A SLICE of history which lay unseen in a garden for over 30 years was restored to its rightful position in a special ceremony last week.

A plaque from the old Flackwell Heath primary school, built in 1892, has been restored by the village’s local history group and placed at the Community Centre, where the school once stood.

The school on the corner of Straight Bit and Swains Lane was demolished in 1974, with the old bell tower being incorporated into the Juniper Hill school grounds.

The plaque was saved by villager Sim Sarney and kept in relative Norman Nea’s garden in Northern Woods following his death in 1981.

And with funding from village community groups, it has been restored on the site it once stood to remind future generations of Flackwell Heathens of their area’s rich heritage.

Mike Dewey, chairman of Flackwell Heath Local History Group, said: “It seemed to us as a group that this plaque is of equal importance to the school’s old bell tower, now at Juniper Hill, and that it should be placed in a prominent position.

"It has taken 18 months of hard work since we first saw it to accomplish this.

"There’s much more interest nowadays for recognising our heritage and preserving it for future generations and erecting this plaque is a big part of that.

"The plaque now stands on the front wall of the Community Centre, which was built on the site of the old school."

The oak frame was designed by architect James Fanning and manufactured by Stewart Linford.

Funding for the project came from Flackwell Heath Residents’ Association, the Community Association, the village’s Community Library and District Councillor David Johncock.

After the Edication Bill of 1870, a primary school for the village was built to replace the one in the Wesleyian Chapel opposite.

It was demolished in 1974 to make way for Juniper Hill and Carrington schools that now educate the children of Flackwell Heath.