Rushden Echo, 2nd June 1899, transcribed by Kay Collins

Wood-Carving Exhibition at Rushden   

Presentation of Prizes

The annual wood-carving exhibition in connection with the wood-carving classes held at the Newton-road Board School took place on Monday evening. The classes are held during the winter months, and prizes are given at the close of the session for the best specimens in the various classes. The class has so far proved very successful, and great progress has been made under the esteemed instructor (Mr. Geo. Mason). Thirty class meetings have been held this season, and each has been attended very regularly. The various exhibits were arranged on two long tables in the central hall, and the specimens were greatly admired. Specimens of wood-carving from the other nine classes in the county were also laid out for inspection. These were from Collyweston, Duddington, Rothwell, Broughton, Moreton Pinkney, Crick, Watford, Norton, and Towcester.

The following from the Rushden class gained prizes or received honourable mention: — Carving from cast (seniors), 1 Hugh Morris (excellent); drawing from a plan (seniors), 1 Hugh Morris, 2 Robert Catchpole, 3 Harold White; carving from a drawn object (juniors), 2 William Mayo, [1 is not given] honourable mention Ernest Cooper; best collections of joints (seniors), 1 Arthur Sargent, honourable mention L. Miller; constructed object, 1 Hugh Morris, 2 Claude Childs. The prizes to the successful students were distributed at eight o'clock by Mr. F. Newman, who complimented the recipients on their success. The prizes gained by the Rushden class were judged with the whole of the county at Northampton on Wednesday last.

The Rushden Argus May 12^th 1922, transcribed by Susan Manton

Each year at the close of the winter season, the Evening Continuation School, which plays so great a part in the education of Rushden’s Young People, holds an exhibition of the pupil’s work. This year’s exhibition, held last Friday and Saturday, revealed that the standard of training given by Mr. Leonard Perkins, BSc. and his staff is as high as ever. The exhibits range from clever work with brush and pencil to ingenious domestic articles, as for instance, a child’s cradle made from an orange box. Our picture shows some of the exhibits of the woodworkers.

The distribution of prizes at the Rushden Newton Road Evening Continuation School took place at the School on Friday evening.

Mr. S.J. Lloyd, J.P. C.C. (chairman of the Northants Education Committee) made the presentations. There was a big attendance of pupils. Mr. F. Corby presided, supported by Mr. S.J. Lloyd, Mr. A.H. Sartoris J.P.,C.C., Mr. B. Vorley, Mr. E. Freeman, Mr. C. Cross, C.C. and Mr. L. Perkins B.Sc. (Principal of the School)

The Chairman said that what they had learnt at the evening school would be of far greater value to them in after life than the prizes they were to receive, though these were of a carefully selected type. He expressed regret at the absence of Mr. J.T. Colson (chairman of the Rushden Educational Sub-Committee) who was unwell, and also referred to the late Mr. John Claridge, who had been a valuable member of the Local and the County Education Committees.

Mr. Lloyd said that he had been on the County Education Committee for several years, and he had always been interested in Rushden. Mr. Perkins, he said, was a personal friend of his, had done much for education in the county, and had devoted a great deal of his spare time in this direction. He thought the assistant teachers, as well as Mr. Perkins, ought to be congratulated on the splendid success of the exhibition he had just been over. The great success of the School was due to the zeal and untiring energy of Mr. Perkins and his staff of teachers, who did not mind giving much of their own time for the benefit of the scholars. The future of Rushden, he said, was in the hands of the boys and girls, and he thought those who attended the evening classes realised, and were preparing for their responsibilities. Referring to the enormous crowds which attended football matches, and the modern tendency of young people to go to watch these gladiators, Mr. Lloyd said he would much rather see the young fellows play than watch. They ought to be using their limbs and brains, instead of merely their eyes.

After the prizes had been presented, Mr. C. Cross proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Lloyd , and Mr. Vorley, having seconded, it was carried amid applause. Mr. Lloyd briefly replied.

Mr. Perkins urged the first year pupils to carry on, and get used to the night school habit. He reminded them that when they bought sweets and went to the pictures they paid tax. Let them get their money’s worth back by attending night school. They must bear in mind that there was a great deal of talk of economy nowadays, and a good many people actually in authority had the idea that economy meant preventing other people spending money they would like to spend themselves. If they stayed away from night school it would give the authorities the right to say that education was not demanded by the masses. They had attended very well last session, and he hoped to see the pre-war attendances regained.

Rushden Scholars’ Work - Exhibited at the Royal Show
Northampton Farm Institute - Boys’ Remarkable Model

Rushden was well represented at the Royal Agricultural Show at Cambridge this week, in the form of a model of the laboratory, lecture-room and dormitory at the Northampton Farm Institute at Moulton, which received a prominent position on the agricultural education stand of the Ministry of Agriculture. The model was made by the scholars of the Newton-road School, Rushden, the headmaster of which is Mr L Perkins, B.Sc., and the handicraft teacher Mr G W Gardham.

Built strictly to the scale of half an inch to the foot, the model measures six feet by three feet, and represents the converted Army huts which now serve the purpose of the Institute’s laboratory and lecture-room in the one and the dormitory in the other. The models are so made that the roof of each hut is easily removed, and the interiors, fully furnished and in exact replica of the buildings at Moulton, are disclosed. Each bed with pillows and coverings, the bathroom fittings, even down to the tiny bottles and miniature flasks in the laboratory, are depicted in this multum in parvo model.

Photographs of the actual interiors of the huts were placed in front of the models, whilst at the side was a plan based upon the ordnance survey of the entire farm and farm buildings of the “Moulton Institute” which is the latest designation of the Ministry of Agriculture. This is drawn to the scale of 25.344 inches to the mile, and in addition to each field being coloured according to the present season’s cropping, such as wheat oats, potatoes, vetches, roots, or permanent grass, two black and white sketches of the general position of the Principal’s residence, the laboratory, dormitory, etc., were drawn in perspective. An accompanying sheet was a map of England and Wales illustrating the position of the facilities for agricultural education in the country.

The preparation of the exhibit was the work of the Buildings department of the County Education Offices under the supervision of Mr W Lewin. The models were, as stated, by the boys of the Newton-road School, Rushden.