50°13′52″N 5°14′20″W / 50.231°N 5.239°W Redruth Grammar School in Redruth, Cornwall, was a boys school between 1907 and 1976.
History
editThe school was opened on 5 October 1907 by General Sir Redvers Buller.[1] It was originally built to accommodate 150 pupils and to serve the Camborne-Redruth area, extending from Gwithian in the west to St. Agnes in the east and south to villages such as St Day and Troon. (Girls from this same area attended Camborne Grammar School).
On 23 May 1921, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales visited the school, and was presented to all the children and ex-servicemen of the neighbourhood. The school had a tuck shop run by "old Buck". In 1973 the new art block was opened by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Margaret Thatcher.
Merger
editIn 1976, the school merged with the nearby Tolgus Secondary School to create Redruth School, and served as the "West Park" section of the school until 2002, when a new building was constructed nearer the Tolgus site.
Subsequent use of site
editThe buildings remained disused until 2006 when the site of the old Redruth Grammar School was handed over to the Cornwall Arts Centre Trust.[2][3] The buildings have now been completely renovated and extended, and are now used as an arts hub for creative businesses.[4]
Notable former pupils
edit- Peter Bayley (1944-2018), scholar of French literature.[5]
- Ronald Bottrall, poet
- Rory McGrath, comedian
- Peter Rickard, Fellow, Emmanuel College, Cambridge[6]
- D. M. Thomas, Cornish poet, translator, novelist, editor, biographer and playwright[7]
Headmasters
edit- T. Shopland (1907-1931)
- F. W. Weatherill (1931-1964)
- A. S. Worrall (1964-1967)
- Arthur Parkes (1967-1976)
References
edit
- ^ "RCGS Reunion Pages". fsnet.co.uk.
- ^ "BBC NEWS - UK - England - Cornwall - Plans for art centre move forward". bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Welcome - Krowji". krowji.org.uk.
- ^ "Old Grammar School in Redruth becomes 'creative hub'". BBC News.
- ^ "Peter Bayley (1944–2018)". French Studies. 72 (4): 649–651. October 2018. doi:10.1093/fs/kny221. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "Emmanuel College - Contact - Fellows". cam.ac.uk.
- ^ "Personal History".
I'm Cornish, and very proud of it. It's where I live now.