They’ve arrived. Diggers have started work on the site of the old Phoenix School in Dawley, bringing down the final curtain on a story which began 70 years ago.
Coming soon - houses. Plans have been approved for over 200 homes on what is one of Dawley’s last big green expanses.
But even as the site is transformed, memories will endure of what began in September 1956 as Dawley Secondary Modern School and became Phoenix comprehensive in 1965 and, had the cards fallen differently, would have been the flagship school in what was back then Dawley New Town.
- See these 37 pictures capturing life in Victorian Shropshire
- Shrewsbury in 1979: 25 pictures of football glory and life around town - see them here
- You can enjoy this and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Shropshire and Mid Wales - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here
1. Phoenix rises again
The name Phoenix will live on in the new development. According to this banner attached to the fencing in Manor Road, it will take the name "Phoenix Rise" and will bring new homes for sale and rent. | Toby Neal
2. In the shadow of a pit mound
A general view of the school in October 1960, taken from one of the old pit mounds which for generations have been such a part of the Dawley landscape. In the distance on the left is the Georgian-style Pool Hill Junior School, which burnt down in 1977. The very large building in the far distance, centre, is Horsehay Works, also known at various times as the Horsehay Company, Adamson Alliance, AB Cranes, and Adamson Butterley. It too has long gone. In the foreground are the houses on Manor Road, and Webb Crescent is on the right. | Shropshire Star archive
3. How it's grown
A similar view in February 2002, showing some significant changes, including the growth of vegetation on the formerly barren pit mound. Today trees and shrubs would obscure the view. You'll notice the school has greatly expanded from its 1960s form. | Shropshire Star archive
4. A true original
Not the greatest picture, but it's worth a look as it shows the new Dawley Secondary Modern School in its original form. This was used in the Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News of July 13, 1957. The school had actually opened in September 1956. | Wellington Journal