These 1950s photographs were sent by George Owen and they show St. John’s School, Wellington Road, known as ‘The Gas School’ presumably because it was close to the gas works that used to be where Aldi Supermarket is now. The black-and-white shots show the school building front and back.The colour pictures show the position of the school; the upper pic is a detail of the lower one. Left of the school is a garage long gone; the buildings further left along Wellington Road are still intact. Right of the school is Wellington Terrace on the corner of which is Royal Oak public house. The street facing the school is Butterton Road.
The Gas School was an infants/primary school founded 1872 by the Church of England (Wales) and attached metaphorically to St. John’s Church across the road. Ex-pupil George remembers Mr. Frank Port as Headmaster, replaced by Mr. Gwilym Thomas; both of these were organists at the church.
Another ex-pupil, Richard Evans, remembers: “A large coke stove dominated Miss Batten-Jones' classroom, the only source of heating and around which the frozen 1/3 pint milk bottles would be thawed on wintery mornings.”
In the late 1950s the school closed and the building was used as a community centre. In late 1970s this was demolished and replaced by the present Wellington Community Centre where Rhyl Town Council has its meeting room and offices.
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