Maps — West Park Secondary School in 1950, 1980 and today (three maps)

The three maps show how the site of West Park Secondary School has changed since the school was built in 1950.

Overall, the site has grown steadily more built-up at each stage: first the farmland and then the school''s own sports field were built over, and even the neighbouring houses eventually made way for parking. The original school building is the only unchanged feature across all three maps.

In 1950 the school stood at the top of the site with open farmland directly behind it, and a row of private houses lining the road at the southern edge. By 1980 the farmland had been split in two: its western half had become a sports field, while a new science block had been built on the eastern half. The houses at this stage still remained.

Today the process has gone one step further. A sports hall has been constructed directly on top of the old field, so outdoor space has disappeared entirely, and the row of houses has been demolished to create a staff car park. What began as a school in open countryside has, in seventy years, become a campus where every metre of land is built on — with the 1950 building still at its heart.