Braunstone Hall Junior School

The hall becomes a school 

In 1925 Braunstone Hall and surrounding land was bought by Leicester Borough Council for £116,500. Some of the land was used to build the South Braunstone housing estate and the children from the estate needed a school. The Council Education Committee leased Braunstone Hall for £170 a year. In August 1932 the school opened for senior pupils but a year later became a primary school. The school was used for 64 years, closing in 1996. 

A classroom in 1996 - Braunstone History Group

A magical school 

Changes were made to the hall when it became a school although many original features stayed. The three floors were connected by decorative staircases. There were classrooms in the old servants’ quarters that ex-pupils remember being particularly spooky! The building wasn’t well suited to being a modern school; there were no classrooms for craft and art activities and not enough space to move equipment around. Despite this, former pupils remember it being a ‘magical school’. The grounds were used for nature walks and sketching. The Hall and grounds were places that fired pupil’s imaginations. 

Miss Hartley’s Recorder Class in 1954 - Braunstone History Group

The school during World War Two  

During the war, the school was open all day for local children. The school cellars were used as air raid shelters by pupils and teachers and the building was also used by the local Home Guard Unit. In 1944 soldiers from the American 82nd Airborne Division were housed in Nissen huts in the park. The American soldiers would give pupils doughnuts, fruit and chewing gum.  For a few years after the war some of the Nissen huts were used as an infant school.

Braunstone History Group are recording and collecting stories from the Braunstone area and have a centre based at the old school site.