IT’S the end of an era.
The former Alderman Blaxill School has been reduced to rubble to make way for a new 900-place secondary school.
Thousands of bricks lie where the old school once stood.
The school, named after educationalist and former mayor Alderman Blaxill, had a turbulent history, twice being saved before finally closing three years ago.
The school opened in 1955 as Shrub End expanded in the post-war era. But by 1991, education bosses sought to close the school.
Only a Gazette-backed campaign stopped those plans in 1992 but closure plans re-emerged in 2008. Despite campaigners’ efforts, in 2011, Essex County Council announced the school would close before August 2014.
School's out - the final pupils leave the school in July 2014
Rubble - the building is being demolished to make way for a new 900-place school
The school closed for good due to dwindling pupil numbers in July of that year.
However, a new school is set to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
Four options were initially announced for the redevelopment of the site and the new plans, unveiled in August, were widely welcomed.
During that exhibition, Ray Gooding, Essex County Council’s councillor responsible for education, said the school could open in September 2019. It is hoped building will start in March.
n Do you have memories of Alderman Blaxill School? Write to us at gazette.letters@newsquest.co.uk.
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