Our school was built in right at the end of the 19th century and opened its doors on Monday, January 6th 1896. The Reverend E. Evans (the Chairman of the School Board) was present when the first pupils arrived. 196 boys were admitted, including 86 boys who had been transferred over from the temporary school premise on Ashley Down Road (opened in 1894).

The school consisted of Mr Wallace Edgar (Headmaster), Mr Webb and a ‘young lad’ called Frank Harvey who had started on a trial basis. Reading between the lines, he was never destined to last long at Bishop Road.  On the second day, Mr Jenkins (a student teacher from Cheltenham) joined as a supply teacher and later Miss Kellaway and Miss Tomkins. It didn’t take Mr Edgar long to branch out from teaching the three ‘Rs’, starting a football club in his first week!

The school was built as a direct result of huge population growth in Bristol. In 1891 the population of Bristol was 211, 578 and in 1901 the population rose to 328,836. This enormous growth was common place in Victorian cities all over the country as cities expanded to include newly built suburbs. House building was going on all around Bishop Road School in 1896, encouraged by the improved tram system which provided quick transport down Gloucester Road into the city centre.

Also, education was changing rapidly. In the early 19th century, very few children in Bristol would have gone to school. However, by 1870 there was sufficient demand for education for all to make the government set up local School Boards. These Boards built and maintained schools like Bishop Road to provide education for 5-10 year olds.

The School Log Books

Headteachers were required to keep handwritten admission registers and detailed Log Books of the goings-on of the school where they would record pupil and teacher illnesses, visitors, trips, injuries, building works and discipline. Mr Edgar, the school’s first Headmaster, wrote in the school Log Book almost daily and gives us a vivid insight into the very first years of Bishop Road School.

Mr Edgar, Bishop Road’s First Headmaster

In the photo below, Mr Edgar is on the right sporting a fine handlebar mustache. You can see the trajectory of his life in his census returns, showing how he goes from gangly scholar to stern Headmaster of his local school.