wee doors banging

From 1984-1991 I had the good fortune to attend Grosvenor High School in Cameronian Drive, East Belfast. During the 1980’s I recall being told in morning assembly how the school buildings, built in the 1950’s, had “concrete cancer” and would need to be demolished and a new school built. Now, only 25 years later, they’re finally getting around to it, and as a special farewell gift to past pupils (and staff) the school was opened for an afternoon to allow us to wander around and remember our school days.

Main Buildings, January 2010

I arrived on a freezing January afternoon just before 4pm and spent the next two and a half hours (overstaying the finishing time a little – sorry I was late, miss) wandering around the old rooms and corridors, recalling the seven years I’d spent there as a teenager and seeing how the school had changed in the 20-odd years that had passed since I left.

Ken Reid Science Building

A new reception area, gym and an entire science complex (the Ken Reid Science Building) had been constructed, and disabled access lifts installed. Allergy advice and pupil behaviour charters are highly visible, most rooms I remember have been moved and repurposed, the “front playground” is filled with cars and the campus is now fully covered by CCTV cameras (not just so the headmaster can see who isn’t singing in assembly, I’m told). Pupils’ work and other paraphernalia displayed on the walls conveyed some very modern attitudes and thinking that didn’t exist when I were a lad. The caretaker has been exchanged for a “building maintenance technician” too.

The mobiles are still there!

Some things never change though. Like the seats and carpet in the sixth form common room, apparently, and the scary staircase leading down from the old computer room. I also couldn’t quite believe the old “temporary” mobile classrooms were still standing!

The Computer Room

I only bumped in to a couple of my old teachers. The legend that is Derek Moore was still there, still teaching computer science, and it was fun to catch up standing casually in the “computer store” (server room) that we were never allowed into as pupils. Always an independent thinker and not afraid to go off syllabus little, what “Mr. Moore” taught us at A-Level was advanced enough to see us through the first year of a university Computer Science degree and it doesn’t seem as if too much has changed there. Respect is due. I’m sure I saw an old removable hard drive pack lurking forgotten on a high shelf too; I wonder what it holds?

I also got to chat with my old GCSE English teacher, Ms. Walker, and apologise for being such a pain the arse for two years. I always liked reading, and still do, I just never saw the point of writing about what I’d read, and still don’t. That difference of opinion and curriculum caused a little bit of friction at times, shall we say.

Room 9, my 1st-5th Year Form Room

The other teachers I recall have all moved on, in one way or another: 1st-5th year form (and sometime English) teacher Mrs. Livingstone; A-Level Physics teacher Mrs. Tinsely, who invited our class to her house for a post-exam barbeque; headmaster “big” Ken Reid who sadly died in 2001. I also (briefly) bumped in to a couple of old friends and classmates, but for one reason or another didn’t get to say much more than “Hey!”. Disappointing, but it was good to walk the halls and hear the stories that I did all the same.

Boys Toilets, 1st Floor

There is a slightly neglected feel to the old buildings, in some places more than others, which is perhaps inevitable given that the move to the new school is mere months away now.

The New Grosvenor

The foundation stone of this new school was laid by Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson on 19th June 2008. It’s construction is part of a larger £400M Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) plan that will refurbish or rebuild many of the boards schools, libraries and youth clubs (367K PDF) over a period of seven years. As far as I know, construction of the new Grosvenor has proceeded well and indeed the new buildings will be opened for use after the Easter holidays in April 2010. I’m told that the existing sixth form centre will be vacated slightly earlier, in February 2010, and demolition of the existing buildings is expected to start around those dates.

I wasn’t able to glean much information about the new school, but the artists impressions make it look impressive and modern and it reminds me more of a university campus than a grammar school. A second open day is planned for June 29th 2010 to allow past staff and pupils to see the new buildings and I certainly hope to be able to make it to that one too.

Me in 6th Form

Accepted wisdom tells us that our school days are the best days of our lives. Looking back from a distance of some 20 years I would have to agree, certainly about those couple of formative years spent in Grosvenor’s sixth form. My glasses aren’t sufficiently rose tinted that I’ll say it was all good all the time, but even back when I wore the uniform I think I knew it was a unique time in my life and never to be repeated. Enjoy it while it lasts, kids.

I took a few photos on my visit and you can see them on on my Grosvenor Past Pupils Day album on Picasa, or see what the future holds for the school with artists impressions of the new Grosvenor development. If you’re a Grosvenor old boy or girl you could do worse than visit the Grosvenor High School/Grosvenor Grammar School group on Facebook, or check out the special group created for the open day for photos from other alumni who were there.

Veritas Liberabit!