Brook Street Council School, Lower Brook Street

In 1907 land and two cottages owned by Winchester College were purchased for £1,315 and designated as the site for this Public Elementary School. The single storey, red brick with slate roof building was completed in February 1909 and could accommodate 280 mixed juniors in classes of 60 and 50 pupils and 150 infants in three classes of 50. The average attendance by 1911 was 293.

The army commandeered the premises for several months in 1914 and 1915 and assistant teacher Tom Adlam received the Victoria Cross for his services in the war.

In 1923 Brook Street became a Junior School (up to Standard III), including infants while the older children were transferred to the Fairfields Board Schools. Four additional classrooms were added in 1931 making provision for 596 children.

One classroom and teacher were allocated to the Basingstoke Mental Defective Centre receiving children from several schools in the area providing them with special tuition. An Inspector noted that they benefitted greatly from this and were returned to their original schools for a term before reaching leaving age to avoid any stigma attaching to them in later life. This Centre had never been sanctioned by the Education Authority and was terminated in 1934.

The school was renamed as Brookvale County Primary School in 1955. In 1961 a fifteen year Town Development Plan was drawn up to accommodate incomers moving from London’s overspill. One of the early constructions was a new ring road which went through the playground. The school closed in 1985 when the Technical College made use of the premises until 1988 and a Conservation Area was designated in 1999 to prevent the demolition of the property. It was converted into award winning homes which were unveiled in 2002.