NEW HIGH SCHOOL

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19143, 28 October 1927, Page 11

NEW HIGH SCHOOL

FERRY ROAD BUILDING. ROMAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION. On Sunday, November 6th, Bishop Brodie will open the new Girls' High School in Ferry road, which li as been erected for the .Sisters of the Mission riishop Whyte, of Dunedin, will also be one of the speakers. The foundation stone of the new school was laid by Bishop Brodie on March 13th "Mr at e tV Murra y " as architect, Messrs D. Scott and Son were the builders, and Hatherley Bros (nlas< termg) and the Walton Plumbing Company were the sub-contractors. Mr Cr. rialliburton was the foreman of the job.

The edifice is in brick, with white concrete facings, and runs parallel to i y on r rf t' i ts °, verall dimensions 00l ° T ft hj , 6o ' and with a hei ght of. in the two storeys which the building contains accommodation will be provided for about 300 in the secondary department, and two rooms will be set aside for primary school pupils. Five of the classrooms are upstairs,. and on the ground Boor are a classroom, science room, assembly hall, and stage, which is walled off from the hall by means of a folding partition, and may be used as an add£ tional classroom. Lavatories have been built on both floors, and corridors eight feet wide run the length of each storey. Tito classrooms are each about 24ft square, and the assembly hall is 52ft by 25. Sound-proof Ceilings. Throughout the building is ventilated with windows which open to the widest extent, and the ceilings, which are sound-proof, are 13ft high. White plaster has been used to finish the ceilings and walls. An up-to-date hot water, heating system has been installed throughout. Two flights of concrete stairs, with wrought iron balustrading and figured rimu newel posts, give access to the top floor. All of the classrooms are fitted with large blackboards and the science room with the latest equipment. Dadoes in trowelled cement add beauty to their appearance, and the floor of the hall is in stained and polished rimu. The ceilings are beamed and panelled throughout. In each classroom a small stage is provided for the teacher, and the corridors contain lockers for the pupils' tennis racquets and shoes. A basement contains the furnace for heating the school. The exterior of the school is chaste and imposing, mainly through the influence of two square porches, each 16ft in height, faced in white cement. They have three-way entrances with semi-circular tops, and the floors are in mosaic tiles. Tho eaves of slate roof project about a foot, and all of tho downpipes and ridging are of copper. A cross surmounts the parapet in the centre, and in front of the building is a statue of Christ, surrounded by a concrete kerbing. Round the building the border,, which is also defined by a concrete kerbing, has been planted in flowers. Two iron fire escapes off the porches ensure the safety of the pupils in the upstairs classrooms. "