euston street school

Most schools in Belfast were started by the local church, or businessmen some of the schools in the east of the city were among the first to be run by what is now the Education Board.

The first two schools to be opened were Euston Street and Templemore Avenue both were opened on the same day the 2nd of July 1926.

The next to be opened was Elmgrove and it opened on the 9th January 1933, this new building replaced three old church schools St Donards, Simpson Memorial and Beersbridge.

Soon after this the two new schools were opened these were Avoniel built on the site of an old house and grounds and Nettlefield.

The children who attended school had to work one day in the mill and attend school the next, the children who did this were known as Halftimers.

The Halftimers had to get their teacher to stamp their card so they could go to work the next day.

Harding Memorial School.

Harding Memorial School on the Cregagh Road was at one time a church and was called Willowfield Number 2 National School, the name was changed in 1922 to Harding in memory of Canon Harding who was the driving force behind making it into a school.

The school was opened on 3rd February 1913 and an additional building in 1933 added ten extra classrooms also in the early 1960's a toilet block was added to the school there are now 400 children at the school.

Euston Street Primary.

Euston Street Primary has a persistent rumour (that is still going to this day) the story being that the school is slowly sinking and will one day collapse, just when this started is not known but it must hold the record for being the longest running "Myth" about the school, this rumour was going about in the early 1960's when I attended the school, and according to another former pupil this rumour was already going about in his time at the school and that was in 1939, the school is still standing to this day.

This rumour could have been started because the cellar of the school tends to flood from time to time giving the impression that it is sinking, the current headmaster Mr Bell believes that it is an optical illusion caused by the fact that Ardgowan Street, the street at the side of the school is running slightly downhill.

The school was also used as a clearing station during the second world war and many homeless families had to stay there during the Blitz.

The funny story I remember from my time at the school was about a teacher by the name of Mrs Saunders,she would always clap her hands as she came down the front steps into the playground this was to get all the kids to line up, only one day someone said that as she came down the steps all the kids in the playground should start clapping along with her, this of course was not viewed as being funny by Mrs Saunders.