Blue Coat School
What is it?
A school was founded on this site in Bath in 1711, with a
schoolhouse built in 1728 by William Killigrew The name came from
the colour of the uniform worn by the children who attended. The
current building dates from 1859-60 and was built by Manners and
Gill. There were separate entrances for the sixty boys and sixty
girls who attended what were treated as separate schools. [
Forsyth 2003]. The building is now used
as a restaurant (currently the Giggling Squid).
Where is it in Bath?
It is on the corner of Upper Borough Walls (to the left) and Saw
Close (to the right). The Z Bath hotel complex to the right opened
in 2018 and was partly built on the site of the school's
playground. During preliminary excavations, the remains of a clay
tobacco pipe factory was discovered beneath the surface by
Cotswold
Archaeology.
In the entrance corridor to the restaurant there is a plaque
commemorating Mr. & Mrs. Cowden, who were Master and Mistress
of the Schools:
The text reads:
"This tablet is erected in the grateful commemoration of the life
long work of Mr & Mrs Crowden who for more than half a
century, held the offices of Master and Mistress of these Blue
Coat Schools.
Firmly attached to the doctrine and principles of the Church of
England, they imparted to many successive generations of scholars,
a religious and useful education, enforced and illustrated by
their own Christian characters, unobtrusive piety and
conscientious performance of their duties.
Mr Crowden was appointed Master in the year 1828, and died on the
22nd September 1882 while holding that office.
Mrs Crowden was appointed Mistress in the year 1833, and resigned
that office shortly after her husband’s death."
Location map of Blue Coat School:
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