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St.
Joseph's Industrial School
for Boys and Girls
The
following is an excerpt
from
"The Villages of Manchester" by Chris Makepeace St. Joseph's
Industrial Schools were established in Victoria Park to provide a
Catholic education for the children of Catholics in the Victoria
Park/Longsight area. The Catholic Church had had a presence in the area
since 1865, when the Little Sisters of the Poor had moved from Higher
Ardwick and established a convent in Victoria Park. (NOTE: Father David Lannon of the
Salford Diocesan Archives has pointed out that the Sisters of Charity
of St Vincent de Paul, not the Little Sisters of the Poor, were
the ones who helped Fr Quick with his industrial school. Later they
opened an Industrial School for Girls, and in the 1920s that became St
Joseph's Girls School in Victoria Park.) The nuns, as well as providing assistance to the poor of the area, also used part of their convent for St. Joseph's Industrial School for Girls. This postcard shows the building as it appeared in Edwardian times, before St. Joseph's Church was built on Plymouth Grove."
The photograph
of the St. Joseph's School is shown here with the generous
permission of Graham Beech of Sigma Leisure. The photograph
comes from the Chris Makepeace book, "The Villages of Manchester",
which
is
available from Sigma
Books. This photograph may not be reproduced, stored in a retieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without permission
from the publisher. The Villages of Manchester is just one of a series
of books with a shared theme of Postcards from the Past. You should
check-out Sigma's fine collection of books. The St. Joseph's Industrial School for Boys
The St. Joseph's Industrial School for Boys was located at the corner of Stockport Road and Richmond Grove. The school opened in 1871 but a new building was constructed in 1913 to replace both the original school buildings and chapel on the site, which covered the five acres of land purchased by the school's founder, the Rev. Father Quick. The school
accommodated mainly orphans who had a tendency to "petty pilfering,
wandering and sleeping out." As well as school rooms, the 400 pupils
had workshops in which to learn a trade. Discipline was strict and
great emphasis was placed on self sufficiency. The cobbler's shop made
the boys' boots and the boys knitted their own socks.
The daily routine at St. Joseph's Industrial School began with rise at 5:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. in winter) for a wash and swim in Municipal Baths, followed by a walk, floor scrubbing, house cleaning and fire lighting. Breakfast was next at 7:30 a.m. (bread, butter and cocoa), then a recreation period followed by an inspection by the School Superintendent. After this came school or work until 12:30 p.m. (including a ten minute break), then at 12:30 p.m. came a wash and lunch (meat for six days, fish for the other). Drill came next until 2:00 p.m. with those working in the morning off to school, and vice versa, until 6:00 p.m. (with a ten minute break). At 6:00 p.m. it was wash and tea, followed by recreation until 7:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. it was band rehearsal for musicians, and school for all others. Finally at 9:00 p.m. there was a short play-time, followed by night prayers and bed. In the 1930's industrial schools were abolished and Manchester Education Committee took over the building. On the outbreak of war, however, the building was requisitioned by the Auxiliary Fire Service and by 1941 had become Number 17 Area Training College for the National Fire Service. In 1948 the Manchester City Police, later Greater Manchester Police, acquired the building. It was to be divisional headquarters, as well as housing the force transport department |
