13/10/2026
Form 1 Exploration 🔎
This afternoon, a happy quirk of timetabling allowed Form 1 Gold the chance to take an impromptu historical walk around the school campus.
It was a lovely opportunity to take a group who represent Wilson’s future on a journey into the school’s past, exploring its built heritage along the way.
Our first stop was the steps of the original Wilson’s Hospital building, where students spotted a curious “crow’s foot” carved into the stone. A little historical detective work suggests that it is an Ordnance Survey benchmark — a fixed reference point used to measure elevations.
These marks, sometimes called sappers’ marks, recall the Royal Sappers and Miners, who helped carry out the nineteenth-century survey of Ireland. Between 1839 and 1843, survey teams measured heights across the country, chiselling reference marks into buildings and other stonework.
Although we cannot precisely date the Wilson’s mark, it seems likely to be from that period. On a historic 25-inch Ordnance Survey map, a benchmark at the corresponding location is labelled B.M. 423.4 feet (around 129 metres) above the survey datum used at the time. A small piece of surveying history hiding in plain sight! Keep an eye out for similar marks in your own locality. 👀
Students also examined the old cast-iron nameplate outside the Warden’s residence. They learned that the principal still also holds the title of Warden — a connection with the school's beginnings as a home for elderly men and a school for boys from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Next, we headed down the back lane to admire an old riveted wrought-iron field gate, reflecting the craftsmanship of local blacksmiths before modern welding became widespread. Designs varied from district to district and from smith to smith, but many such gates have since been replaced to accommodate modern farm machinery.
There was time, too, to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful autumnal colours before returning to class.
Accompanied by Mr Farrar and Ms Hales, students were reminded that the past can always throw up something new, the school campus has plenty of stories to tell — and that they too are now custodians of its heritage.
