LIVERPOOL POLICE SPORTS
Liverpool Evening Express - Wednesday 01 July 1903
Arrangements for Saturday’s Celebration.
The eighteenth annual festival of the Police Athletic Society, which takes place on the Everton Football Ground on Saturday afternoon, promises to be one of the most successful yet held. The committee, under the chairmanship of the new Assistant Head-constable, Mr. H. P. Lane, who is taking a keen interest in the society, have arranged a capital programme, and the entries, which  closed yesterday, number about 400, including all the principal athletes of the district. For the events confined to the police entries have been received from most of the large forces throughout the country, including the London City Police, who have entered their famous championship tug-of-war team. No tickets of admission are being offered for sale by the police personally, but orders for tickets will be attended to at any of the police stations, or by the hon. secretary, Sergt, Park, Hatton-garden.

YORKSHIRE V NOTTS
Hull Daily Mail - Monday 20 July 1903
Ideal weather was assoiated with the opening of the second country match of the season on Headingley ground. Notts gave a trial to Thos Simpson, the Everton footballer and professional to Heywood Cricket club.

FOOTBALLERS AND CRICKET
Morning Leader - Monday 20 July 1903
We understand that in the match at Leeds today Notts are giving a trial to Thomas Simpson, who is the Everton footballer and professional to the Heywood Cricket Club. He first saw the lights at Keyworth- the birthplace of Attewell- 25 years ago. His accession to the team will add one more prominent footballer to those already playing cricket for Nottingham-Iremonger, the three Gunns, and A.O. Jones all claiming a wide experience of the winter game.

CHANGES IN NOTTS TEAM
Dundee Evening Telegraph - Tuesday 21 July 1903
In the match at Leeds, Yorkshire have the same side that so nearly beat Worcestershire on Saturday. Notts are making two changes from the team that met Sussex last week, Hardstaff abd Taylor giving way to Dixon and Simpson. The latter is better known as an Association football forward. He played with Leicester Fosse last season, and is now engaged by Everton.

T. Simpson
Edinburgh Evening News - Thursday 23 July 1903
T. Simpson, who is appearing for the first time for Notts this week, is at present engaged as a professional at Heywood, and he is perhaps better known to the public as an Association football player. He formerly played for Notts County, who transfered him to Leicester Fosse. The latter have recently agreed to his transfer to Everton, with whom he is expected to appear as outside left next autumn.

Alexander McDonald to Wellingborough Town
Northampton Mercury - Friday 24 July 1903
Wellingborough Town have signed on Alexander Macdonald, who last season played with Portsmouth, the season previously with Southampton, and prior to that with Everton. He is Scotchman, and stands 5ft. 10in., weighs 11st. 8lbs., and is 24 years age. He will play at centre forward, but can take either the inside positions.

THE OLD SCHOOL AND THE NEW BUILDINGS.
Liverpool Evening Express - Tuesday 28 July 1903
It will be a matter of regret to many people to learn that various reasons have rendered necessary the removal of Liverpool’s oldest charity, the Bluecoat Hospital, from the centre of the city to a more up-to-date and commodious establishment in Wavertree. We give to-day an illustration of the proposed new institution which has been designed by ‘Messrs. Briggs and Wolstenholme, FF.R.I.B.A., and Messrs. F. B. Hobbs and Arnold Thornely, A.A.R.LB.A. The foundation stone of the new institution is to be laid by the Earl of Derby on August 5th. The site of the new hospital is a tract of land, oblong in shape, nearly seven and a half acres in area, and adjacent to and on the south side of Wavertree Church. It slopes gently from east to west, commanding on the west side an outlook over the Wavertree Playground. On the east side the estate is bounded by Church-road and on the west by Prince Alfred-road. About five acres of the site will be occupied by the buildings of the hospital, the remaining two and a half acres, on the north side of the area, being reserved for a playing field. The main entrance will be from Church-road. The entrance gates, which will later be flanked on each side by a lodge, will lead by a short carriage driveto the main doorway, situate in the basement of a tower. For the present it is only proposed to proceed with the tower as far as the first floor, but when completed it will be 125 feet high, and will support a public clock and bells. From this side the external aspect will be that of a range of one-storey buildings, running north and south, dominated by the tower. At one extreme will be a chapel, and at the other it is intended to erect under one roof at a later period a gymnasium and swimming bath, these two buildings, which will be higher than the central range, forming two conspicuous wings. The main entrance gives access to a vestibule 17 feet square, on one side of which is the board-room and the other the office. Beyond the latter are the headmaster’s apartments, and beyond the board-room on the other side an applicants’ waiting-room, medical, examination-rooms etc. A separate entrance is provided for the applicants’ waiting-room. Between the chapel and the gymnasium (when erected) is a corridor nine feet wide lighted from the internal quadrangle: westward from the vestibule a main corridor, 14 feet in breadth, leads to the central hall. This hall, which is 100 feet, by 47 feet, and 30 feet in height, with windows on both sides, will seat' 616 persons. It is designed for recreative lectures and entertainments, Beneath the central hall is the dining hall, of the same dimensions, and 18 feet high, for although the entrance from Prince Alfred-road is on the ground level the buildings, owing to the declivity of the site, admit of a lower ground floor on the west side. On the north side of the central hall and the corridors leading to it is situate the male staff quadrangle, 169 feet by 96 feet, and on the south side the female staff quadrangle. Both quadrangles will be laid out as lawns. Beyond the central hall, and at right angles to it—that is to say, running north and south, is the main block, which, therefore, has its frontage to the west, overlooking the Wavertree Playground. This, the principal facade of the building, will be three storeys high. At each end of it, running east and west, will be ranges of buildings of the same height projecting, however, some 70 feet beyond the west main front. The hospital, consequently,will present from this side the aspect of a spacious courtyard surrounded by buildings on three sides, but open to the west. This court, 282 feet by 76 feet, will be utilised as a boys’ playground, a spacious shelter being provided at the north end for use in wet weather. The lower storey of the central building will be entirely used for class-rooms, and in the north wing there will be lavatories and cloak-rooms for the boys, and in the south wing recreation-rooms for the girls. The two upper floors are occupied by dormitories and masters’ and mistresses’ sitting and bedrooms. There are four dormitories with 50 beds each and two with 25 beds each for boys, and two with 50 beds each and two with 25 beds each for girls, the total. accommodation being for250 boys and 150 girls. These buildings are lighted on both sides, the boys’ class-room and dormitories having a south aspect over themale staff quadrangle. On the east side of the female staff quadrangle are a range of buildings comprising the kitchens and offices, with servants’ hall, staff dininghall, and servants’ rooms over. On the ‘south side of the buildings is the girls’ playground, 201 feet by 76 feet. A well-lighted corridor runs the whole length of the central building on the lower storey, and gives access to the recreation-rooms, the dining-hall,and the central hall. The corresponding corridors on the floors above give access to the masters’ and mistresses’ apartments and the dormitories. There are ample stairs on both sides of the building. Every provision has been made for heating, lighting, and the prevention of fire. The circular chapel, which will seat 600 persons, has four projecting arms, forming a cross, the entrance being in the north arm, while the organ will be placed on the south. The buildings are designed like the existing hospital in School-lane in the late Renaissance style, which has been adopted with a view to continuity of design. They are to be built of red brick with facings of white stone. The scheme includes a sanatorium, which, however, will not be gone on with at present. The cost of the new hospital will be £65,000. The builders are Messrs. Morrison and Sons, Wavertree.
SKETCH OF THE OLD SCHOOIL
At this important juncture of the hospital’s career a brief account of its past history will not be without interest. For nearly two centuries it has been supported by the liberality of the town, to which it has rendered invaluable service by maintaining and educatingthousands of boys and girls who otherwise would have gone to swell the ranks of those who have a hard struggle to subsist. The charity was founded in 1708 by Bryan Blundell, in conjunction with the Rev. Robert Styth, one of the rectors, for the purpose of clothing and educating forty boys and ten girls. The first treasurer was the rev, gentleman named, and he held office up to the time of his death in 1713, when he was succeeded by Mr. Bryan Blundell, who filled the responsible position until his decease in 1756. The object for which the charity was originally established did not include the feeding of the children, and this was found to be an important defect in the working of the scheme, inasmuch as the little ones were often sent out by their parents to beg for food, and thus acquired habits of idleness. Therefore, to place the institution on a sound basis subscriptions were obtained, and on the 3d May, 1716, the first stone was laid of that portion of the building which now forms the ancient part of the hospital, and which was erected at an expenditure of about £2,300, when all the scholars became inmates. In 1720 application became inmates. In 1739 a decree was obtained from the Duchy Court of Lancaster by which the school was vested 1n 50 trustees, and the objects of the institution fully defined. By another decree of the date of 1803 the trustees were increased to 100. In 1742 the number of children was still further augmented, and the complement thenfixed was 70. Mr, Blundell made another powerful appeal to the public. A sum of £2,000 was thus raised, and enabled the governors to increase the number ofscholars to 100, of whom 30 were girls. In 1763 the number of children was augmented to 200, and was gradually increased until 1768, when it reached 327. The number varied in subsequent years up to 1827, since when 250 boys and 100 girls have been boarded, educated, and  clothed at an expense of about £6,000 per annum. To meet this amount the institution was only provided with a permanent fund of £2,600, leaving the trustees dependent upon a benevolent public for the remainder. At his death in 1756 Mr. Bryan Blundell was succeeded in the treasurership by his son, Richard Blundell, who again was succeeded by his brother Jonthan. The latter held the office until 1796, so that for 82 years the institution was managed by the Blundell family.  In 1838 a society called “The Bluecoat Brotherly Society,” consisting mainly of those who had been educated in the institution, was formed for the purpose of watching over the career of boys apprenticed from the school, and since that time over 3,000 boys have been carefully visited by the members with the most encouraging success. A somewhat similar society was established in 1857 for the girls by the ladies’ committee, with equally satisfactory results. In 1899 the trustees considered the advisability of removing the school into the country, and at the close of that year it was unanimously decided to accept the site at Wavertree, given by friends of the school, to erect thereon the new buildings and to sell with the consent of the Chairty Commissioners, the old site in School-lane, where the hospital has stood for nearly two centuries and achieved so much good work.