October 2004

When Bond Street Church of England School opened in 1837, it was said there were two other C of E schools in Liverpool.  These were at Cornwallis Street and Wellington Road.  The 1847 OS map shows  it as 'St John the Baptist' National School.  The smaller building in the distance was built on the site.

The main building here (the Phoenix) was built as a school at the time of the First World War, but it was first used as a hospital during that war.  It later became Wellington Road Secondary School.  Billy Fury went there.

Not all of this is shown as 'school' on the 1905 map, William Henry Taylor who was here around the time of WW2 and tells that the playground was actually on the roof - the fenced area.

John Dugdale confirms this and says that the school was taken over by the army at the start of WW2. There were anti-aircraft guns on the roof. John was evacuated  to Weaverham the day before war was declared it was supposed to be a practice but they kept him there.