Last look at school for a former pupil

A former pupil returned to the historic school he left 80 years ago recently just before demolition work is carried out.

The former Goodfellows School in Spalding Common which opened in 1871 is making way for a new care home.

It closed in 2004 after 133 years of educating children, first for all ages before becoming solely a Church of England primary school in 1941.

Local resident Gordan Oglesbee (85) of Hawthorn Bank first went to the school in 1939.

After explaining to this to those on the site preparing for the demolition, he was allowed a look behind the scenes.

“The memories came flooding back,” he said. “Normally now I can’t remember what I did yesterday, but seeing the classrooms brought back all the things that happened in there.

“I remembered the old beams that made the inside of the school feel like a church. A ceiling was later put on hiding them but that’s already been taken down and you can see the old beams again.

“We lived at the Gate House at Banks Drove at the time and because of the walk to school we were given free Wellington boots.

“When I started there was a lot of children there.

“Goodfellows Road was a new council estate and every home had several children and their mother in as most of the fathers were away at the time on service.

“There was about 30 of us in one room and about five rooms.

“The works they’ve done has also uncovered the old air raid shelters and I remember those being built when I was in infant class.

“They also put up the pegs which we had to hang the gas masks on we had to bring to school every day.”

Owners Country Court Care say the new care home will be called Fenchurch House, have 60 bedrooms and create 60 jobs.

Officially work on the home is due to commence in May and is due for completion in June 2020.
Al-Karim Kachra, Financial Director at Country Court Care said: “We are excited to invest further in Spalding and offer a new option in luxury care.”