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Summary

Unlisted late 20th century junior school, taking its name from a member of a Victorian Burghfield family

Monument Type(s):

• JUNIOR SCHOOL (Mid 20th century to Early 21st century - 1966 AD to 2050 AD)

Full Description

Garland Junior School is marked on the Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1970 <1> and on modern mapping.

Information from the website of Garland Junior School <2> indicates that it was built in 1966, splitting from the modern Mrs Bland's school, a primary school established in 1962 <3>. The original Mrs Bland's school was built in the later 19th century on land given by Horatio Bland and named in honour of his wife.

Information from the website of Mrs Bland's Infant and Nursery School in 2011 <5> indicates that this was the original location of a school built in the 19th century on land given by Horatio Bland and named in honour of his wife. A new school (retaining the Bland's name) was built in 1962 in Jordan's Lane; this was probably known as Bland's Junior and Infant School <6>, but in 197xx the Junior School moved to a new site on xxx and became known as Garland school <7>.

Further information from Reading Museum <8> notes that Horatio Bland was a wealthy merchant, who married Emily Cherry, the oldest daughter of the Rector of Burghfield in 1847. The Blands' first home was Culverlands in Burghfield and they later commissioned the building of Hillfields. Horatio Bland created a purpose-built museum in an outbuilding at Hillfields.

In 1868 whilst on an expedition to the Holy Land, Emily died and was buried in Jerusalem. Horatio founded Mrs Bland's School in memory of his wife in 1872. In 1874 he built a new museum next to the school for his growing collection. After his death the artefacts were transferred to Reading Museum, and the Burghfield museum became a Parish Room. Both the school and former Parish Room were demolished, but this appears to have been sometime after the construction of the new schools as the 5th Epoch OS map of 1970 <9> names the former school as a library. The parish room at this time is labelled 'St Mary's Church'.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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