The Archivist writes…
In my wider role as a Chichester local historian I make a weekly trawl of Ebay to see what items of local interest might be lurking thereon, and I recently acquired a postcard giving an aerial view over the schools at Kingsham Road.
It is titled “LANCASTRIAN SCHOOL, CHICHESTER Founded 1811-1812” and shews the Boy’s Lancastrian school bottom left, with CHSB due north and the Girl’s Lancastrian School to the east. It features the unfenced Great Divide between CHSB and the Boys’ Lancs across which many a snowball fight occurred in days of yore. It is obviously break time as there are boys milling about at both schools but interestingly although those at the Lancastrian are on the field, those at CHSB are not indicating that the winter embargo on going onto the grass was in force.
The postcard is undated and has not been used hence it carries no postmark to assist with dating. However, close study of the enlarged portion of the view shewing our buildings reveals that the 1960 Engineering Block is there but not the new Biology Block which did not appear until 1962, as such it probably dates from 1961. The Boys’ Lancs school opened in 1955, only six years before the photograph so is doubtless much in its as-built condition
The photograph also shews the six air raid shelters to the south of the school along with the two jumping pits to their east and you can appreciate just how big the CHSB campus was in those days. The playing field east of CHSB has, of course, long since been sold off and redeveloped for housing.
Ten years later this view would have included the first path that connected the two schools when they amalgamated as a comprehensive using both sites. The same view today does not bear contemplation as it would just reveal a sorry scene of destruction.
Alan Green
Hon Archivist