The new Holy Trinity Church School was opened on Saturday December 9th 1911 by the Bishop of Manchester, Dr. Knox, who praised the enterprise and determination of the members of the church for raising the funds and seeing the work through. The school had a feature unique in Blackburn and possibly unique in the country. Because space was at a premium a roof-top playground was provided for the boys. A seven foot railing was installed to curb any adventurous spirits and staff were always on hand to supervise.
The picture of the boys at play accompanied an article in the Blackburn Times of October 13th 1961, the occasion of the school's golden jubilee. The other photos are courtesy of the dare-devil wizardry of Cottontown contributor Jim Halsall, who, like a World War One ace, has been zooming in on aerial views of the town.
The school closed in July 1972.
It was Blackburn weaver Joseph Cross who, as Secretary of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association, paved the way for the establishment of a convalescent home for textile employees. Poulton was the chosen site and Darwen architect J B Thornley drew up the plans. Known as the Joseph Cross Convalescent home, it provided a haven, a respite for cotton workers.
It was in 1963 that the home changed function and became a college for teacher training. Minister of Education Sir Edward Boyle performed the opening ceremony on April 24th 1964. It was Anne's job to build and administer a library to serve the students who arrived from all corners of the globe. In her engaging, self-deprecating style and with a touch of humour Anne describes how she achieved this.
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