Where have all the pigs and swans gone?

Whilst rooting about on Dogpile I was delighted to find this photo of my old infants school in Herd Lane, Corringham, where we lived briefly from 1951 to 1953. The lane itself I remember being quite rural and surrounded by fields and pigs who stuck their snouts through the fence to amuse passing children. The field behind the school had a quarry or lake with white swans gliding across it. I don't remember any of the teachers but these things have stuck in my mind all these years. The school doesn't seem to have changed that much but I imagine all the farmland around has been built upon by now. I also found my next school in Pitsea, where we moved afterwards, but the photo bore no relation to the school I remember. My teacher there was Mrs. Ramsbottom - not the sort of name you forget! She was very nice and once gave me a lead "crossing attendant" as a prize for good behavior. She used to read extracts from Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" stories too , which I enjoyed a lot.

Herd Lane School Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.