Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Schools Past & Present holly bank chester.

for a while i attended holly bank private school just outside of chester. it was located in a big house that had been converted. at the top of the drive was a small cottage the i assume was once a gate house. i remember a large fire place in the entrance hall and one of the class rooms being so small you could only fit 8 desks in (probably used to be servants quarters).the school was later changed to a religious studies collage and from looking on google maps now it looks like houses have been built on what was the play ground and playing field. does anybody else have memories of holly bank or even better know where i could find information/pictures about the house it used to be. thanks.

Is this it ?

http://hollybankvets.co.uk/wordpress1/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Hollybank-snow.jpg

or this ?



http://www.chester.ac.uk/node/15957

hi granny yes i think the second pic is it. thanks.

Here it is now. Found on google images

Nice pic thanks. Building looks pretty much the same. But the foreground is new. Do you know where I could find out about the history of the building.

If it was a kindergarten, which school was it attached to ?

Cheshire Archives would maybe have some information, maps etc. and if you wanted to search the census would maybe give an idea of how long it had been a school. That's all I can think of, but someone else may have more ideas or info.
You could maybe join a local chat site to Chester or have a search for Chester info on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/old.chester.city/

https://www.facebook.com/ChesterHistoryAndHeritageCentre

Thanks granny. It was a junior and senior school(private).

The schools full address was,

Holly Bank School,
Abbot's Hayes,
Liverpool Rd,
Chester.

Abbot's Hayes consisted of 4 large properties, 1 to 4 and Abbot's Hayes Lodge.
The properties had between 11 and 14 rooms, the lodge having only about 5.

Abbot's Hayes and the lodge appear in numerous directories and census up to at least 1923.

Holly Bank school appearing in the 1940 telephone book suggests it opened between 1923 and 1940. Being able to find numbers 2, 3 and 4 in various telephone books also suggests the school was Number 1, Abbot's Hayes, approximately a 12 room house when it was residential.

Interesting. thanks bert1.
It would be interesting to have a floor plan of the house when it was residential to compare rooms to classrooms. I remember an extension which housed the science lab and cookery/assembly hall. and a three roomed annex along side the play ground.

I wonder what this work was in 1945.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/65ea46a2-a8b9-4459-ae75-c93759f8d807

That could be for the extension that I mentioned.

Hi All
Just stumbled across this, I too attended Holly Bank School and in fact the school was owned by my parents Mr and Mrs Gabriel. I can probably help with most information about the school if anyone has anything in particular.
We sold the school to Chester college as at the time there were no takers for the business as a going concern.

Just noticed your reply Dustywings. Paternoster21 has not been online since last year, so he may not see your message. If you wished to include as much information as you have or wish to part with, on here, there will be someobody who will be interested and it will always available for future reference.