Where Is This? No.194

Published on: 28 Jan, 2016
Updated on: 28 Jan, 2016

By David Rose

Plenty of replies to last week’s mysteries. The farm was Bower’s Farm, now the site of the Burpham Sainsbury’s store.

And the quirky picture of the clock and the word ‘PETERBOROUGH’ can be found within the residential development Cardwells Keep – once the site of Stoughton Barracks.

Click here for last week’s post as the replies include more details especially why the barrack block was called ‘PETERBOROUGH’.

Any thoughts on which school this is?

For this week’s mystery vintage picture we feature a school photo that was taken in 1946. All boys you’ll notice, so that may be a clue to this Guildford school. It is now a primary school.

Do you know which one? Perhaps readers may even be able to names some of those featured?

The picture belongs to Geoff Hills who kindly allowed me to copy it several years ago. You can click on the picture to enlarge it in a new window.

Where can this feature be found?

For the quirky picture, I don’t think we’ve featured this particular image before that shows a drain hopper – I did take the photo a while ago. It’s on a well known building in the High Street.

If you know the answers please leave a reply in the box below. Replies will be published at about the same time next week with two more mystery pictures for you to ponder.

Responses to Where Is This? No.194

Bernard Parke Reply

January 28, 2016 at 7:04 am

1) Stoughton Nothmead School.

2) Holy Trinity.
John Lomas Reply

January 28, 2016 at 12:07 pm

I think the old picture is Northmead Boys on Grange Road.

The ages of the boys seem to vary too much to be a single class, I wonder if it is a club/society group.

Northmead Girls school was behind the houses on the opposite side of Grange Road, accessed by road from Harts Gardens, I think there was also a pedestrian access off Grange Road, and backing onto the playing field of Stoughton Juniors.

I think that the quirky pic is a corner of one of the gables of Holy Trinity Church.
Mary Bedforth Reply

January 28, 2016 at 4:18 pm

Can anybody answer please:

Who were the farmers at Bower’s Farm and was the farm still viable and functioning when the land was purchased for development?

When was Sainsbury’s built?

Was there much local opposition?

Just curious.
Bernard Parke Reply

January 29, 2016 at 8:16 am

The Sainsbury’s store was built in the mid eighties.

There was considerable opposition to the project as there was also opposition when Tesco was built shortly afterwards.

The idea was to keep provision shopping with motor transport out of the town centre to avoid congestion.
Andrew Backhurst Reply

January 29, 2016 at 9:04 am

I am sure this will be tricky if you haven’t attended this school as it is off the road, although over the years a large amount of Guildford’s kids will have been educated there.

I did attend it, but only for one year 1972, when it was the first year annex for the then named Guildford C of E School.

Also my father was a pupil in the late 1940s (a year or two after this picture was taken) when it was called Northmead School for Boys.

My wife is currently a teacher at the now named Northmead Junior School.
Dave Middleton Reply

January 29, 2016 at 4:34 pm

I don’t know who farmed Bower’s farm.

Looking at my old Ordnance Survey maps of the area, Bowers Farm isn’t marked, but I’d hazard a guess it covered the land roughly in a triangle shape, bordered on the south east by the London Road at Burpham (the old A3), Burpham Lane to the south west and the River Wey to its north and would have been adjoined by Weylea Farm, Winterhill Farm and Whitehouse Farm.

It’s quite a small area and was made even smaller when the “new” A3 was put through it (early ’80s?).

I’d be surprised if it was viable as a farm much after the early 1970s due to its small size, much as is the case with Burpham Court Farm.
Mary Bedforth Reply

January 30, 2016 at 6:14 pm

Thanks gentlemen for that info.
Eric brown Reply

January 31, 2016 at 3:36 pm

Northmead boys school
Chris Townsend Reply

January 31, 2016 at 6:28 pm

The school was Northmead Boys’ County Secondary School, off Grange Road, now Northmead Junior School.

The school, like its counterpart for girls on the opposite side of Grange Road, was opened in 1935, as part of a scheme to provide separate schools for children over eleven.

The older Stoughton schools were then used as junior and infants’ schools.

The drain hopper belongs to Holy Trinity Church, possibly the one on a west-facing wall nearest the gate.
Bill and Doug Staniforth Reply

February 2, 2016 at 5:10 pm

Northmead School, We’re pretty sure one of the boys is Martin Giles.

The drain hopper is on Holy Trinity Church.

[David Rose: sorry guys you are wrong there, Martin went to St Peter’s School in Merrow. No prize therefore!]
Brian Holt Reply

February 2, 2016 at 11:45 pm

Northmead Boy’s School Grange Road.

I started there six years later in 1952.

I think the teacher might be Mr Armstrong, it look like him, but I am not sure.
Margaret Cole Reply

February 3, 2016 at 9:39 pm

Picture 1. Northmead Boys School in Grange Road.

Picture 2. Holy Trinity Church, High Street.

The rain hopper can’t be seen at present because of scaffolding.
Stephen Munfield Reply

February 7, 2016 at 7:17 pm

http://tinypic.com/r/zsm5l/9

Click on the link above to see a picture of a school rugby team at Guildford C of E School’s Grange Road annexe in about 1972/73.

I am in the back row third left.

I can only name about eight of the team, can anyone provide names?
Jon Davies Reply

June 14, 2016 at 3:12 pm

I attended Northmead Boys School in the late 1940s.

I recall the school being issued with a supply chocolate powder from the American Army which was to be distributed to the boys.

As there was too little for all to have some it was decided by the Headmaster and staff that it should be allocated by the measuring of feet.

A piece of wood was nailed to floor in the corridor a distance from the wall.

We were lined up around the corridor and told to remove our shoes.

With the heel against the wall you were measured. If your toes touched the wood you received some chocolate powder.

The piece of wood was moved back progressively until all the chocolate was handed out.

Needless to say, those with the smallest feet did not receive any!