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.
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17. Keeping cool
One of the great glories of the school was its outdoor pool. Here pupils were cooling off in June 1986. The pool was later filled in. | Shropshire Star archive
18. Phoenix rose from the ashes
Sadly Phoenix was hit by a devastating fire which was started by arsonists on December 29, 1995. It burned down the main hall, canteen and gymnasium, which of course all had to be replaced. Here firefighters survey the aftermath of the blaze. | Shropshire Star archive
19. No admittance
The school entrance in October 2013, just a few months after the school closed. This was in fact a new entrance, as for most of the school's life the main entrance was in a different part of the complex. | Shropshire Star archive
20. The end of the story
Demolition took place in early 2014, turning the place of so many memories into a pile of rubble. | Shropshire Star archive