The front of the school from 1936 South Shields Grammar-Technical School for Boys
Westoe Higher Grade School & Westoe Secondary School
South Shields Boys' High School
Harton School & Harton Technology College
  
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For Alumni
  VISITORBOOK
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Contact Register details
The Past
 

History landmarks
Story of the School
The "Grammar School"
The first boys
Boys who served in WWI
School at War (WW1)
School at War (WW2)

School Trivia
1908 Scholarships

The Present
  The School Today
School NEWS
Traditions
 The ATOM
The House System
Speech Days
School Productions
School Song
Reunions
People
 
Staff
.Staff list
Boys
.

Old Boys Database
Famous Old Boys

Photos
 
Official
.photo index (long)
photo index (short)
Name Index
Misc
.

Candid staff photos (60s)
Sporting moments
Misc Productions
School Scouts
SSHS (pre 1936)
The school in 1936
Photos from 1971
Mikado 1971
Aerial Photos
Various private photos

The Site
 Contact Me
About the site
Background
Members' Area

A collection of memorabilia


As of 25th November 2023 (due to issues with the server provider) there are some problems with the site - mainly affecting the Contacts Register.

Fixing this so that existing contacts are retained is proving VERY difficult. I'll be working on it a bit more over January and February 2024.

An amazing find

In 1885, with a vision for quality education for boys in the region, a group of forward-thinking locals opened the South Shields Boys High School, in Mowbray Road. It was the first school funded by the Boys Public School Company and its president, Lord Aberdare, laid the foundation stone the previous year.

The school leaving age was 10 at the time, and had risen to 14 by the early 1930s. The resulting pressure on school places led to the construction of the present-day building in Harton, and in 1936 the Boys High School moved to its new location in Harton, bringing with it boys from Westoe Higher Grade School.

The school went through several name changes, becoming South Shields Grammar Technical School for Boys in 1953, and later, Harton Comprehensive, Harton Technology College and now Harton Academy, with Sir Ken Gibson at its helm for the past 20 years.

I have to thank Ken for his support during this time as I rummaged through the school's archives to create this site, and who I wish the very best for what I hope is a long retirement.

The Remarkable Surprise

But I’d like to go back to the very beginning of the school, when that first foundation stone was laid in Mowbray Road.

Recently, a remarkable discovery was made.

After the tragic death in 2021 of Steve Norman, of Minnesota, amongst his effects was found the silver trowel used to lay the school's foundation stone on 29th May 1884!

How this historic artifact found its way to Minnesota remains a mystery, but Steve was an inveterate collector. Thankfully his friend, Julian West, alerted me to the find and I was able to buy it.

I am very grateful to Julian, and also to Joel Thingval for faciliting the purchase and shipping of it, as without their wish for the trowel to find its way home, it may never have been seen again.

So, after framing it, it was my honour and pleasure to present it to the school at its Summer Concert on July 20th, 2023, as a symbol of its enduring history.

Mike Todd, Rothbury, 20-Jul-2023

 

 

Site last updated: 20-Jul-2023
Front page story

20-Jul-2023
  The Foundation Stone story

28-Mar-2016
  Major additions to Admissions database

15-Jan-2016
  5 school photos added (total now 745)

12-Jan-2016
  15 school photos added (total now 740)

9-Jan-2016
  10 school photos added (total now 725)

6-Jan-2016
  21 school photos added (total now 707)

Historical update log (2003-2015)

2015
  Improved quality of numerous existing photos
  Numerous photo name updates
  Added searchable database of pupils
  Added 163 school photos (total now 686)

2014
  Improved quality of numerous existing photos
  Numerous photo name updates
  Added WWI memorial pages

2013
  20 school photos added (total now 523)
  Improved quality of numerous existing photos

2012
  77 school photos added (total now 503)
  Improved quality of numerous existing photos

2011
  2 school photos added (total now 427)

2010
  8 school photos added (total now 425)

2009
  11 school photos added (total now 417)
  3 private photos added

2008
  13 school photos added (total now 406)

2007
  33 school photos added (total now 393)
  First admissions transcript completed

2006
  8 school photos added (total now 359)
  Email address is changed
  Added 1 edition of The ATOM (total now 42)
  First admissions (expanded to the first 156)
  Added 1966-73 Spring/Summer Concert programmes

2005
  31 school photos added (total now 351)
  New section Contact Register
  Access also via hartonschool.co.uk
  Added appeal for Sports Centre
  Added photo to sports section

2004
  11 school photos added (total now 320)
  New section Guestbook
  Added Aerial Photos (1963-2004)
  Added 15 editions of The ATOM (total now 41)
  Added Photos of 26th SS Scouts
  Added 12 candid staff photos (1960s)
  Added 3 News Stories
  Revised all ATOM page scans

2003
  
124 school photos added (309)
  New section The first 37 boys
  New section School News
  New section School reunions
  New section School trivia
  Added 12 News Stories
  Added 1 edition of The ATOM (total now 26)
  Added 1908 Scholarship Exam Papers
  Added Mikado photos
  Added Sporting moments (1933-49)
  Added Famous Old Boys
  Added The school at war
  Added photo galleries
  Added "Virtual tour" of school today.
  Added & updated staff biographies
  Updated First boys
  Upated Story of the school
  Moved site to new provider
This links to an EXTERNAL site which is completely independent of this site indicates an external site - therefore I have no control over the content
IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTE
It is acknowledged that copyright exists in most photos on this site, however many show no indication of the photographer, let alone who owns the copyright (although in the case of the school photos, the copyright almost certainly belongs to the school which commissioned them prior to 1989). Photographs are reproduced here in good faith, and if anyone is concerned about the copyright status of any particular photos, please let me know.
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This site design and contents are copyright © Mike Todd, 2001-2016 - school copyright is acknowledged - contact me