St Thomas' Schools - Ardwick The plaque above not only identifies
the date this building opened but in using the term
"Schools" it points out that it was made up of more than
one school. The 1922 map below shows two buildings
separated by two school yards.
The blue arrow on the 1953 aerial
photograph below clearly shows two separate buildings
arranged in parallel.
However over the years that
changed. You can see from the next three images
that an extension was added along Randerson Street
linking the two original buildings.
The building closest to St Thomas'
Church bears a date stone for 1872 suggesting that it
was added two years after the one on Paddock Street.
Apparently the school catered to
Infants, Girls and Boys. Two of the entrances bear
those names but when I took these images in 2014 I
couldn't find the "Girls" door. St. Thomas's
Schools closed for the last time in 1981 and today the
buildings are occupied by Photolink who explain that
they are, "... an integrated agency
specialising in the retail sector. Combining
photography, creativity and strategy with commercial
common sense we help brands and retailers reach
consumers and generate sales. "
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