Members of Goole Civic Society rolled up their sleeves to return a Victorian school’s foundation stone to its rightful place.
The team of volunteers dug up grass and laid gravel before heaving the stone into position on the site of the former Alexandra Street School, which educated generations of Goole children between 1876 and its closure in 1990.
The foundation stone was laid on October 19th, 1874, by John Humble Rockett, Chairman of the District of Goole School Board. It disappeared after the school was demolished in the early 1990s but was found recently languishing in an East Riding of Yorkshire Council depot and returned to the town.
The Chair of Goole Civic Society, Margaret Hicks-Clarke, said: “Lots of people in Goole speak very fondly of their days at ‘Alex’ so when we heard the stone had been found we were determined that it should be brought back home to Goole.”
It now stands outside Jellytots Nursery at the corner of Government Street and Edinburgh Street. A plaque, interpretation board and flower planters will complete the site, with funding from Goole in Bloom, before an official unveiling ceremony.
Caption 1: The Goole Civic Society team at work preparing the site.
Caption 2: Taking the strain as the team heaves the stone into position.
Caption 3: The team takes a well-earned break after moving the foundation stone into place. From left, Rachel Walker, Stephen Walker, John Clarke, Glen Widdowson and Graham Coult.