The Area Known as the Highfields In the early nineteenth century, our area to the east of Leicester city centre was known as High fields. The area was rich in water sources and windmills, the springs being said to give exceptionally pure water. However, it was not until the mid to late nineteenth century that Highfields began to develop, and by 1885 half the area was covered with housing and small factory units, catering to a growing manufacturing industry. Below is a section from an Ordnance Survey map dated 1913 (published by Alan Godfrey Maps) which shows the housing where the school is now situated. You can also see the tramway opened in 1874 first on the Belgrave road soon extended to all the principal radial routes including Humberstone Road and at that time horse drawn. The tramway was electrified in 1901 when it was taken over by the Corporation. The extension of the tram route took in Nedham Street, Melbourne road, St Barnabas road and East Park road helping to open up new areas for residential development.
Part of ordnance survey map Leicester (NE) 1913 By 1915 the area was fully developed with small terraced housing and larger three story spacious properties with servants. Spinney Hill Park was the only open space in the area opened in August 1886. Early in the twentieth century a small Jewish community from Russia grew up in the area and the Highfield Street Synagogue was built. The community grew before and during the Second World War with refugees and evacuees coming in from Europe including a number of Latvian and Polish people.
The area escaped heavy bombing during World War Two, but on November 19 th 1940, bombs were dropped on Leicester, some coming down on Highfield Street and Saxby Street killing 40 people. Closer to us on Grove Road a 1000 kilogram parachute mine was dropped; one of the largest bombs used by the Luftwaffe during the war. After the war a number of Afro-Caribbean families moved into the area including those of ex-service men. Into the 1960`s and the area saw the growth of a small Asian community. Shortage of labour in the 1970`s encouraged more people from the subcontinent to settle in the city and unrest in east Africa (Uganda) also bought in good number. More recently in the mid to late 1990`s we have seen a Somali community come into the Highfields. So in less than two hundred years the area had grown from open countryside to the thriving community it is today. The area where the school is built was obviously high density housing and a shopping district. In the 1950 s, Charnwood Street known as the Charny, had over a hundred shops and was a place to get a bargain. As a footnote, Humberstone Station, further down the Humberstone road, was taken out of service in the 1960`s but could not be demolished as it was a listed building. British railways did not have sufficient funds to move the station so Leicester County Council bought it for 1 plus vat and moved, it brick by brick, coincidently to Shenton, Nuneaton, near Market Harborough. The station on the other side of the road by the timber yard was known locally as Shenton station.
Building the School A lot of the houses in the Highfields were built in the 1870`s- 80`s to accommodate the increase in population in the city from 1860 to 1870 which incredibly had increased by 40% to over 122,000. So by the late 1920`s some of the houses were planned for the city councils programme of demolition which was taking place throughout the city. It began in1932 but stopped in 1939 with the onset of the Second World War and was only restarted after the war in 1954 carrying on to 1975. Today Leicester s population is over 300,000 including students, who during term time account for 12% of the number. In 1968 a public inquiry into the demolition and clearance of the area was held by the council; they proposed to redevelop the area for residential, shopping and four new primary schools. Because of the influx of immigrants into the Highfields and Belgrave districts in the 60`s and 70`s and the overall increase in the birth rates in the city the Leicester Education authority had to hasten the building of schools.
Below are photographs of Flint, Edward and Shenton Streets at around the time of demolition in 1970. No; 4 (left) and No s; 2-50 (right) Shenton Street photographed in 1970. Houses no s; 2-64 Flint Street, photographed from Humberstone Road (left). And No s; 4-20 Edward Street 1970 (right). Photographs Source. Highfields Remembered http//highfields.dmu.ac.uk
Shenton Primary School was opened in 1972 so the clearance must have moved at quite a pace as building the school would have taken 18 months. The school symbol of a peacock is the national bird of India, where it is believed that Saraswati the goddess of knowledge and wisdom used it as her steed, it is also known as a symbol of love and eternal life. Our school was built in the clasp industrialised building system which is similar in a way to a pre-fabricated building system, where the parts are already made up and then erected on site, the blocks link into each other and are bolted to a steel framework and sealed. CLASP stands for Consortium of Local Authorities Special Program and was set up in the 1950 s to build schools quickly and cheaply, using a pre-fabricated build system to satisfy educational buildings. the needs of the post-war population bulge for
The Fire On the night of 10 th December 1988 in the early hours of the morning local residents spotted flames billowing out of the middle of the school building and the fire brigade was called. Although they were able to put the fire out half the school was burnt down. The cause of the fire was never really found, but there were a couple of rumours; one said it was faulty lights on a Christmas tree another that it had something to do with a heating source. Demolition started almost immediately after the fire to make the site as safe as possible, below are some photographs showing the devastation caused and the stages of clearance.
The fire appeared on the front page of the Leicester Mercury.
There was some very quick organising done and the children were moved to Coleman School. They were bussed in daily, meeting at St. Saviour s Church. The dinner staff was first sent to Uplands School for a week when the children were at Coleman, to prepare sandwiches for lunches. They were then moved to Linden School to make packed lunches; after a few weeks they were preparing cooked dinners which were transported to the children. The school was reopened in the summer of 1989 with seven or eight mobiles being used as well as the half of the school that wasn t damaged in the fire. Below the mobiles in position which is now our playing field.
Our current mobile was used as a servery and dining area, and the kitchen staff did all the washing of the pots pans and plates in that small area. The kitchen in the school wasn t reopened until 1991 three years after the fire. The first or second winter back in the school saw heavy snow and Mr Price the head teacher at the time and a member of the teaching staff, Mr Foster, cleared snow between the mobiles so that the children could get in safely. Information on the kitchen movements was supplied by Josie Baines and Ivy Simmons, Josie started at the school in 1975 - thirty six years service, and Ivy in 1983 - twenty eight years service. Other sources about the fire and movements were from Mrs Sumar and Mrs Sidat Teaching Assistants who are still working at Shenton Primary. Thanks to The Leicester Mercury for the use of the article of the 10 th December 1988. Thanks also to the Leicester Records Office. Other sources of information J.V. Gough from Leicester (NE) 1913 Ordnance Survey Map. Professor Stephen Brown DMU. The Slums of Leicester edited by Ned Newitt. Leicester City Council