Headmaster Jonas Bradley described this snapshot as showing some of his scholars surrounding a Birmingham school inspector at Smith Bank, on the future reservoir site.

Jonas Bradley put Stanbury Board School on the Edwardian teaching map by taking his classes out of doors, as his logbook lyrically attests: “The snow, which has been with us for about six weeks, having disappeared (excepting in sheltered nooks of the moor), and spring weather and song birds come, we went out this afternoon about 2.30. There were 54 children (Standards I to VI) in charge of Mr Rushworth, Miss Simpson and myself.”

His pupils explored their local environment, compiled a birds’-nest map of the area, sent samples to a nature study exhibition at Regent’s Park and dug for Roman roads.

When their playground was concreted in 1908, a margin was left where they planted a “wagon-load” of shrubs and came back after school to water them.

Mr Bradley even took classes across the road to his own kitchen, “which I could darken more readily than any of the rooms at school”, to show them lantern pictures of the Bronte country.

In 1917, they invited 60 wounded soldiers to tea, when “fifteen motor cars in the village caused quite a sensation”.

With waterworks being planned and constructed nearby, they were taken to the site to have the theodolite explained to them.