The school was originally known as the Stockade School and was built on the site of a former prison stockade and lunatic asylum. The Collingwood Stockade operated there from 1853 to 1866, and the lunatic asylum from 1866 to 1873. The school opened for enrolments in July 1873 and reached over 400 pupils within weeks. Classes were initially held in the former asylum buildings, but the facilities were inadequate and a new school was built during 1877 and opened in June 1878. This building is now the main administration building, facing Lee Street. The former prison superintendent’s residence, a bluestone cottage near the corner of Canning and Lee Streets, was demolished in 1913 to make way for the new infant school, opened in 1915. During demolition, workmen discovered several underground cells, which were thought to date back to the stockade era. The weatherboard caretaker’s cottage, on the corner of Canning and O’Grady Streets, was demolished in the 1980s, opening up space in the school grounds. The school’s historic buildings have undergone many changes over the years, in keeping with the demands of modern education, but have retained much of their original character.
by cchg on Sept. 27, 2018Please login to comment on this item