The possibility of using the spacious Brush house as a school was hailed with delight by the Sheffield Education Authority. They had problems with the new school which had been started in 1919 at Abbeyfield House, Pitsmoor. This was the first secondary school in Sheffield under the 1902 Act to be established outside the Sheffield city centre and was named Pitsmoor Secondary School. However, the building proved much too small and soon there were classes held in the school rooms of neighbouring churches: Burngreave Methodist & Burngreave Congregational. So, in March 1920 the mansion and a small plot of land at Brush house were transferred by the Corporation to the Education Committee (more). This was to supplement and, ultimately, to replace Abbeyfield House; (the rest of the estate to be used for council housing). The first pupils arrived at Brush House in 1920 and in 1921 the school was renamed Firth Park Secondary School. The name was changed to 'Firth Park Grammar School' in 1937.
The first headmaster of Firth Park School was a most
remarkable character Dr Lloyd Storr-Best who knew ten languages including
ancient and modern Greek, was a fine gymnast, was on intimate terms with all
the leading Sheffield industrialists, kept an excellent wine cellar, and
distained the Sheffield Education Office. The boys, no girls, wore red caps
and red blazers and the school song was in Latin - six verses!
In September 1921 there were 200 boys at Brushes and 140 at Abbeyfield. In a report to the education committee the headmaster spoke of "oscillating between Abbeyfield and Brushes". It is very interesting that the headmaster speaks of "Brushes". From about 1910 the popular name had become "The Brushes", recalling unconsciously the original name, Brushes Farm, and Brushes remained the universal name to the time that the school was closed. He also speaks of the Coach House being used as a temporary dining room. In 1977 the Coach House was still a dining room and the oscillation still continued, although in a different direction.
Travelling was indeed rather more difficult in 1921 - by tramcar from Pitsmoor, terminating at Firth Park post office; then a footpath to The Brushes, through fields and woods. Old boys still recall the lovely bluebells!
The school grew in numbers and in size. In September 1923 there were 323 boys at Brushes at 168 at Abbeyfield. In September 1927, all pupils were taught at The Brushes and Abbeyfield House became a public library. There were then 650 boys and this number remained until 1969 when the school became a comprehensive school, affiliating with Hatfield House.
Between 1921 and 1927 the following additions had been made:
- Hall/gym
- Gym wing
- Labs by Barnsley Road
- Craft workshop
In 1927 the school had an established reputation for languages: in addition to French, five second languages were taught from the second year upwards - German, Latin, Spanish, Italian and Russian. In 1927 the first public concert was given by the school choir which from 1927 - 1935 achieved national and international fame under Desmond MacMahon.
Early classrooms in old building
- Room 41 - Geography (later staff room)
- Room 42 & 43 - both History rooms later 6th form common room
- Room 44 - Music (later staff dining room)
- Room 14 - library (later office)
Top Floor
- Room 2 - Art
- Room 3 - Maths
- Room 4 - Maths (later stock room)
- Room 5 - Prefects' room
- Room 6 (tower) - staff room
Notable changes after 1927
- 1936 - 1937 Library wing
- 1942 - First Oxbridge Scholarship Stewart Trippett, Sidney Sussex College Cambridge. Now Professor of Chemistry at Leicester University
- 1965 - Labs in front quad
- 1969 - Firth Park Comprehensive School 1200
pupils
- Brushes and Hatfield House
- Girls for the first time at Brushes
During its early years, Firth Park Grammar School prospered and acquired additional classrooms, laboratories, a gymnasium-cum- assembly hall, built up a reputation for foreign languages and expanded its numbers. The boys also gained a reputation when Stubbin Lane (the Monkey Run or Lovers' Lane) was used by them and the rest of Sire Green and surrounding area as a promenade, where groups of boys and girls would parade up and down. The boys from The Brushes were often heard to lard their phrases with the word "absolutely"!
Headmasters
- 1919 - 1932 Dr Storr-Best
- 1932 - 1948 W Padfield
- 1948 - 1958 Dr W R C Chapman
- 1958 - 1972 H J S Wilson
- 1972 - 1976 T R Sanderson
- 1977 - Dr Hartley
(Adapted from 'The Brushes Story' by T F ('Spike') Johnson)
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The school pupils were fondly known as the 'Red Caps' - so-called because of the colour of the school uniform which consisted of a maroon blazer and cap. On the cap was stitched a large embroidered cloth school badge on a black background, later replaced by a metal shield, which permitted boys to obtain reduced fares on public transport. Eventually badges embroidered directly onto the cloth made up the school's red-coloured cap. The school motto was "Each for All, All for Each". However, in the third year and above, students changed to a navy blue jacket. The scarf colour for these upper forms was dark blue with a yellow stripe through it. |
Firth Park Grammar School Houses:
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The school went co-ed with Hatfield House School in 1969 and girls took up residency in the school which was formerly all boys. To accommodate the new influx, temporary portakabins were placed on the rose gardens at the rear of the school (where many of the school photos on this site were taken) |
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The tuck shop was situated in the old stable block behind the metalwork shop, a drop-down flap in the wall was the serving hatch and pupils served at lunchtimes and break times |
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End of an era: Firth Park School was closed in 2000. After arson attacks on the old building during 2002, the old Firth Park Grammar School building was demolished to make way for Longley Park Sixth Form College, the new sixth form college for North East Sheffield, due to open to students in September 2004. Paul Ashdown, formerly Principal of Bexhill College, has been appointed the first Principal of the College and took over at Easter 2003 (more>>) |
