Old Pennar School - latest update on the intended demolition.

If you have not read the previous blog post on the subject of the demolition of Old Pennar School, then please take time to read the post here. It will give you context for this post.

The information I had received regarding the imminent start of the demolition of Old Pennar School was inaccurate and in response to the email I sent Mr Sinnett regarding this (see previous post) on 5 June 2016, I have received the prompt reply below

From: Nigel Sinnett
Sent: ‎05/‎06/‎2016 09:11
To: Adrian James
Cc: Subject: Re: Old Pennar School

Not true

What is your source?

Sent from my iPhone

I sent the reply below as soon as I could after reading Mr Sinnett's response.

From: Adrian James 
Sent: 05 June 2016 16:05
To: Nigel Sinnett

Cc: Subject: RE: Old Pennar School

Dear Nigel

Thanks for the re-assurance that the demolition is not imminent. I was surprised to hear that the school might be demolished without me being told and I am glad that the inaccurate report seems to have been a case of "Chinese whispers".

My source was someone who lives in Pembrokeshire who had been told this by a normally reliable person "in the know".

I apologise for this mistake, but equally I still feel that the loss of the school is both unnecessary and a major snub to the community of Pennar.

I am sure that I will hear from  you or Sam Stalbow in the not too distant future when the contract for the destruction of the school has been settled.

Best wishes

Adrian

Sent from my Windows Phone so apologies for typos.

---

As I posted elsewhere (Facebook Group - Pennar, Pembroke Dock in Old Photographs), at 0926 yesterday,

I have heard from Mr Nigel Sinnett today saying that the demolition is not imminent. He seemed it would look as though there has been some misunderstanding. He seems like an honourable man and I am glad that PHA has not gone against its word about keeping me (us) informed about when demolition will take place.

If anyone else picks up information about the future (or the past) of Old Pennar School, and when the demolition is to take place, please do get in touch. My confidence in the fact that Pembrokeshire Housing Association will keep me (us) informed of their plans has been restored after a shaky 24 hours!!

Old Pennar School - to be replaced by modern blandness?

The photographic montages below show Old Pennar School form various positions on Treowen Road.

The old and well known landmark and the new unimaginative blandness.

If you consider the new to be a poor replacement for the old, or if you think that the bats and swifts deserve better treatment, then please write in you comments to Pembrokeshire County Council by 13 May 2015. Application: 14/1098/PA

If you have a constructive alternative plan that will keep the old school building, it would be interesting to hear it.

Demolition is unacceptable and not necessary.

See here for details of how to do this.

A few details about how the images were obtained can be read at the end of the post.

More images and comment to follow over the next couple of days.

The View from the NNE

Old Pennar School from Treowen Road, from NNE.

3D Model 15 Dwellings on site of Old Pennar School from
Treowen Road, from NNE. 

The view from SSE

The Street View from Treowen Road looking towards
Old Pennar School from the SSE

The same viewpoint,  from Treowen Road looking towards 
the Old Pennar School development from the SSE

The two images above superimposed to show the relationship between the old and the new(?).

The View from the East

A note about the images.

Using the information on the Pembrokeshire County Council planning portal, 3 dimensional models of each of the buildings were constructed using SketchUp, a freely available piece of 3D modelling software.

The interrelationship of each of the buildings was quite difficult to realise as there was no block plan of the entire proposed development site available for scrutiny on line. The relationship of the new buildings to Treowen Road was not easy to appreciate for a similar reason. Such plans may well have been submitted, but were not available to a wider public on line. Likewise, details for Plot 5 were not available, other than the footprint of the proposed building. It may be that I have missed something!!

Once the model had been completed, it was inserted into Google Earth Pro, with care being taken to "clamp" the model to the Google Earth Ground surface. It is likely that the terrain model on Google Earth under - represents the true height of the ground that the school is built on, as the ground level seems to have been "made up" at some time. Consequently the new buildings may not be shown as high as they might be in reality.

Google Earth Pro offers the facility to compare views from Google Street View with those of models inserted into Google Earth. An invaluable aid to comparison.

Old Pennar School in the National Archives

There are a number of records at The National Archives (TNA) that refer to Old Pennar School (Pennar Board School)

The one that looks particularly interesting is the one quoted below.

Reference:ED 21/23321

Description:PEMBROKE: Dock, Pennar Council School
Date:1872-1916

Held by:The National Archives, Kew

Former reference in its original departmentSchool No: 373/5

Legal status:Public Record

I have a readers ticket for TNA, but is anyone going to TNA in the few couple of days who might be able to order this file up and look at it quickly. Perhaps take some pictures too? If that is possible, then I would be tremendously grateful! 

If you are going and could help, please get in touch!

Other files that might be of interest are:

Reference:	ED 21/67383
Description:	PEMBROKE: Pembroke Dock Pennar Council School
Date:	1938
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department	School No: 373/5
Legal status:	Public Record

Reference:	ED 21/47125
Description:	PEMBROKE: Pembroke Dock Pennar Council School
Date:	1921
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department	School No: 373/5
Legal status:	Public Record