St Malachy's School - Liverpool - july 2010 -

[georgie]

when i first heard about this nearly 12 months ago http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...2534-23462156/ i knew it was going top of my list

St malachys' was my old primary school housing the nursery & infants in one block and the juniors in a seperate block with school church attatched to the side of the juniors

i knew i couldnt let this one slip me by and as the time grew near i knew i had to see inside again so i was privileged to to be allowed to see inside before closure

i never really thought on doing a report at that time just seeing inside and getting a few pics was good enough for me but then i thought maybe i could explore the place while empty and compare the before and after shots so set about a plan to try and get the shots i was after

i knew the church was totally out of the question being closed for the last 9 yrs and secured to death but im told its been stripped and theres nothing inside but having many family funerals in there and made my communion in there so i couldnt really care whats left, again just to see inside for one last time would do me.

so after my first visit a few weeks rolled on and time was called and the bell was rang for the last time http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-26895816/ i couldnt believe it after 100yrs it was closed and demolition threatened as little as 2 days after closure.

so off i went to chance a solo explore and it paid off i once again found myself standing inside but this time it was really strange the walls stripped of kids paintings, classrooms empty just memories remained the lights were out and i was home for one final time.

i can honestly say the first time i set foot in this place after all the yrs id left it was just like id left yesterday apart from the paintings on the walls nothing really had changed ,the chalkboards were still the same, the red and white metre rulers were still getting used and even some tables and chairs were all original and other furniture.

enough babble ill let the pictures do the talking ive gone for a before and after shot on most pics although they may not be in exactly the same place but you get the idea..


explored solo

this place is currently awaiting demolition,alarmed and has security with a dog


this first pic isnt mine it was taken from the website its basically so you can get a view of what it was like instead of posting various external shots and i think it was taken from the roof of the opposite mill view heights or one of the balcony's the junior block is the one connected to the church and infants/nursery is the one nearest with both school halls connected to eachother aswell ,also the priest house which is now demolished sat next to the church on the left....also many moons ago the school used to have a football pitch and playground on the roof with boys and girls toilets at either end thats the reason for the high walls on the roof


ill kick off where it all started for me the nursery...this was wierd the nursery was moved into the infant block and this room was now called the sonas project and apparently the only one in liverpool it housed kids who couldnt cope with normal school life and i was quite shocked to find out the old cloakroom was now a padded cell for when these kids were naughty to kick f**k out of it (i think it only had 6 kids in total in the class)

as it looks today


the once nursery classroom sonas project classroom

and as it stands today


now we move onto the infant block

again 4 weeks after my allowed explore it now looks like this (looks more like a hospital with its wide corridors)


various before and after classroom shots (again not exactly in the same spot)


the after shot


play area


after shot




after shot


the library and reading area


after shot


the infant assembly hall (didnt manage a before shot but nothings really changed in the last few weeks)

[georgie]

now its time for the junior block some good times were had in my yrs here met so many good people some whom im still in contact today just like the infants it was 4 classes very large classes infact and various other rooms which i will explain as i go on and like said before it used to have the playground and football pitch on the roof which i never got to see when i was there all those yrs ago but today i seen it up close

again ill do some before and after shots maybe not in the same spot but as good as

the lower floor corridor leading to the heads office and staff room with the library in the middle to the left

again the after shot some 4 weeks later was quite shocked to see the place like this and this was the first thing i seen when entered the building


the once trophy cabinet in the middle

now empty


class one

after shot


the once staff room

and as it stands today


upper floor class 4

and today






computer room

and today


upper floor corridor

and today


library

and as it looks now


storage room just before the roof access

and now empty


class 3 (with the art room in the middle)

and the after shot


one last look at my last class before leaving

and the return pic


the juniors assembly hall (i had my first piano lesson in here)

and now its empty


if your wondering wheres class 2 it was now used as a music room ill add a couple more pics to the end of this including the roof shots and other various pics

[Kevsy21]

Good stuff George,the report's looking good.

[BB]

Cool report

[joybee]

Brilliant this! Do you still play (piano), by the way?

[skin]

Nicely reported, so much more meaningful a site that you have personal experience of, makes for an interesting before and after explore and much more emotional.

[georgie]

Brilliant this! Do you still play (piano), by the way?

cheers i dont play much nowadays i mainly just stick to playing guitar these days

[joybee]

cheers i dont play much nowadays i mainly just stick to playing guitar these days

Nice one I played violin all through school. (I can still see the room where my lessons took place.) I've also had a grapple with a cello

[georgie]

Nice one I played violin all through school. (I can still see the room where my lessons took place.) I've also had a grapple with a cello

good stuff joybee funny you should mention the violin a while ago i was thinking of getting one i was wondering what it would sound like through a distortion pedal ha ha

cellos a lovely sound to

[lulatahula]

What a brilliant report - really nicely done. I'm a primary school teacher myself and it's sad to see the life go out of a place like this!