Demolition is underway at St Lawrence’s RC School on Weaste Lane in Salford but this story from 7 July 1965 tells of a double blow the school would suffer that month.
The school opened in May 1960 and later All Hallows Business Enterprise and Sports College which moved to a newly built school at Eccles Old Road in September 2014.
The first catastrophe occurred on Sunday 8 July 1965 when the Deputy Headmaster John Bryon called at the school with his wife to inspect an exhibition of handiwork by the pupils and was devastated at what he found.
Bulbs from table lamps had been smashed on the floor, metal and woodwork exhibits which the pupils had taken almost a year to make had been smashed and twisted beyond recognition.
Garments made for a mannequin by the female pupils had been torn to shreds and a canoe that had been made in the woodwork class, had its canvas slashed and the framework broken.
The previous evening there had been an exhibition of the pupils’ work which proud parents had attended to view their children’s work.
They had been asked to leave their exhibits in the school over the weekend for safety reasons rather than take them home after the show.
The Headmaster Mr Raymond Edmundson said: “It is heartbreaking to see all the damage that has been done of which the children had so proudly put on display for their parents to see.”
Things were sadly to get worse the next day when the school caretaker Mr George Trainor opened up the school.
He found that a water pipe had burst and had completely flooded the ground floor classrooms and underground ducts, putting the school’s electricity and water supplies out of action.
The Salford fire brigade had to be called in to pump out the water which had been flooded to a depth of several inches causing severe damage to the floors, furniture and school materials.
School meal arrangements had to be made with the nearby De La Salle School to help feed its 540 pupils.
I was a pupil at the school when this happened and remember seeing first-hand the mindless damage caused.
I recall seeing a smashed up guitar which had taken 12 months to make, and the canoe slashed and overturned.
I do know that the police detained two juveniles who were being questioned about this, I think that they were from another school and did appear at Salford Magistrates.
Many pupils will have fond memories of the years that they spent there, my favourite teachers were the English teachers, Mr Byron especially and Mr Hayes, the Art Teacher, Mr Rice didn’t see eye to eye with me and banned me from art for a full term.
