Gilberd.com: Gilberd History

The Essex County Standard of that week carried a long report on the opening of the College, which included a detailed account of the layout of the school, of which the following is a summary:

As now, the College was built over three main terraces, though in 1912 all three were grassed. The Lower Paddock was for the sole use of the Girls' High. The other two terraces were grassed tennis courts which were not concreted over until the 1960s.

On the ground floor of the building was a carpenters' and joiners' room (now the Library) and nearby was a "pleasant" dining room for 80 or 100 pupils (this is now room 10,). What is now the Domestic Science room was also in 1912 a cookery room and there was a laundry room for use by both day and evening classes, (this is presumably room 5).

Also on the ground floor was an engineers' drawing office (room 4) which had a wooden partition, dividing it in two. On the other side of the corridor was the lab for practical applied mechanics (room 3). The report glowingly describes the equipment for the room which included a 9.5 h.p. engine. It's not surprising the room was probably the most expensive to equip at £500!

Upstairs on the first floor were the offices and committee rooms of the local Education committees (now staff rooms); The Assembly Hall; an advanced science lab, five classrooms and a common room for the Girls High (rooms 19 and 24). The present offices for the Heads and the Careers Room were the original staff rooms, ladies at the west end, gentlemen at the east. It is interesting to note that there were then two more rooms on the first floor than at present. This floor, the Girl High floor, was presided over by their Head, Miss M. Collins B.A.

In addition, during- the evenings it -.vas used for evening classes for the Commercial School which taught subjects such as French, German, Typing and Book-keeping.

The second floor had a chemistry lecture theatre with fume cupboards, and a demonstration bench complete with gas and water laid on. This room (29), has hardly changed since 1912. There were also a physics/electrics lab and a dark room. The paper stresses how modern and well equipped the labs are, for example the electrics lab had three generators. On this floor there was also a needlework room and a building construction room. The Science supervisor was Mr. H.P. Wilson F.C.S.

The third floor was dedicated to the Art School whose Head was Mr. P. Moore Gordon A.R.C.A. The Standard said "One of the most striking features on this floor is the very wide corridor", which could be used as a museum of sorts to display students work or works from South Kensington.

There were three main art rooms, the light in which was excellent which was enhanced electrically if needs be. The other rooms were an artistic crafts room (now a pottery room) and a clay modelling room (room 39).

Finally the Report does not omit the fact that the school was heated by hot water at low pressure and lit electrically throughout. Both of these things were quite remarkable at the time.

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