“Professor Marchant moved, and Mr D A Schierwater seconded, “That the premises known as Terra Nova, Birkdale, be purchased subject to the approval of the Ministry of Education.
The resolution was carried unanimously.”
Taken from the Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Committee of the Liverpool School for the Deaf held on Monday, 15 April, 1946 at 11am
“That, subject to approval by the Ministry of Education, September 1st, 1948 be the appointed day for opening the Birkdale School.”
Taken from the Minutes of a General Meeting of the Committee of the Liverpool School for the Deaf held on Wednesday, 25 June, 1947 at 2.30pm
[Due to unfinished building work, the School didn’t open until Saturday, 11 September, 1948]
The School as we know it at 40 Lancaster Road, Southport, was originally located at 54 Oxford Street, Liverpool, from 1839 till 1948.
It was registered in 1825 as the School for the Deaf and Dumb until the name changed in 1927 to Liverpool School for the Deaf.
When the School moved to Lancaster Road in 1948, the name changed to Liverpool School for the Partially Deaf (LSPD). Mr Denmark was the Principal at the time of transfer to Lancaster Road.
The Lancaster Road site was set up in 1904 as a private boarding school for boys, known as ‘Terra Nova’. It was taken over by the Central National Registration Office [CNRO] in 1939, and used throughout the Second World War as a Records Office.
Terra Nova was relocated to Cheshire during the war years, where they still remain. See their website here.
The school buildings were put up for sale after the war ended, and the Liverpool School for the Deaf put in an offer to purchase the site for £50,000. Although this was accepted by the vendor in 1946, it was another 2 years before the buildings were released by the CNRO. The Liverpool School for the Partially Deaf was officially opened by the Earl of Derby on Saturday, 11 September, 1948.
Click here to learn about the development of the School website
NOTABLE DATES IN HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
| 1825 | School for the Deaf & Dumb established in Liverpool |
| 1839 | Oxford Street, Liverpool, premises bought |
| 1927 | Name changed to Liverpool School for the Deaf |
| 1948 | Moved to Lancaster Road, Birkdale, Southport – Name changed to Liverpool School for the Partially Deaf (LSPD) |
| 1956 | Mr Denmark retired as Principal; Mr Furness took over |
| 1957 | Parkfield at 16 Waterloo Road was bought for the Infant Department |
| 1964 | Name changed to School for the Partially Hearing, Birkdale (SPHB) |
| 1973 | Junior School building opened |
| 1976 | Mr Furness retired after 20 years as Principal; Miss Clark took over – New Senior School building opened |
| 1986 | Miss Clark took early retirement; Mrs Tomkinson became new Principal – Name changed to Birkdale School for Hearing Impaired Children |
| 1988 | A newsletter for ex-pupils/staff began being produced and circulated |
| 1989 | HRH Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, visited the School in September |
| 1991 | Mrs Tomkinson retired as Principal in December |
| 1992 | Mr Loxham took over in January |
| 1993 | Parkfield closed in July – Number 14, Waterloo Road became hostel for FE Department |
| 1995 | Mr Loxham resigned at Easter; Mr Martin became Principal in September |
| 1997 | The School goes online with its own pages on the Internet |
| 1998 | The School celebrated 50 years in Birkdale |
| 2000 | Mr Martin left due to ill health and Mrs Wood became Principal |
| 2003 | School closed for good on 23 July |
| 2004 | School sold for re-development; grant-making trust formed |
| 2005 | Website domain bshic.co.uk expired in December |
| 2010 | Major fire breaks out in main building – 1/4 section demolished |
| 2018 | Re-development plans approved by Sefton Council |