Mellis Primary School is building a commemorative paved area with a flagpole and bricks carrying names and dates from its history.

It will be officially opened in March when other new buildings will also come into use.

Headteacher Richard Cattermole is keen to involve anyone whose life has involved the school. Anyone with links to the school wishing to be invited should contact the school office, 01379 783376.

The present Mellis School opened in 1953, replacing older buildings in Yaxley and Mellis, and was quickly hailed as a model example, attracting attention from visitors from other areas of the UK and Europe.

But in the early 1980s pupil numbers dropped and it was threatened with closure. Thanks to a campaign by the community, highlighted in the Diss Express, the school was saved and now has 133 pupils.

Local historian Dennis Cross supplied a postcard showing the former school and the Diss Express archives offer pictures of the school through the ages, as well as a fascinating cutting of a visit to the village in 1950. John Boden also sent in some old pictures of the school.

Mr Cross said: "The old school was next to the church but closed in the 1950s. It was in quite a state even when it was open and soon became derelict before being converted into a private house."

The original school was built by the village rector Rev Henry Creed in 1856 and was officially opened on April 13, 1857, on land given by Lord Henniker.

According to the Diss Express Village Visit, of July 1950: "The school today is used only for the education of the younger children and there are many parents who feel that it should not be used at all. Externally it is in bad condition and the roof leaks.

"There is no proper playground except the Common outside."

The village had no electricity or piped water, relying on public wells and some people had to travel two miles to collect their daily water.

Even so, the community still boasted many more facilities than exist today, with shops, a post office, a railway station and two public houses. A third pub, The Falcon, had closed several years earlier.

What are your memories of life in Mellis in the 1950s? Did you attend the old or new village school?

Write and tell us: Mellis Memories, Diss Express, Mere Street, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4AE or email editorial@dissexpress.co.uk