Worth more than scrap

The boys hostel at the school, as it is today, was established in 1918ish in response to the polio pandemic at the time. Originally the Hope Home, it provided sheltered employment/accommodation for people affected by polio.

The Association for the Physically Disabled (APD) was established in 1934 to cater for the non-white population affected by the same disease.

The APD has records going back to its formative years, all tidy in a record room. The school on the other hand tends to be less organized.

A mass of exercise equipment that has been dumped in a backstage area of one of the halls is an example of how chaotic things are.

We took a bet about the age of this “exercise bike” with all of us being way out in our estimations. A stamp below it’s still intact leather saddle dated it to 1916.

I am sure someone would like to preserve this little piece of history, but sadly it seems to be destined for a scrap yard.