Report - Clifton Road School - Balsall Heath, Birmingham - April 2024

[JaffaTB]

History:

Clifton road junior and infants school was built in 1878 by Kings Norton School Board, it also housed the area office for the Kings Norton School Board, in 1891 it was acquired by the Birmingham board school due to the expansion of Birmingham.
Both schools left for new premises on St Paul's Road in the early 2000's, the building was then used for offices for a few years before being left empty.

Explore:


After a late night drive and sleep over to visit another site I called here on the way back home, access was dead easy and i was soon inside, the vandals had already been in but i was suprised to find the power still on and even some lights still working in some areas, some rooms aren't in too bad a condition but others are suffering from water ingress and the upper floors have suffered badly from pigeon ingress! I spent about an hour in here as its not massive but still a decent wander, a few weeks after my visit this place suffered an arson attack and will likely have to be demolished.

Sadly heres how it looks now

 

[HughieD]

Really lovely set of pictures, but that last one is a real heart-breaker.

 

[Explore With Alex]

Amazing building very sad of how it looks now why cant anyone leave anything alone

 

[ED_101]

Awesome photos! love the architecture.

 

[Speed]

Good to see a decent set of photos before the inevitable.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Lovely set that & such a shame, is there anything left worth exploring do u know?
looks like it only got the upper floors

 

[JaffaTB]

Lovely set that & such a shame, is there anything left worth exploring do u know?
looks like it only got the upper floors

According to a news article it was limited to the first floor and roof space so there might be, it'll probably be in a poor state now though with all that water 😔

 

[Calamity Jane]

What a lovely design. The old interior is great too see, or was, shall I say. This is the kind of thing that needs documenting. That last photo is just so so sad.

 

[PureFilth]

What a shame. Those are some of my favourite corridors that I've ever seen in a school!

 

[GRONK]

That first corridor is stunning

 

[beautifulTree]

This once used to be my junior school. Some of the most happiest memories I have of my existence, were at this beautiful school. I still remember being able to see it's tall majestic and towering Spire from afar.I still remember walking in better times, those very same corridors in the previously shared photos as a small boy. I still remember playing with my friends in the playground and the surrounding grass fields covered in daisies and buttercups or the little garden area next to the gates at the front of the school. I still remember eating at the Dinner Hall which was situated like an island in the centre of the playground, with a special seasonal soup on the menu at Christmas. I still remember taking my weekly £3.20(ish) in clear plastic money bag to a little dingy room as you entered the school, to give to what I guess was the school treasurer so that I could have a hot school lunch. I still remember all my amazing teachers Ms Cockrell, Ms Minnion, Ms Kiddles and Ms Markworthy (apologises in advance if I have misspelt the names or got the titles wrong, but I am only going by distant memory) and how they made Clifton Junior school such a special place for me in my childhood, including all those story times we had - with narration of Roald Dahl books being a staple. I still remember on occasions when opting for 'home dinners', walking home for lunch unaccompanied like a free bird on bright sunny days alongside a green field filled with trees over the other side of the road to the school. I still remember a small paddock adjacent to the school on a bit of land with two resident horses that roamed within it. I still remember Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' being played, especially during Spring or us singing 'Kumbaya my Lord' during assembly in the Assembly Hall as we sat on the hard parquet floor. I still remember playing Icarus in a school assembly I still remember those long walks to Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston or the shorter ones to the Swimming Baths and Library with it's ornate facade on Moseley Road - walking in pairs holding hands. I share all these personal memories I guess to convey just how important this place was for me and many other pupils alike I am sure - this forum providing a catharsis of sorts, hope this is allowed on this site.

On occasion, I have sometimes dreamt of being back at Clifton Junior School as an adult. telling others what a great school this was. I only found out about the fire today after recollecting one of these dreams and wanting to google a picture of the school - only then to come across this awful and painful news.

I visited the school today, perhaps in a way to pay my respects and seek closure - for I am utterly devastated at what has happened. It didn't feel like the school I remembered and the only sign of life, which stubbornly continues to cling on is a lush green climber which still continues to flourish, together with a few trees within the perimeters of the school and a few birds that I saw flying and perching on what remains of the Spire. The first floor of the school it appears has been demolished and I fear the worst for the remaining parts of this once marvellous example of Victorian architecture. I share a few pictures to show the current state and to document what remains - before what is left of this once happy bustling schools disappears into the annals of distant memory. I would love to believe that they may try and salvage what still stands and put it to good use, but I know this is all but a fanciful thought.

Thank you so much for the posting some of the history and the photos of the interiors, which I vaguely remembered in my mind but that have now been made more vivid, and that I can share with my family - for this is all I have left to share of this once amazing building. Needless to say, I would never have hoped to see my old school end up in this sorry state, and I strongly believe there should be a country wide movement to save our old buildings from ending up having a similar fate. It certainly is a sobering reminder however, that nothing lasts forever...but all the good memories I have of this place will always remain within my heart. Long live the memory of Clifton Junior School on Clifton Road and all who dwelled within it...

 

[JaffaTB]

This once used to be my junior school. Some of the most happiest memories I have of my existence, were at this beautiful school. I still remember being able to see it's tall majestic and towering Spire from afar.I still remember walking in better times, those very same corridors in the previously shared photos as a small boy. I still remember playing with my friends in the playground and the surrounding grass fields covered in daisies and buttercups or the little garden area next to the gates at the front of the school. I still remember eating at the Dinner Hall which was situated like an island in the centre of the playground, with a special seasonal soup on the menu at Christmas. I still remember taking my weekly £3.20(ish) in clear plastic money bag to a little dingy room as you entered the school, to give to what I guess was the school treasurer so that I could have a hot school lunch. I still remember all my amazing teachers Ms Cockrell, Ms Minnion, Ms Kiddles and Ms Markworthy (apologises in advance if I have misspelt the names or got the titles wrong, but I am only going by distant memory) and how they made Clifton Junior school such a special place for me in my childhood, including all those story times we had - with narration of Roald Dahl books being a staple. I still remember on occasions when opting for 'home dinners', walking home for lunch unaccompanied like a free bird on bright sunny days alongside a green field filled with trees over the other side of the road to the school. I still remember a small paddock adjacent to the school on a bit of land with two resident horses that roamed within it. I still remember Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' being played, especially during Spring or us singing 'Kumbaya my Lord' during assembly in the Assembly Hall as we sat on the hard parquet floor. I still remember playing Icarus in a school assembly I still remember those long walks to Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston or the shorter ones to the Swimming Baths and Library with it's ornate facade on Moseley Road - walking in pairs holding hands. I share all these personal memories I guess to convey just how important this place was for me and many other pupils alike I am sure - this forum providing a catharsis of sorts, hope this is allowed on this site.

On occasion, I have sometimes dreamt of being back at Clifton Junior School as an adult. telling others what a great school this was. I only found out about the fire today after recollecting one of these dreams and wanting to google a picture of the school - only then to come across this awful and painful news.

I visited the school today, perhaps in a way to pay my respects and seek closure - for I am utterly devastated at what has happened. It didn't feel like the school I remembered and the only sign of life, which stubbornly continues to cling on is a lush green climber which still continues to flourish, together with a few trees within the perimeters of the school and a few birds that I saw flying and perching on what remains of the Spire. The first floor of the school it appears has been demolished and I fear the worst for the remaining parts of this once marvellous example of Victorian architecture. I share a few pictures to show the current state and to document what remains - before what is left of this once happy bustling schools disappears into the annals of distant memory. I would love to believe that they may try and salvage what still stands and put it to good use, but I know this is all but a fanciful thought.

Thank you so much for the posting some of the history and the photos of the interiors, which I vaguely remembered in my mind but that have now been made more vivid, and that I can share with my family - for this is all I have left to share of this once amazing building. Needless to say, I would never have hoped to see my old school end up in this sorry state, and I strongly believe there should be a country wide movement to save our old buildings from ending up having a similar fate. It certainly is a sobering reminder however, that nothing lasts forever...but all the good memories I have of this place will always remain within my heart. Long live the memory of Clifton Junior School on Clifton Road and all who dwelled within it...

Good to see an update, yes sadly it looks like they have flattened the top damaged floor, such a shame it ended up like this it wasnt too bad inside for an old building

A generation of memories for hundreds of kids gone forever