Description: Showing the Town Mission Ragged School on the edge of Sneinton Market, which still bears it's name on the chimney stack and it's date of construction, 1858. The idea of ragged schools was developed by John Pounds, a Portsmouth shoemaker. In 1818 Pounds began teaching poor children without charging fees. Thomas Guthrie helped to promote Pounds' idea of free schooling for working class children. Guthrie started a ragged school in Edinburgh and Sheriff Watson established another in Aberdeen. Lord Shaftesbury formed the Ragged School Union in 1844 and over the next eight years over 200 free schools for poor children were established in Britain. The building was being used as a cash and carry warehouse at the time of the photograph. Looking from the 1st floor of Sneinton House on Brook Street. The tall building to the rear is part of Victoria Baths. The Old Ragged School is now the new headquarters of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. When taken over in the late 1990s it was a derelict, listed pre-Education Act (1870) school on the 'Buildings At Risk Register' and at risk of demolition. The restoration was supported by funding from ERDF, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the landfill tax. The project incorporated recycled materials, timber from managed sources, insulation, heat recovery systems, condensing boilers and low energy light fittings. It was later awarded Nottingham City Council Lord Mayor's Award for Conservation and Nottingham Civic Society Commendation.