1886 – Half-Timers School, Ferguslie Thread Works, Paisley, Scotland

Now demolished, it was one of the last vestiges of the vast Ferguslie Threads Works in Paisley. Contemporary descriptions of the newly-built school described it as “an exquisite building which will delight the visitor whether he be an educational or architectural expert, for neither pains nor money were spared during its construction”. It was also described as “an admirably equipped school” and as “a model of beauty and appropriateness”. A unique educational institution designed for children who worked part-time, often in textile mills or similar industries, during the 19th and early 20th centuries in Scotland. The school provided a way for these young workers to receive some form of education while still fulfilling their labour obligations. Students, known as “half-timers,” would spend part of the day working and the other part attending school.

The school could accommodate 400 young girls, all in employ of the company and all educated to government approved standards. The young female workers would attend this school and work in the mills on alternate days, hence the name “Half-time”. The school was innovative for its time. It boasted well-lit classrooms on the ground floor, with adjacent cloakrooms and toilets. The mill girls were given lessons mainly in the three “Rs”. Nourishing meals were prepared for them in the basement kitchen. A gallery overlooking the ground floor enabled the viewer or visitor to see concerts, plays and recitations performed by the pupils.

Illustration published in The Building News, September 3rd 1886.