Inscriptions: St Thomas's School, Osney Lane
School of S. Thomas the Martyr Oxford |
This plaque is in the centre of the ground floor of the former St Thomas's School (below) in Osney Lane, Oxford, opposite Christ Church Old Buildings. The school closed in 1971 and the building is now occupied by the Broken Spoke Bike Co-op.
This replacement school for 400 children was designed in the art nouveau style by P. A. Robson and built on a site given by Christ Church. Frances Paget, the Bishop of Oxford, laid this foundation stone on 26 January 1904.
BOYS is inscribed over the door on the left, and GIRLS over the door on the right, while a door on the right side is inscribed BABIES (Infants).
The former St Thomas's Schools
In 1837 the northern part of the massive St Thomas's parish was taken into the new St Paul's District Chapelry and into St Giles' parish. Soon afterwards parochial schools were built in St Thomas's Street: one for boys in 1838 and one for girls in 1842. In 1854 an infant school for 90 children was added. In 1891 a new boys' school was built in St Thomas's Street next to the girls' school, but there were still not enough places.
Kelly's Directory for 1899 shows that the main St Thomas's School for 198 children was still in the old building in St Thomas's Street, while St Thomas's Infant School for 120 children was then in Hythe Bridge Street.