Masonic Boys School

The origins of the school lie in the charities established in the late 18th century to clothe and educate the sons of Freemasons near their homes. These charities amalgamated in 1852 and established a boys' school at Wood Green in North London in 1857 with 100 boys initially. The premises of the old school form part of the Wood Green Magistrates’ Court.

The foundation stone for a new school in Bushey was laid by the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn in 1900 and was completed in 1903 .A Junior School was added on the other side of The Avenue in 1929 due to the war and by 1939 there were 800 boys at the school (see below).

Following a decline in pupil numbers the junior school closed in 1970, with the senior school closing in 1977. The site of the junior school is now occupied by Bushey Academy. The Royal Masonic School for Girls, based atRickmansworth, Hertfordshire, was unaffected by the closure (see next month).

The site was acquired by Comer Homes in 1998: the buildings were rented out to the United States International University (Europe) until 2009 when Comer Homes began redeveloping the site as Royal Connaught Park. The money from selling the school is still used to support boys. It was once described as the scariest derelict building in the UK!