In 1863 a school was set up by the local church for the poor children of the town. This ragged school was probably the first in the area for the children of ordinary working families.
The photograph below shows the children and their teacher in the early years of the school.

A new building, the "Iron School" - as it was known locally - was constructed in 1865 off Mill Lane to house it. It was called that because it was made out of corrugated iron !
There is a picture of the building on the next page.

Notice how young the children in the front row appear to be, and also how they all seem to be wearing hobnail boots. These were heavy and could be uncomfortable, but many poor children in Victorian times had to go barefoot.

More about the Iron School...

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