1630 – ‘Old Schools’ completed

The impressive stone buildings of the ‘Old School’s, which are now home to the County Library and Archive Office, are not the very earliest buildings used by the School when it was first founded in 1552.

Those were probably black and white half-timbered houses which were bought and adapted for School use. However, even in 1574, Headmaster Thomas Ashton described them as “old and inclining to ruin”. Between 1595 and 1630, they were gradually replaced by the stone buildings that survive today.

Photo: The Castle + the Old Schools

It was stipulated in the School Ordinances of 1578 that new houses for the Headmaster and Second Master should be the first building priority. (The latter, later called Rigg’s Hall, incorporated part of a medieval house. Some of the timbers can still be seen.)

Photo: Shrewsbury Library_Part of original Rigg’s Hall

Correspondence between St John’s College Cambridge and the Bailiffs of Shrewsbury shows that relations were somewhat difficult. Although an application was made to St John’s College in 1587 for permission to use money from the School Chest to build a library, expenditure for this doesn’t appear in the accounts until 1594.

By 1612, a large part of the existing school building had been constructed, with a room used as a chapel on the ground floor and a library with a gallery above it.

The pulpit, reading desk and wooden screen from the chapel were brought to the new School Site in Kingsland in 1882. The pulpit and screen are in the ‘new’ chapel; the reading desk is in the Kennedy Building.

Photo: Chapel

Photo: Top Schools

‘Top Schools’ – the room on the top storey of the building. It was subdivided into three sections for different forms. During Kennedy’s time as Headmaster, it was where the boys worked in the evening under the supervision of a master, preparing their work for the next day. This period of time was originally called ‘Reading Room’ but soon became known as ‘Top Schools’, after the room where it took place. Later it was applied to the work set, rather than just to the period of time – hence the fact that ‘prep’ or ‘homework’ is still called ‘Top Schools’ at Shrewsbury today.

Premises for the Third and Fourth Masters and new form rooms were eventually completed in 1630. The date is recorded above the arch in the middle of the building.

On either side of the arch, stone figures of Philomathes and Polymathes were carved – familiar to all generations of Salopians; while the originals remain on the Old Schools building, copies of them were made for the wall of the Moser Library at the new Kingsland Site. Philomathes represents a new boy coming to the School seeking learning, and Philomathes is depicted as an older boy leaving, full of knowledge. Between them is Greek inscription which translates: “If you are a lover of learning you will be a learned man”.

In front of the building was a playground surrounded by a wall with two gateways, one opposite the arch, the other at the bottom of what is now School Lane, leading into Castle Gates.

Photos: Entrance

Photo: Philomathes and Polymathes