Historical photographs,documents and newspaper articles dating back to the 1800s.
Ryde Public School: historical notes
A history of the school's buildings and its heritage can be found on the NSW Government's Office of Environment and Heritage's website.
In 1862 a campaign was begun to establish a public school in the Ryde village and in 1867 a formal application was made to the NSW Government for a public school to be established at Ryde. A local contribution of 100 pounds guaranteed by Messrs J.S. Farnell, E. Drinkwater, G. Wicks, W. Small and J. Devlin was promised towards the cost of a school building.
The Ryde Public School opened in 1868 in the premises of a former inn (Stanley's Inn) on the corner of Parkes Street (later Blaxland Road) and Tucker Street, a stone building with a timber shingled roof on a 10 acre site, which was purchased for 280 pounds and altered and enlarged to accommodate 3 classrooms and a new teacher's residence.
Less than ten years later, a new public school, with an adjoining teachers' residence, was opened on the ridge of Pope Street. A local campaign for a new public school building led to the erection in 1877 of a single-storey sandstone building, designed by government architect George Allen Mansfield. It opened in May 1877 with one qualified teacher and two pupil-teachers supervising an average attendance of 113 students in that first year. It was considered "more appropriate than the old premises originally built as a public house."
If you have any photographs or memories you would like to add please email us at ryde-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au