PUPILS past and present packed into York Minster to celebrate 200 years of a city school.

Former students of Manor CE School in Nether Poppleton, including one, Norman Rowley from Australia, joined the entire school population – more than 900 students aged between 11 and 16 – for a special service in the Minster yesterday.

David Crane, deputy head teacher in charge of the celebrations, said: “It was a wonderful day. We had about 1,500 people in total including the whole current school and lots of past pupils sharing their memories.

“About 100 current students took part in live performances of music and dance.”

During the ceremony a stone, provided and sponsored by York-based building and restoration contractors William Anelay, was dedicated before being returned to the school where it will be installed in their chapel wall.

It is inscribed “MCE 1812-2012” and contains a quote from the Bible.

The dedication was part of a drama presentation during the Minster service by Manor students. The school is also holding an open day and exhibition at the school on July 5.

Manor was originally set up by the York Diocesan Board of the National Society for the Education of the Poor in May 1812 in rented accommodation at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall in Aldwark and then moved to King’s Manor – where it adopted its name – in 1813.

The school moved to Marygate in 1922 which was bombed during the Baedeker air raid in 1942.

It shared with Priory Street Girls’ School until that school closed and Manor was reorganised as a mixed secondary modern school in 1947.

It moved to Low Poppleton Lane, Boroughbridge Road, in 1965, became a comprehensive in 1985 and moved to its present site in 2009.

Copies of a special anniversary book can be bought for £10 directly from the school, at Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York YO26 6PA, phone 01904 798722.

Alternatively it can be bought for £12 at Poppleton, Acomb and city-centre libraries and at Waterstones in York.