Medical dates:

Medical character:

In the early 1920s the bandstand in Downhills Park became a venue for an open air school of delicate girls.  A similar school for boys opened in a shelter in the grounds of Orchard House in St Ann's Road.
The pupils were selected from neighbouring schools by the School Medical Officers.  

The girls, aged from 8 to 14 years, mainly suffered from subnormal nutrition, anaemia, bronchitis or bronchial catarrh.  One or two had debility, quiescent pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculosis of the cervical glands.

Classes were held during the spring and summer months - from May to October.  As well as the usual school curriculum, nature study and dramatic works were also included.  The children appreciated the beauty of their surroundings and were a happy little community.  The regime resulted in a marked improvement on their physical and mental condition.

By 1935 some 23 pupils were on the school roll.  After a period of open air education, an average weight gain of 5 lb (2.5 kg) per pupil was noted.

The School presumably closed in 1939 at the outbreak of WW2.

Present status (April 2016)

The bandstand is no more.  In the 1980s its site was planted with trees.