For generations of Clayton families, Ravensbury Street School meant much more than one building. The site included Ravensbury Street Infants School, the Junior School and Ravensbury Street County Secondary Boys School, often remembered locally as the Boys’ High School.

These archive photographs from Manchester Libraries offer glimpses of school life across several decades: a junior class photograph from 1935; football teams from the late 1940s, including the 1948 winners of the new Wilf Hayes Trophy; pupils setting off on school trips between 1948 and 1952; and a view of the complete school site in 1963, with the infants’ school on the left and the juniors and boys’ school on the right.

One particularly fascinating chapter was the boys’ school’s connection with the merchant ship Andalusian. Through the Ship Adoption Society, the school formed a link with the ship’s Chief Engineer, Bill Venables. Pupils maintained ship-to-shore radio contact, visited Manchester Docks and produced their own magazine, ‘Between Ourselves’.

A copy of ‘Between Ourselves’ has been donated to Clayton Hall and can be viewed in our Memories Room on open days.

Later photographs show children and staff from Ravensbury Street Infants taking part in a tree-planting event at Philips Park on 15 November 1973.

For many former pupils, we hope these images will bring back memories of school football, class photographs, trips, teachers, friends and the walk through the gates each morning.

Did you attend Ravensbury Street Infants, Junior or Boys’ School? Do you recognise anyone in these photographs, or remember the ‘Between Ourselves’ magazine? Email us at info@claytonhall.org