During the past week we have visited South End and Newton Road Junior Schools in Rushden to give a short talk on the history of the town. We illustrated the talk with photos of buildings that are still there so the children could recognise them and understand some of their history. We explained why the population rapidly increased with the development of the boot and shoe industry, and why the coming of the large factories created the need for Rushden to have a proper Fire Brigade. Why the factories also meant that Rushden needed a railway station and more houses.
The National School – later South End School
The Fire Station opened in 1902
Shoes being loaded to take to the railway station
The Council Buildings opened in 1906
At both schools the children were so well behaved and asked some good questions at the end of the talk. Some we could answer, and some we couldn’t. Two that stumped us were: “When was Rushden invented?” and “When was the first house built in Rushden?”
So – when was the first house built in Rushden? Who would have been the first people to settle in the area? Why did they decide to live here and what was the area like? The imagination can run riot!!
We would like to thank both schools for inviting us. We hope they enjoyed the talk as much as we enjoyed doing it and meeting them all.