AIR-RAID SHELTER FOREST PREPARATORY SCHOOL€¦ · Figure 1 Plan and Elevation ... Front Cover...

© SOUTH TRAFFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL GROUP 2016 Reg. charity no. 513977

AIR-RAID SHELTER at FOREST PREPARATORY

SCHOOL

MOSS LANE TIMPERLEY

AIR-RAID SHELTER FOREST PREPARATORY SCHOOL

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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................2

1.1 Circumstances of the Investigation ......................................................................................2

1.2 Location ...............................................................................................................................2

2 METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................2

3 CONSTRUCTION.......................................................................................................................2

4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.................................................................................................3

5 DRAWINGS ................................................................................................................................4

6 MAPS...........................................................................................................................................6

7 PLATES.......................................................................................................................................7

8 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................9

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................9

Figure 1 Plan and Elevation .................................................................................................................4

Figure 2 Cross section of air raid shelter .............................................................................................5

Figure 3 Current map with site arrowed in red ...................................................................................6

Plate 7.1 Post war entrance and location relative to the school– ......................................................7

Plate 7.2 Original entrance covered by later access steps...................................................................8

Plate 7.3 current interior....................................................................................................................8

Front Cover photograph: Post war entrance and location relative to the school


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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Circumstances of the Investigation

The University of Salford’s School of Environment & Life Sciences maintains an ongoing interest

in the built environment of Greater Manchester. Part of this includes an interest in air raid shelters

which were erected for their specific purpose during World War 2 and are now becoming rare

having fulfilled their original purpose at the end of the war. S.T.A.G. have from time to time been

requested to record shelters often as they are about to be demolished or as access becomes

available. As one of our committee members had a grandchild at the school we were able to obtain

access to this, one of the larger and more permanent shelters in the area.

1.2 Location

The shelter is located in the grounds of Forest Preparatory School, Moss Lane, Timperley, Grid Ref.

SJ 778 889

2 METHODOLOGY

Basic measurement survey with some photography.

3 CONSTRUCTION

This shelter is of brick and concrete construction. It is half underground measuring 6.25m x 3.50m

overall protruding 0.95m above the general ground level. Entry would have been by a flight of steps

to the below ground doorway 0.75m wide. This original entrance is now totally concealed by the

later addition of a flight of 5 steps constructed to allow the roof to be used as a terrace at some time

after the war. The brick anti-blast wall is internal on the south side of the entrance. It was not

possible to access the doorway so it was not possible to determine if there had been an additional

door. The brick walls of the shelter are 0.32m thick and the concrete slab roof is 0.27m thick

overhanging the walls by approximately 0.1m. The internal area for accommodation was 4.21m x

2.57m

The plan and elevation facing west are shown as Figure 1, the internal cross section facing west is

Figure 2.

Currently the interior is accessible by a doorway created after the war in the south wall of the

shelter. It is possible that there was originally an escape hatch in this wall, which was enlarged to

create a doorway when the structure was modified to use the roof as a terrace. No traces of such an

escape hatch was found.

All of the excavated material from the construction trench was piled against the sides of the above

ground walls to provide additional protection.


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4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The school was founded in 1924 occupying an earlier farm. At the time the shelter was built,

probably in 1940, the school would have had between 60 to 80 children. The headmaster resided on

the upper floor of the school.

Depending on the furniture used in the shelter it would appear to be able to accommodate about 15

people and it is very unlikely that the whole school with teachers could be accommodated. It is

known that at the start of the war the school had an arrangement to shelter in the cellars of an old

house on the other side of Moss Lane and this arrangement probably continued after the shelter was

built to ensure sufficient accommodation at all times. At night, of course, there would only be the

headmaster and his family to be accommodated.


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5 DRAWINGS

Figure 1 Plan and Elevation


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Figure 2 Cross section of air raid shelter


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6 MAPS

Figure 3 Current map with site arrowed in red


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7 PLATES

Plate 7.1 Post war entrance and location relative to the school–


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Plate 7.2 Original entrance covered by later access steps

Plate 7.3 current interior


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8 CONCLUSION

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks are due to the head teacher and proprietor of the school for permission to survey the shelter.

The survey was carried out by STAG members R. Bragg, B. Burton, J. Cracknell and P. North.

Report Compiled by: B. J. Burton

South Trafford Archaeological Group

behind Timperley Old Hall

Stockport Road

Altrincham

WA15 7LP

Tel: 0161 929 0929

email: [email protected]

website: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bryanburtonbj/

Reg. charity no. 51397

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AIR-RAID SHELTER FOREST PREPARATORY SCHOOL€¦ · Figure 1 Plan and Elevation ... Front Cover...

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