Heating by an open fire.

This room needs thoroughly renovating.

Lobby. 13 feet 6 inches by 12 feet 6 inches by 8 feet 8 inches to 12 feet.

The window should be made entirely to open, the walling repaired, and the Lobby renovated.

Lobby. 15 feet by 8 feet by 9 feet.

This needs similar treatment to above.

General School – 37 feet by 19 feet by 13 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 6 inches.

Lighting by seven windows.

Ventilation, as before. These windows should be altered also to admit air past meeting rails of sashes, by blocking up bottom sash 3 feet.

An Exhaust Ventilator is necessary.

Heating by Stove. This needs repairing and making sound.

A 28 foot Cooking Stove is provided for lessons in cooking.

All in this room needs renewing.

The walls are damp and the floor rotting. The ground should be taken out, and the cause of the damp ascertained, and further damage prevented.

Room N. E. of Main Room. 29 feet by 19 feet by 12 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 6 inches.

Lighting by seven windows, as before.

Ventilation by window sashes; these should be treated as before named. An Exhaust Ventilator to roof should also be provided.

Heating by a Shorland’s grate and hot air flues.

This room needs entirely renewing.

Class Room. 15 feet by 15 feet by 12 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 6 inches.

Lighting by four windows, as before.

Ventilation by sashes. These should be treated as before suggested, and an

Exhaust Ventilator provided.

Heating by an open fireplace.

This room needs thoroughly restoring.

General. The sashes in some parts are looking very much like decay; new ones should therefore be provided, where necessary, before painting.

All the Stoves need thorough repair; the inside cones are burnt through.

Porch. 13 feet by 4 feet by 9 feet 6 inches.

Lighting by windows is fair; these are made to open.

Lobby. 15 feet by 8 feet by 9 feet 6 inches; windows as above.

Both these need renewal and repairs.

School Offices

Boys’ – These are close up to the School windows; the range starts with a Lavatory, next a Urinal, and then three pail Closets.

Girls’ – In next yard, very near to the Infants’ windows, is a block of six pail closets.

These receptacles, without a proper deodorant and cleansing, smell as offensively as pits, and as they are exposed to the full Sun in Summer, are dangerous to health.

They should be converted into proper earth Closets, with the needful dry earth shed, etc.

A Coal Barn is provided at rear, next to girls’ open shed.

N. B. A large moat and pond, full of water, lies alongside [one] of the two Main Rooms, East of the block, which keep the buildings very damp. Permission should be obtained to put a clay puddle wall, 3 feet wide and 12 inches down into the solid clay, the whole length of the building, and as much beyond as may be affected, and for the laying of a 6 inch sub-soil drain to the outfall which passes under the main road, to the village water course.

Playground

This needs a spring water drain at S. E. corner, and the general surface readjusting.

Master’s House

This is a small House, containing:

Hall and Stairway 9 feet 3 inches by 5 feet 6 inches.

Two Living Rooms each 12 feet by 12 feet.

Kitchen only 8 feet 4 inches by 8 feet 3 inches.

The latter has no chimney flue. The smoke pipe from the stove used here goes through floor above into the Bedroom flue. This is very questionable, and most unwholesome.

There are three bedrooms over first named.

A detached Scullery is on the other side of small yard; this, and the lobby space, might be occupied for a good kitchen, by extending the front into yard to allow a room 10 feet wide and 14 feet 9 inches long for a Kitchen, which could be coupled up to the house by a passage, about six feet long, covered by a flat under school window, with a doorway therefrom to yard.

Such a provision is really necessary for the comfort of the occupants of the house.

The large dust bin in the Master’s yard, under the School window, should be cleared away, the yard floor made over the space and a sanitary dust bin provided, but set clear of the windows.

The closet, being close to school windows, should be converted into an Earth Closet.

Coal Barn for House

This is at the end of the scullery.

Water Supply

The drinking water, for the whole of the premises, is obtained from the House pump.

Soft water from the Lavatory pump.

House and Offices – Internal repairs. Cleansing, whitening, painting and papering, generally are necessary, with a few exceptions regarding paper.

External Repairs and Painting

External repairs are needed throughout the whole of the buildings, viz: to chimneys, roofs, walls, fences, doors, windows, steps, sills, eaves troughs, down pipes and painting of all as previously done.

Drains

These should be put into good order.

N. B. The Lavatory sinks should be disconnected from direct contact with drain, by discharge on to a trapped surface gulley.