In August 1939, Bishop Road went through a big re-organisation. Boys and girls were finally integrated and two new departments were set up. The Junior Mixed School was led by Headmaster Mr Herbert Hopton, who was previously the Head of the Boys School. In the new Senior Mixed School, the Headmaster was Mr F Philpott who had previously been the Head of the Boys Department until July 1939.
“I recall the smell of the OUTSIDE toilets, bad school dinners, being a daffodil in the hall during PE and Rover the Dog reading scheme.”
Life continued as normally as possible during the Second World War. Click here to read more about the war years at Bishop Road.
Sports, musical and spelling events, visits and prize givings continued to form an important part of the school curriculum. Pupils swam at Bristol North Baths (now turned into flats on Gloucester Road) in the summer months, they entered the Bristol Eisteddfod each April and regular visits to the BBC in Bristol to participate in radio broadcasts. Merchant Ventures College had to send four classes to Bishop Road when they were bombed out of their premises in 1942.
“We wrote on slates, presumably because of the post war paper shortage.”
