Ellen Wilkinson High School facts for kids
The Ellen Wilkinson High School was a school in Ardwick, Manchester, England. It closed in the year 2000. The school was located in a very special old building, which is officially called a Grade II* listed building. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected. The building was designed a long time ago, in 1879–80, by a famous architect named Thomas Worthington.
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The Story of a Special School Building
From Hospital to Home for Children
Before it was a school, this building was known as Nicholls Hospital. It wasn't a hospital for sick people, but a home for children who needed care, like an orphanage. A man named Benjamin Nicholls paid for the building to be built. He wanted it to be a special memorial to his son, John Ashton Nicholls.
Mr. Nicholls asked Thomas Worthington to design the building in 1867. He told Worthington that construction should only begin after he had passed away. The Ashton family gave a lot of money, over £100,000, to build and support this home for children. This was one of the last big projects Worthington designed in Manchester.
Building Style and Design
The building has a very fancy and detailed style called Flemish Gothic. It's made of red brick with special sandstone decorations. The roofs are steep and covered with slate.
The main part of the building has eleven sections and a huge tower in the middle. This tower looks a lot like the one Worthington designed for the City Police Courts in Minshull Street. The tower originally had cool animal carvings, which were a special touch by Worthington. However, most of these carvings were removed in the 20th century.
From Boys' School to High School
The building changed its purpose over the years. From 1952 to 1967, it was used as the Nicholls Secondary Boys School. Later, this school joined with Ardwick High School.
At first, the combined school was called Nicholls Ardwick High School. But it was later renamed in honor of Ellen Wilkinson. She was a very important woman who was born in Ardwick. Ellen Wilkinson was a socialist (someone who believes in fairness for all people) and a feminist (someone who supports equal rights for women). She also became the first female Minister for Education in the UK.
A Focus on the Arts
Ellen Wilkinson High School became well-known because it put a lot of focus on the arts. This included subjects like music, drama, and art. This was quite unusual for schools at the time. It was almost like the school was a "specialist school" for the arts, long before that idea became common.
The Building's Later Life
In the year 2000, the building changed its use again. Ellen Wilkinson High School merged with Cedar Mount High School. The old hospital building then became the Nicholls Campus of Manchester City College.
