Uplands Technical Archery Road

Questions on schools and colleges, past and present
Uplandsboy49
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:37 pm

Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Uplandsboy49 » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:16 pm

In view of the proposed conversion of my old school Uplands to flats I suppose this is yet another progression from it's earlier history of education,Is it better than demolition? As part of Burton's St Leonards Yes of course it is but hopefully the playground will not be used to hang washing out as this would be below the dignity of such a building.

Thoughts about what lies ahead from old lads (and even older lasses) would be interesting.
Let me know if you are trying to find a school pal from 1945 - 1946 and I will see if I can help. (No promises though).

User avatar
Geoff
Site Admin
Posts: 1122
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 3:39 pm
Location: Blacklands, Hastings
Contact:

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Geoff » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:02 pm

Following the recent demolition of the old college buildings in West Hill Road, the rear of Uplands School is visible to the public for the first time in decades. Lovely buildings, I just hope the developers will do them justice when they convert them into flats.

uplands-school-08-2018.jpg

Hastinger
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:53 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Hastinger » Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:38 pm

I used to work at the old college and while there spent a year researching the history of the terrace block. I also built up a collection of 100 year old photos dating back to when it was a girl's school. I used these old photos to produce 'then and now" photos. The buildings were originally private houses before being bought up to house a boy's school. In the early 1900s they became a girl's school which lasted until ww2 when the girls were evacuated. After the war the buildings were taken over for the Uplands Technical School for boys and then were taken over by Hastings College in the 1960s. Sadly, the buildings suffered much while in the care of the college.

I used my collection of old and new photos to produce a video slideshow for my own interest. I will see if I can upload it to YouTube and place a link to it on this site.

User avatar
Geoff
Site Admin
Posts: 1122
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 3:39 pm
Location: Blacklands, Hastings
Contact:

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Geoff » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:12 pm

Wow. Very interested in the old photos and history you researched. Happy to put an Uplands section in the history part of the site if you don't mind your work publicised. I will PM you my email address for further communication.

Hastinger
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:53 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Hastinger » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:53 pm

Happy to share it!

TerryB
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:06 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby TerryB » Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:55 pm

Planning a nostalgia trip to Hastings I hoped to visit my last school, which I believe was Hastings Technical College, or Uplands, but on doing a Google street check it appears to be a building site now, this is confirmed by one of your correspondents, with picture.

My sojourn finished Easter 1948 when I left aged 14 [I think, I've no paperwork at all relating to my stay there so it couldn't have been a very academically eminent period, I don't remember doing any final exams or anything, not even what we were hoping to achieve! Anyone got any clues?].

However I started by passing my 11+ at Tower Road School and was awarded the option of going to the Technical College which then was up the old town somewhere [most probably knocked down for house building, but I can't remember exactly where it was, Any Ideas?]. We eventually moved premises to Uplands, so I was one of the first pupils there.

I do remember the curriculum was heavily slanted towards the building trades, bricklaying, plumbing, carpentry? and some metalwork, but all the engineering machines, lathes, milling machines etc, were all left behind and never followed us to Uplands, so engineering subjects [which I was interested in] weren't covered at all.

Joining the RAF in1951 I never came back to live in Hastings so got completely out of touch.

Staff names at the time I recall were Headmaster - Mr Rhodes - a Mr Nolan and a Mr Cotterall [who we called "Old Bill" and was quite a character and rather an object of our derision].
We just started to get [younger] ex forces types and they were very much liked for their modern attitudes and approach in comparison.

I notice there is talk on the forum regarding photographs but I can't seem to find them, could someone point me in the right direction, and any other anecdotes would be interesting.

Any comments would be appreciated. Many Thanks

Baldwin59
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:22 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Baldwin59 » Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:28 pm

Hi TerryB
Does Roebuck Street mean anything to you regarding the location of your old collage? Turn off the High Street at the Duke of Wellington and apparently it was somewhere around here between the High Street & All Saint's Street. Waterloo Passage area could be a possibility. ;)

Qedelec
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:32 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby Qedelec » Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:52 pm

I decided to look up my old technical college on Google Earth and what a shock to see it demolished.
I attended Radio & TV servicing (City & Guilds) 67/68 & 68/69 before moving to the Midlands.
The only name I can recall was a Mr Blois, who taught us electronics. He demonstrated the destructive force of exposing a capacitor to excessive power in the labs destruction cage.
The older buildings were where the canteen was housed I recall.
If anyone was there at the same time I'd be interested to hear from you.

TerryB
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:06 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby TerryB » Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:50 pm

Dear Qedelec

There appears to be some mixup here with your attendance dates and the Uplands School history.
You're right about the old site being developed, but the old buildings are being preserved [listed most probably] and recognisable, you could even buy one to live in! go to = https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co ... ompletion/

Brief History of the technical school/college.

During WWII the Buildings in The Bourne, Waterloo Place were developed to train ammunition workers. By 1942 training of lathe workers [mosty women] fitters and welders was carried out for factories around the country.

July 1942 Junior Technical School, Waterloo Place [Old Town] was set up.
The 1944 Education Act required Local Authorities to change Secondry Education, and the Hastings Secondry Technical School was set up in Sept 1945.

There was always the threat that the re-developement of the Bourne area would result in the destruction of the school so it was moved to the old Uplands school in Archery Rd
in May 1948 developed then closed 1956.

The site was used as a Technical School for Evening and Day release until 1957 then demolished for redevelopement of The Bourne.

The above was lifted from a 'Commemorative History of Uplands Technical' book by Robin Stroud a copy of whitch is deposited with the Old Hastings Preservation Society [OHPS] for reference.

Your comments would be very interesting to clear up the inconsistencies.

Regards TerryB

uplandsboy49update
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:29 pm

Re: Uplands Technical Archery Road

Postby uplandsboy49update » Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:59 pm

Having started this forum in 2017 I seem to have neglected things probably due to health problems. My memory now is failing as no doubt are a few of the names I know from Uplands days. However I am now going through 6 box files of data accumulated from the Uplands School reunion I was part of and main organiser I suppose. I intend to contact all survivors I can from 19 years ago or their kin to pass on any items attached to their names and other items of interest without causing data protection problems doing so. It will not be immediate but to do this I need a contact e-mail address to send scanned items to. I have photos of course but not sure how to show them all on this site. These will not include "Mugshots" taken at the time. I will send these direct. Group photos are also on my list. One thing that may be considered is a re-union online by Zoom of course. All that is possible if E-mail addresses are in my possession to collate for likely class mates. I will guard these details of course to avoid scammers that we all suffer now.
At nearly 83 I want to clear this before I pop my clogs.Thank you"1066 on line" for this outlet.
I can of course do my best to answer questions arising from Uplands History that I have.This is a Forum of after all.


Return to “Schools and Colleges”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest