The Blue School was founded in 1735. This building was erected in 1833 and expanded in 1876, when it was renamed the Middle Class School for Girls. The school closed in 1930 and was converted into shops. The date of this photograph, kindly sent to me by Jackie Sutherland of Perth, Western Australia (whose grandmother was among the last intake of pupils) is uncertain, but possibly taken around the time of the school’s closure. The railings shown in this and an 1892 photograph (one of many I’m seeking permission from Haringey Library Services to place on this site) may have gone at the outbreak of World War II.

The 1892 photograph shows another ground-floor window to the right of the Dutch gable. The brickwork here is clearly not original. Also in the earlier photo, there is a nameplate on the plaque above the large ground-floor window on the right, and trees upon the pavement (which appears to have been narrowed).

Just visible in the background are shop premises in Scotland Green. Those to the left were demolished in the late ’50s and replaced by the ugly Lego-style Employment Exchange.

Today, the building is in a singularly deplorable state, as may be seen from the photograph below. Good news is, it is shortly to be restored by Haringey Council and English Heritage, who are working jointly on a long-term project to return all the High Road’s historic buildings to their former glory. The bottom photo is a detail of the left end of the building, showing 1930s shop signs. With a bit of luck I'll be able to get a complete sight of these before they are removed.

And, in a few months’ time, I should be able to add a photo of the restored building to this page.