Oldbury County High School in Moat Road, Langley, was opened in 1926. It was the new home and new name of Oldbury Secondary School which had been started in the Technical School buildins in Flash Road, Oldbury in 1905. and had outgrown the facilities offered by that building. The new building was situated in playing fields on farmland sold by Albright & Wilson to Oldbury Urban District Council and Worcestershire County Council for that purpose. After WW2 its name was changed to Oldbury Grammar School, until it became a comprehensive school in 1974.

"County High School Sports Day 1938"

This film was probably produced by the County High School itself as a record of their sports day in 1938. There are shots of the boys and girls taking part in the athletic races, as well as novelty races including the sack race, the leapfrog race and the slow bicycle race. There is also a tug-of-war. The event was controlled via a loudspeaker van hired from Griptons of West Bromwich and Oldbury (4, Birmingham Street). In the background are the newly erected buildings of Moat Farm Junior School, together with the houses in Moat Road and Moore Crescent, and, on the skyline. Bristnall Hall Farm and the large houses of 'The Beeches' and 'Uplands'. There are good shots of the school itself.

A flag flying in front of the school appears in some shots, and this has three horizontal stripes. We assume these were the blue, white and green of the school colours - can anyone confirm this?

We would also like to hear from anyone appearing in the film or anyone who can identify the people shown, pupils and masters. Please contact us if you recognise anyone.

[Silent monochrome film, 7 minutes - 105Mb file

The opening of the County High School in 1926

We have been lent a video of the opening day in 1926, but this is on unstable and potentially self-inflamatory nitrate film stock. It is awaiting transfer to video by the British Film Institute, the only organisation in Britain able to make transfers from such material - there is a large backlog! However, still shots from the main scenes of the film are given below in sequence.

The newly-built school in Moat Road at the time of the opening

Procession into the school led by the girl guides brigade		End of opening procession - buildings of Moat Farm in background
Headmaster, J G Howarth, and guests at opening		Headmaster and guests after opening ceremony
Guests after the opening ceremony		Teachers leavng the opening ceremony

The lower pictures show the hall on the left and the open corridors which were later enclosed to protect pupils moving between classes from the weather. The original corridors gave access to the quadrangles.

If you are able to identify the guests, teachers or pupils in these shots, please contact us.

School Photographs 1928 - 1942

Four panoramic photographs of the staff and pupils of the County High School are available, some taken from copies of a poor state of repair and requiring extensive restoration! These are for the years 1928, 1932, 1942 and one undated photograph estimated from the staff present to be between 1930 and 1936, probably around 1934. We would appreciate help in confirming the date and identifying the members of people on these photographs.

Because of the width of these panoramic photographs, they are in an Adobe Acrobat file which opens separately and enables the pictures to be panned and zoomed to show detail.