St. James's Street School, Ludgershall

The school was built in 1906 as a mixed elementary school for older children, while the younger ones remained at the old National School in Butt Street. The site was given by Mr C. Awdry, who also gave half of the £12,000 cost of the building. The school had three classrooms and two more were added in 1914. There were 148 pupils in both schools in 1906-07 when Wiltshire County Council took over the running of the school. By 1938 there were 251 pupils at both schools but in 1940 the local educational system was reorganised. Older children (11+) went to the newly opened Tidworth Down Secondary School and the infants joined the juniors when the old National School was closed in 1941. After the Second World War the number of children proved too great for the school and in 1953 the Scout Hut was used for some classes, and in 1954 new classrooms were opened in Central Street. In 1966 there were 300 children at the school and this rose to a high point of 402 in 1973. A larger school was needed and in 1978 the pupils moved to the former Ludgershall Castle School when the older girls moved from there to join the older boys at Tidworth Down School. The new school became Castle Primary School, under which name further information can be found.