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South Yorkshire, Sheffield, Ecclesfield, Creswick Lane, Yew Lane County Secondary School
School (20th Century)
Site Name South Yorkshire, Sheffield, Ecclesfield, Creswick Lane, Yew Lane County Secondary School
Classification School (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Yewlands School
Canmore ID 284684
Site Number SK39SW 1
NGR SK 34151 93231
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/284684
- Council Not Applicable
- Parish Ecclesfield
- Former Region South Yorkshire
- Former District Sheffield
- Former County South Yorkshire
Building Notes
Basil Spence and Partners were commissioned by the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire to extend Yew Lane School County Secondary School, Ecclesfield. It was one of five English schools designed by the Practice in the 1950s. The others are Sydenham School, South East London, Dinnington School, South Yorkshire, St Martin’s School, Shropshire and Colley Secondary, also in Ecclesfield. In the case of Yew Lane, Hubert Bennett, County Architect, collaborated on the design. It was formally opened on 20 July 1957.
The school is made up of a three-storey classroom block, workshops, assembly hall and gymnasium. The practice also altered the existing single-storey classroom block to bring it into character with the new buildings. This is connected to the new block by a covered walkway containing a greenhouse. The buildings are largely steel framed with coloured brick or mahogany boarding panels between the windows.
Archive Details and Summary
The Basil Spence Archive contains one pamphlet and 20 photographs relating to Yew Lane School. The programme for the school’s formal opening shows that the building cost 127,000 pounds and that it was designed to form a complex of sheltered courtyards. The planting of trees such as maple and sycamore was intended to evoke the former character of the neighbourhood which was once a forest.
The Spence, Glover and Ferguson Collection, also held at RCAHMS, also contains two photographs relating to Yew Lane School. These show a view of the entrance and rear façade.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
ARCHITECT: Basil Spence and Partners in collaboration with H Bennett.
Opened in July 1957.
