Our Lady Of The Angels Primary School
Website: www.ourladys.torfaen.sch.uk
School History 1868/9 - 1998/9
FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES COME TO CWMBRAN
Opening of the New Catholic School Chapel
First Confirmation of Cwmbran Catholic Children
Parents and Friends Association
Until the middle of the 19th century, Cwmbran was such an unimportant place that it didn't even appear on maps of the area! It was barely more than a straggling village, with a population of fewer than 1,000, its inhabitants employed in the coal mines in Upper Cwmbran, the iron works in Pontnewydd and Pont-rhy-dyrun, and the corn mills and farms in the surrounding area.
The Industrial Revolution changed all that, and by 1860, the population had increased to just over 4000, with people flocking in to work in the Vitriol Works, the furnaces and forges, the iron works and the railway. It was the opening of the railway line linking Cwmbran with Newport, Pontypool and beyond, that ensured the growth of the town. Where did all these workers come from? Mostly from the rural counties of England and Wales, especially Somerset, Gloucester, Hereford, Devon, Carmarthan and Cardiganshire. A large number also came from Ireland, during and after the Great Famine, desperate for food, shelter, and work. So it was that by 1860, there were over 400 Irish Catholics living in Cwmbran, many of them in crowded lodgings in Spring Vale.
As in many industrial areas of Monmouthshire, there were no Catholic churches or schools for these Irish immigrants, and living and working conditions were poor. Men and boys spent long, grinding hours at work, and the rest of their time asleep! Their housing was of the meanest, with little or no sanitation or ventilation, and in 1860, Typhoid Fever was epidemic in Cwmbran.
Franciscan Missionaries come to Cwmbran
The missionaries of St. Francis were, at this time, working hard with catholics in the Eastern Valley. In Pontypool, they had already succeeded in establishing a church for the poor Irish Catholics, dedicated to St. Alban. Not long after this, Father Elzear , desperate in his concern for the ragged children who roamed the streets, managed to have a school built too.
Next, the missionaries turned their attention to Cwmbran, where they saw the same lack of opportunities for catholic worship or education. Their first priority was to establish a suitable place for a "church", and turned out to be upstairs in the club room of a public house. The room was reached by means of a ladder, and on Sunday mornings, had to be swept out and cleaned by the priest when he arrived! Underneath this place of worship was an old stable, then in use as a pig-sty ... its sounds and smells often reaching the small congregation above! On Sunday afternoons, the children were taught basic elements of the faith, as well as a few simple prayers.
After two years over the pig-sty, the missionary lather decided it was time to build a proper church! A piece of ground was acquired at a rent of £6 per annum, and the building was put up in 6 weeks. Parishioners laboured without pay, and gave money out of their meagre earnings to pay for it. On the first of January, 1867, the new chapel, dedicated to Our lady of the Angels was blessed and opened officially. This is how the Free Press of Monmouthshire reported it .......
Opening of the New Catholic School Chapel, 1st January, 1867.
On New Year's Day, the poor Catholics of Cwmbran were greatly rejoiced to see the solemn opening of the New School Chapel, which has been built for them. The day was fine and frosty, and bright with winter sunshine, so that many strangers were tempted to come from a distance to see the building which is of galvanised iron, lined with wood stained and varnished, the work of Messrs . Grogan &Co. Of London, who began and completed it in 6 weeks. The service commenced at 11 o'clock.
High Mass was sung by the Rev. F. Joachim, assisted by Rev. Father Lawrence, and the Rev. Father EIzear.
As the congregation left the church, the drum and fife band from Abersychan, played various enlivening airs, and altogether, the occasion is one that will be long remembered by the Catholics of Cwmbran, who have shown their desire and appreciation of more spiritual advantages by assisting, to the utmost of their means, to provide funds for the building; and some of them have also given days of free labour to dig the foundations, and make the road for the building.
In the same edition of the Free Press, we see that trains ran 3 times a day between Newport and Cwmbran, with a journey time of 10 minutes…...
Tea was advertised at 2 shillings a pound ..........
Cheap coffins were for sale at W.Morgans in Pontypool, from £1 upwards.....
A school master for Goytre School was required, with a wife who can teach needlework.....
An advert addressed to farmers and private families stated that .... Now, in the Pontypool Union Workhouse, are 5 girls and 1 boy, fit for service. Application to be made to the Master of the Work House.
First Confirmation of Cwmbran Catholic Children
Thursday, the 17th October, 1867, was a day of great rejoicing for the Catholics of Cwmbran.
The Right Rev. Dr. Brown, Bishop of the Diocese, made a visitation of his flock for the first time at that place, and administered the sacrament of confirmation to the Catholic children of Cwmbran and Risca… After the service, the children who attend the Catholic School, about 150 in number, were entertained with tea and cake in the club room of the Forge Hammer Inn, where they spent a very merry and pleasant evening.
In 1868, the first Catholic School was opened, next to the church, and immediately placed under Government inspection. The teacher appointed proved very able, and in a short time, as many Protestants as Catholics were flocking to it. The school was so popular, that for a while, the neighbouring British School had to be closed for lack of pupils!
Neighbouring churches then elected a School Board and built their own school exactly opposite the Catholic one. Threats were made to Protestant parents of "loss of employment here and of heaven hereafter" if they ventured to send their children to the "Irish" school, as Our Lady's School was then called. Preachers even went from house to house, begging the members of their flock to take their children away from the dangerous influence of the Catholics! Eventually, things settled down, a chancel was added to the existing building, so making more space both for worship and for the school room. Further changes were made to enlarge the school room in 1883 and 1899 as the school increased in popularity.
Thus, two schools educated the children of Lower Cwmbran for many years: Our Lady's and St. Dials. In some of the outlying farms, children might attend Henllys Board school, while for those in Upper Cwmbran, the British School supplied their needs.
As Cwmbran expanded, so the school became more crowded, but it was to remain where it was until well into the next century. So what was Cwmbran like in the 1890's, when Our Lady's was forced to expand? A quick glance at the Ordnance Survey map for this period shows us the main industries Oakfield Wire Works and the Vitriol Works, both of them just down the road from the school, and between them employing several hundred men and boys. The largest industry in town was undoubtedly the Patent Nut and Bolt Works, which was situated roughly where Sainsburys Store is today.
Other places of work at this time were the Gas Works, several Brick works and clay pits, busily providing housing for the new arrivals in Cwmbran Many worked on the railway, which had its heyday at this period, and the very busy station was sited just behind our present day school building. Coal mines in Upper Cwmbran were still in production, and employed a considerable number.
In spite of all these industries, and a growing number of houses, most of what we know as Cwmbran today was still green fields, with the names GreenMeadow, St. Dials, and Coed Eva being the names of farms. Llantarnam Grange, which children visit today for arts and crafts activities, was still a private house, occupied by the wealthy Pilliner Family. Looked after by a small army of servants, their grounds were vast, and included a carriage drive, ornamental lake as well as lawns and avenue of trees.
The population of Cwmbran in the 1890's, had risen from just over one thousand in 1800, to ten thousand, compared with today, when it is approximately forty eight thousand. The main shopping area centred around Commercial street and Victoria Street in what we now call Old Cwmbran
School continued to be held in an annexe of the church, until finally, in 1925, after much fund raising by Cwmbran Catholics, the present building , in Victoria Street was opened. There were 5 classrooms, with room for 160 juniors.( The Infants continued to be taught in the annexe.) The ceremony was conducted by His Grace, Archbishop Mostyn, who was presented with a golden key by Mr. F. R. Bates, the architect. Father Quigley, Parish Priest at the time, said on the day, that £5000, the cost of building the school, had been raised by fewer than 1000 Catholics. The Archbishop had donated £500, and Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd., who owned the land, had made an absolute gift of it to the school.
In 1925, Mrs. Margaret Howells was the Head Teacher, on a salary of £366 per annum. She was assisted by 4 teachers: Mrs. A. Thatcher, Miss K. Hurley, Miss D.G.Jones, and Miss E. Muldowney, whose annual salaries ranged between £107 and £160. Meanwhile, back in the church annexe, the Infants were taught by Mrs. Margaret Dacey, assisted by Miss Crowley and Miss Gimblett.
Cwmbran had been described two years earlier as a large and scattered village, (population 13000), with streets lit by gas, with a police station and a police court in Ventnor Road, and with a fire brigade of 12 men. G.K.N.Ltd, employed over 2000 men in their works, which included a large blast furnace, 20 puddling furnaces, coke ovens, rolling mills, and a very large colliery. J.C.Hill and Co. Ltd employed about 200 men making wire nails, steel wire and galvanised metal. Miss Daisy Walters was the Postmistress and John Smith was the station master.
The school log books provide us with a fascinating insight into life in Our Lady's....
In 1926, he only kind of activity which resembled today's P.E. and games, was Drill. This had been very popular in Victorian times, and was taken by Mr. Johnston, the Drill Master. He would go from school to school, putting the children through their paces, marching them up and down like soldiers.
Whole or half day holidays were given frequently for all Holy Days of Obligation, Labour Day, Empire Day, St. David and St. Patricks Day, as well as for good attendance.
Swimming lessons were started in the 1920's, pupils travelling to Newport Swimming Baths with their
The 20's and 30's saw a lot of unemployment and poverty amongst parents in Cwmbran, and on July 6th, 1928, a large number of boots arrived in school, to be distributed to needy children. Later on, in November 1936, we read that 'The King paid a visit to Cwmbran today, during his tour of the distressed areas of Monmouthshire, so a day's holiday was given to the children'.
September was always a poor month for attendance, as many of the children went hop picking with their parents.
In the spring of 1930, Diphtheria was a major health problem for the pupils, followed closely by Measles and Chicken Pox. These illnesses often entailed weeks or even months off school, and there were occasionally fatalities.
On May 16th, 1930, a circus in town warranted a half day holiday.
On July 1st and 2nd, the school was closed for the Pontypool Hospital Fete.
The children were dismissed early on the 29th November, 1932, in order to attend the funeral in Our Lady's Church of the distinguished soldier John Fielding, V.C.. There was a lying-in-state overnight, with a 4 hourly changing of the guard of honour, and following the funeral, a procession, half a mile long, went via Wesley Street to Llantarnam Church yard. Film of this event was seen nation wide in cinemas on he Pathe News.
On September 15th, 1933, the school doctor examined several pupils, with a view to sending them to the sea side for their health. Poverty, poor housing and illness went hand in hand in Cwmbran, as in many other valley towns.
September 1939, with the outbreak of war, Our Lady's School followed instructions, and closed for a fortnight. During this period, the Head and her teachers worked hard helping with the evacuated children, arriving at Cwmbran Station, after their train journey from Birmingham.
In 1940, the children suffered badly from frequent air raids, and the hours of the school were changed on July 8th as follows:
Infants.. 1 0-12.30pm.&1.30-3.30pm.
Juniors.. 1 0-12.30pm.&1.30-4.00pm.
This change in times was to allow children and staff to catch up on lost sleep after a night spent in an Anderson shelter!
Although war had been expected for some time, schools were not adequately protected during day time raids. On July 15th, 1940, a warning was given at 10.30 am. Standards One and Two were taken to the cellar of the Catholic Hall; other children were sent to homes near the school. This was not a very satisfactory state of affairs, and by September, architects had strengthened the main corridor of the school, and it was in there that children sheltered from then on.
Early in 1941, it was the severe weather that caused problems, rather than the war! The school was closed for much of January, and when school got under way in February, so did the air raids.
On December 14th, 1943, a radio was installed in the school.
At the start of the Spring term, 1944, the pupils of Our Lady's began listening to Broadcasts to Schools, and these were found to be a very useful addition to the timetable.
Salute the Soldier Week in April 1944 was a great success, and over £100 was raised.
V.E.Day on May 8th, 1945 meant two days holiday for the pupils, followed by a day's holiday for Ascension Day. Not surprisingly, only 33 children attended school the following day!
The Victory Tea was held later on July 2nd.
School life soon returned to normal at the end of the war, though many day to day items needed were still rationed. On May 10th, 1954, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, on his way to a local factory, stopped, and spoke to children lined up outside the school.
We have a glimpse of conditions in school at the end of the fifties, from an H.M.I. report.', dated Jan/Feb 1957. The Infant School was still attached to the church, while the Mixed Department was for pupils between the age of 7 and 15. The premises then included a cycle shed in a corner of the playground. There was no school hall, and indoor P.E. was taken in the Parish Hall. For outdoor games lessons, the children were taken to Cwmbran Recreation Ground.
School meals were only taken by about 30 children, and they walked up to the St. Dials School canteen.
There were 152 pupils taught in the Mixed School, in 5 classes. These consisted of 4 junior classes, and one class of seniors aged between 11 and 15. The difficulties of catering for this age range in one class can well be imagined!
The Infant Department was located in 2 classrooms joined to the church itself, while a Top Infant Class of 39 children was taught in the Parish Hall.
May 7th 1962 saw the new demountable classrooms, built at the rear of the school, being used for the first time. One was occupied by Mr.J.Lynch and Class 8; the other by Mrs. J. Leonard and Class 1.
Sr Celsus (Miss M Taylor) was appointed deputy headteacher on 2 November 1966.
By 1967, further improvements were afoot, and building work meant that Class 8 worked in the rear of the Parish Hall; The Head Teacher was housed on the stage, and the stockroom at he she of he stage.
Mr P Roberts began teaching duties in 1970 and Mrs Wilcox began at the school in 1971.
In January 1971 the school was redesignated as a Junior and Infant school.
On 18 July 1971 Miss Edwards, Deputy Headteacher, retired after 30 years at the school.
1972 was memorable for die difficulties in school caused by the miners' strike. On the 21st January that year, parents of Our Lady's pupils were notified that school would be closed until further notice, because there was simply no coal available. It was not until the loth March that there was a delivery of five tons of coal. School duly opened on the following Monday morning. Two weeks later, school closed for the Easter Holidays. A very short term indeed!
At the start of this very short term, a former pupil Robert Reardon, was feted after being ordained in Llantarnam Abbey on the 18th December, 1971. Father Reardon celebrated Mass for the children and staff, and was then entertained by a concert, and presented with a cheque.
On the 8th January, 1974, freak weather conditions caused serious problems in school. A violent storm tore off the roofs of the demountable class rooms. Children were led to safety through a hail of flying debris. The walls of one room caved in completely. Luckily, there were no injuries! For a while after this, while repairs were being made, one class worked in the Hall, while the other was kindly accommodated by Brookfield School.
By January 1971, he shod fed become a junior and Infant school on the same site, facilitated by the opening of a further extension. A total of 284 children were now on the registers.
Sr Benedicta retired as Deputy Headteacher in 1980 and was replaced by Mr Gleeson in January 1981.
Mr Caslin retired as Headteacher in July 1981 having taken up duties in September 1968. He was succeeded by Mrs B Batty in September 1981.
In July, 1982, the retirement of Mrs E McClenchy was celebrated by parents and colleagues. She had come to the school for the first time on September 13th, 1935 on Teaching Practice, along with her sister (the Misses E & KCrowley.). She had taught not only pupils' parents but some of their grand parents as well!
January 8th, 1984, a Mass in the new Parish Hall was attended by all the children and many parents.
17th September, 1984, new curtains were fitted in the school hall, the cost of which had been raised over a period of 3 years by a group of mothers, plus a sponsored spell-in.
Only 5 children came to school on January 18th 1985, owing to the heavy snow .... the school was closed at 11a.m..
At he end of the Spring Term, 1981 the log book entry reveals the successful season enjoyed by the rugby team, trained by Mr Gleeson. Two boys, Jonathan Lane and Mark Jenkins, were mentioned specially for having played for Cwmbran Town and Gwent, while Jonathan had also had the honour of playing for East Wales!
The team's successes included:
Winners-Plate Cup (under 11)
Winners-Sevens Cup (under 11)
Finalists-Under 10's Mini Rugby
Finalists-Under 10's Mini Rugby (French Visit)
On December 21st 1994, Mrs Batty retired as Head Teacher, and Mr Gleeson returned to the school on being appointed as her successor.
Spring term 1994 began with a major review of job descriptions of members of the teaching staff. This was achieved after a series of meetings with the Head Teacher. Later in the year, the process of appraisal began.
March 1994: the number of children on the registers is 222.
In June 1994, Our Lady's School entered the Catholic Junior Sports at Leckwith Stadium, Cardiff. It proved to be a very enjoyable day, and two 1st places were gained.
Archbishop Ward visited the school on July 6th 1994. Following his visits to all 8 classes, His Grace was Guest of Honour at a buffet held in the Parish Hall, where Governors, Staff Developement Officers and Staff were present.
At the end of the summer term 1995, Mrs V Donoghue retired after 34 years teaching at Our Lady's.
In November 1995 there were 108 infants and 136 juniors in the school; a total of 244 children.
By the end of 1995, a new alarm system had been installed in school, following numerous break-ins. By now, also, the use of the mini-buses to transport the children had been discontinued and instead, a 57 seater contract bus was employed.
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Parents and Friends Association
The P.F.A. (Parents and Friends association) were formed in 1988 more than £20,000 has been raised for the school. It had a very successful year in 1995, with many fund raising activities, including dances, jumble sales and fetes. As a result, they were able to give some valuable gifts to the school. They passed over £1760 to Our Lady's, which was used in the following way:
15 Silver Birch trees for planting £400
Library Contribution £250
Computer Turtle £170
Football/ Rugby Kit £500
Laminator £350
Set of Dictionaries for Yr 3 £90
The PFA's goal throughout 1998/9 is to fully refurbish the school library.
The entrance cloakroom was changed into a teachers resource area, while outside, new entrance gates were erected on the Victoria Street entrance. All pupil toilets now have warm air driers.
Canon 0' Donnell, Chairman of Governors from 1978 and a dedicated, active supporter of children's education was reported in the Argus on April 25 1996:
'I simply want the best for our young - Canon'
*Children should not have just a good education - they should have the best.
OHMCI Inspection 3 to 6 June 1996
The School celebrated the successful results of an OHMCI Inspection (3 to 6 June 1996). The Argus reported on its front page on July 24 1996:
'Thumbs up for School in Official Inspection'
Pupils and staff at a Cwmbran school are celebrating the results of a recent official inspection.
* The inspectors found that Our Lady's School provided a supportive and caring learning environment for its pupils.
* A strong sense of family and community permeates the life of the school.
* there was a pleasant ethos and relationships within the school were good.
* The caring environment created by the staff is a positive aspect of the school, and pupils show courtesy to staff and visitors.
Following inspection the Governors adopted a School Mission Statement:
working together, playing together, praying together
A new office was opened to the front of the building in September 1997.
A hedge was planted between the two sets of steps on the yard -1998. Electronic security locks were fitted to the main door -June 1998.
In 1998 our Chairman of Governors, Canon O' Donnell, retired after 20 years of wholeheartedly supporting Our Lady of the Angels School. The school is now under the Chairmanship of Mrs Paddy Landers, daughter of Mrs Eileen McClenchy, our longest serving staff member and Mr Mike McClenchy, former chairman of Governors.
We have looked back over 130 years of the school's existence, great changes have taken place, whole generations of teachers and children have come and gone, while the town of Cwmbran has expanded out of all recognition. Some things remain constant however ... the provision of a Catholic environment for the pupils, the provision of the best education possible, and last, but not least, the provision of a happy, caring atmosphere . Our Lady's School goes from strength to strength, and looks forward, with confidence to the next millenium.
working together
playing together
praying together
Researched and written by Janet Gleeson, April, 1996 Reviewed June 1998