SCHOOLS
Education for ordinary working class children, where it was provided at all, was historically the province of the churches since that was where the most literate members of society tended to be found. Some of the earliest schools to be established in Bridgeton were examples of this tradition. Bridgeton Free Church School, later to become John Street Primary, in Hozier street was founded in 1849. St Mary's Boys' School began in 1863.
It would seem that in the mid-19th century only about a quarter of children attended any form of school, and many of those who did were taken out of school at an early age. By this time there was a legal requirement that children between 8 and 13 years of age employed in factories had to attend school for 3 hours daily. Some mills set up school-rooms within the premises in order to comply with the law, but in most the overcrowding and poor conditions prevented much real learning from taking place.
Independent schools also existed which could provide certification that a child was legally eligible for employment and doubtless some were genuine in their intent. However, the system was open to abuse, and abused it was.
It was the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872 that required all children between the ages 5-13 to attend school. The provision of education was taken into the hands of the authorities and the School Board system was established. School buildings were provided where required.
99) John Street Primary School, Hozier St.
100) John Street Secondary School in Tullis St was opened in 1883. The above sketch was drawn by a Mr Paterson on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 1933. Teachers at the school seem to have been a hardy breed. The Log Book for 24th April, 1931 notes, "Miss MacCallum absent in the forenoon; heart attack." A later entry that day tells us, "Miss MacCallum present in afternoon." After a series of fires, the school closed down in 1967 and was eventually replaced by the present John St.
101) John St Secondary's football team for 1910. Bottom right in this photograph is Archie Stevenson, a former pupil and later benefactor of the school who made his fortune abroad. He instituted an annual prize for the school's footballers.
102) Bernard St.
103) Pirn St.
104) Riverside.
In more recent times the number of schools has declined along with the population and school roles. Several buildings have been demolished, including all of those illustrated, or converted to other uses.
Strathclyde School in Galway St. built c.1900 has been adapted to become the Social Work Dept.'s Dalmarnock Adult Training Centre. St Mary's Secondary in Dornoch St is now an annex of Glasgow College of Building and Printing. This College has also taken over the buildings of the David Dale College which opened in 1949 and closed 1974
Of particular interest is Greenview Special School in Greenhead St. The original part of this building was Greenhead House, a mansion built for cotton mill owner, Dugald McPhail, in 1846. It was bought by the City in 1859 and additions made to establish the Buchanan Institute - "a school for the maintenance and instruction of destitute children." The McPhail brothers built the mill in William St which Templeton took over. Their name is commemorated in McPhail St, next to the School. It is one of the few remaining streets surfaced with once-common granite setts.