Old Hale Way School, Old Hale Way, Hitchin

The Bessemer School taken by Roy Allen in 1984

In June 1940 Old Hale Way School opened and Mr Ferrier and many of the senior teachers took the senior pupils from Wilshere-Dacre to their new school.  Mr Ferrier became head of the boys, Miss Dorothy Gunn MBE head of the girls.  Boys and girls were housed at separate ends of the new school. Some remember that the school itself was not quite complete when the children arrived in 1940.  Painting was still being carried out and the girls' cookery department had no cookers!

Mr H.V. Ferrier retired in 1952 and was succeeded by Mr George Hardwick.  In 1955 Old Hale Way School became known as The Bessemer School for Boys, named after Sir Henry  Bessemer (Inventor and engineer - born in Charlton).  The girls moved to a brand new building, Hitchin High School for Girls, on the Bedford Road, which was officially opened by the Queen Mother.  In 1974 Bessemer became Hitchin School and The High School became Bowes Lyon School, named after The Queen Mother. The 1976 intake saw both schools accepting pupils of both sexes.

In September 1988 Hitchin School and Bowes Lyon School amalgamated and became known as The Priory School.  Mr J. Legg became headteacher.  Both sites were used for some time including the Hitchin School's sports hall.  Over the next few years the Bedford Road site benefited from a £1.2 million  extension.  Eventually all the children moved to the Bedford Road site leaving the Old Hale Way site empty, never to be occupied by school children again.  Some time later the school in Old Hale Way, most lately known as Hitchin School, but to so many still called either Old Hale Way School or Bessemer, was demolished.  The land was bought by Westbury Homes and luxury modern houses were built there.  The road which runs through the estate is aptly named Bessemer Close.

The present (2015) head of the The Priory School is Mr G Edwards, and the school's website can be found HERE

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The above blog post is from my book, 'Hats off to Past, Coats off to the Future.' If you could acknowledgement the book and www.hitchinhertfordshire.blogspot.co.uk if you copy, that would be great. Thank you. Amanda.
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My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.