The Second Building, 1789
Under the patronage of John Warren, Bishop of Bangor – a colourful and controversial character – the school was transferred to a better site, a little further from the river. This was financed partly by closing the school in 1786, an accumulating the money saved from the endowment for a building fund. The new school was built for £2,076 12s 5½d, and opened in 1789 on a site closer to the High Street and the present Glynne Road.53°13′48″N 4°07′19″W / 53.230°N 4.122°W / 53.230; -4.122 (Friars School 1789 site)
The curriculum slowly developed to include mathematics, writing and other subject more familiar to today’s school students.
The school’s fortunes were varied. The move boosted the school. But by the middle of the 19th century, under the headship of Totton, the schools’ reputation suffered, and ultimately lost so many pupils that it was forced to close in 1861. It re-opened in 1866 and a new headmaster, Lewis Lloyd appointed in 1872, when a new secular governing body was introduced in place of the Dean and Chapter.
In 1881, an epidemic of typhoid in Bangor caused the school to move to Penmaenmawr to avoid the disease. The bottom of the valley, especially close to the river, was unhygienic, and this episode engendered consideration of moving away to a fresh site.
At this time, too, the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889 introduced a state system of secondary education in Wales. Some charity and private schools were exempted from its provisions and there had been advocates for Friars, too, to be exempted, but ultimately this brought Friars School into the state system, under Caernarfonshire County Council.
Read more about this topic: Friars School, Bangor, History