Aberdare Boys’ Grammar School
School Buildings
The Old County School, circa 1899
from RCT Libraries
The clocktower had not been added when this photograph was taken, dating the image
to the period from 1896 to 1901. There’s no Chemistry Lab either, this was added
in 1906.
The Girls’ entrance was on the right, shown clearly here; there was a Boys’
entrance just out of site on the far left. Careful examination of the carved
inscription on the frieze above the Main Hall windows shows it to read: "Aberdare
Technical and Intermediate Schools". The school was never known by its full
name, although Aberdare Intermediate School can be seen on school book stamps dating
up to the Second World War period. The word ‘Intermediate’ also features
above the main entrance of the Girls School (1913) in Plasdraw. This word was used because
these schools together with about 100 others in Wales all resulted from the passing
of the Welsh Intermediate Education Act in 1889; ‘Intermediate’
specifying education between elementary and higher, or university, education.
For most of its existence, the school was known locally as ‘The County School’
- as was, from 1913, the tram, and later bus stop, situated where this photograph
was taken.
The design of the building in this state is almost identical to that of the
The County School for Girls in Bangor — both were designed by J.H. Phillips
of Cardiff — although the school in College Road, Upper Bangor is constructed
in Ruabon red brick.