MHS Alumni Autumn Newsletter 2020

Beyond THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

Welcome to Issue 3 of Beyond the Manor, our termly Alumni newsletter.

With September 2020 marking 100 years of Manor House School, celebrations were plentiful, despite the current restrictions. Staff and girls produced a memorable Assembly for Founders Day, whilst the rescheduled senior production of “Half a Sixpence” took place in September, our first ever live stream of a Drama performance, receiving a wonderful response from parents and staff. Both are included in the School News section.

Also in this issue, we bring you our interview with former Headmistress, Linda Mendes, whose legacy remains strong amongst many generations of old girls.

Manor House old girl, Laura Buchanan, the subject of our MHOG Q&A, shares her experiences since leaving Manor House and her insights into family life in Zimbabwe.

Also reprinted here is our article “100 Years of Manor House School –The English Riviera to Little Bookham” which featured in a number of local publications this Autumn. We hope you enjoy this edition.

All news and contributions should be sent to Sophie Milton at smilton@manorhouseschool.org.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Leaders LINDA MENDES

In early June, as the lockdown was beginning to ease, we were thrilled to be able to catch up with Linda Mendes over a Whatsapp video call. Mrs Mendes taught at Manor House School from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1983 until 2000, becoming Headmistress in 1989.

What was your path to becoming Head of Manor House School?

I initially joined Manor House in 1972 teaching History and Religious Studies. Miss Green was still living in the cottage, she’d retired in 1965. I left in 1975 to have my son, and went back to work at Guildford High School teaching History.

In 1983, Joan Findlay called and asked if I would come back. My career was going well at GHS but I found I couldn’t say no to Manor House. Soon after, Joan herself became Headmistress (she’d recently retired) when the new Head left at short notice towards the end of 1984. Joan took over from January 1985 and I followed her in 1989. It wasn’t an easy decision at the time. The role was advertised and I felt a certain amount of angst about applying. I’d never planned to be Headmistress. I’d recently written a history book about the English Civil war and I remember the interviewers spending a long time questioning me about becoming a writer. Stephen Lloyd was Chair of Governors at the time, perhaps they were trying to understand how committed I would be to the role if I was also writing.

Thinking back to that first interview in 1971, I was invited to stay for lunch. There was a rule that you had to speak French at the Headmistress’s table, Miss White at the time. Thankfully they suspended the requirement for me that day! Miss White was a brilliant Head. She was a fluent French speaker and continued to teach. She took the girls abroad regularly and those who went on these trips for French and skiing will remember them well.

She worked incredibly hard and if a job needed doing she would do it, whatever it was. I remember her visiting me in the hospital when my son was born. By this time she was gravely ill but she continued to work until the end. My last memory of her is her working in the school kitchen, bottling plums from the garden because she wouldn’t waste them!

MHOG Leaders

What did you do before and after Manor House?

Before Manor House, I studied Economic History at Leicester University and then taught at a big Comprehensive in Leicester.

My husband was offered a job in Surrey and we moved to Effingham. I remember travelling down from the Midlands the day of the interview, the housekeeper picking me up at the train station and seeing the grand white house for the first time. I felt like I’d arrived at Malory Towers!

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“I remember Miss Pettigrew late one evening chasing a number of the local boys across the Hockey pitches.

Some of the boarders had arranged to meet them in the Dell.”

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Leaders LINDA MENDES

After I left Manor House in 2000, I have continued to be part of All Saints and St Lawrence Church. I also study French and Literature with local branches of the University of the Third Age. My teachers will be known to your readers because they are ex Manor House staff, Mrs Hulme and Mrs Andrews. I play Bridge and dance three times a week, again with many ex Manor House staff. It is a small world in Effingham and Little Bookham! I love travelling, especially to the USA and until recently I had an apartment in France. I still live in the same house in Effingham because I could not leave my garden. I also worked extensively with the Samaritans but I’ve retired from that now. So much of what I did was confidential so I can’t say much I’m afraid.

My son and his wife live in Buckinghamshire, although we can’t see each other at the moment. I have six God children, some of whom are local and two are children of Manor House girls. I’ve also been enjoying Zoom Church and Zoom dancing during the lockdown!

What memories of your time at Manor House stick in your mind?

Mostly, I remember the daily and weekly routines. Assemblies were called “prayers”. The top form had to rotate round the dining room at meal times.

Teachers ate with the girls.

We faced many of the same challenges as other schools. One year, we became aware of some bullying and I remember discussing how we should best approach it. The Head of RS suggested creating a knitting circle. It sounds old fashioned now, but it worked! It brought the girls together in a non confrontational way, sharing in a common activity.

We were making squares for a blanket for charity. I believe we made about two squares but we did a lot of talking! Manor House was also a boarding school at that time, although it changed from full boarding to weekly boarding whilst I was there. I remember looking after the young boarders whose parents were often abroad. Some could get rather sad and needed a lot of comforting.

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“Miss Green founded the school on Christian values and always advocated kindness.

These foundations have been passed down through each Headmistress, which is what makes Manor House different to other schools.

MHOG Leaders

All the teaching staff had extra “boarding duties”, which could be rather stressful at times! You took the girls to Church, they all wore a hat in those days. Capes became part of the uniform at one point, as did an evening dress, which was worn for evening meals in the early days of the school. I remember Miss Pettigrew, Miss White’s Deputy Headmistress, late one evening chasing a number of the local boys across the Hockey pitches. Some of the boarders had arranged to meet them in the Dell. Miss Pettigrew could be rather fierce! Still, it was such a big responsibility looking after all those boarding girls and keeping them safe. It really was a 7 day a week, 24 hour a day job. Miss Pettigrew was a teacher of the ‘old school.’ She spent almost the whole of each Summer Term producing a Shakespeare play which was performed in the Dell. The weather was not a concern!

When Alison Morris took over in 2000 (she was my Deputy for many years), one of her first decisions was to close down the boarding school which was the right thing to do.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Leaders LINDA MENDES

One of the people I remember so well was Tony Mason. He was an ex Headmaster and supposedly retired but he coached any of the girls who had difficulties in any subject (except needlework… as he famously said!). He refused to take a salary. He also wrote a full history of the school through the magazines. After his death I remained friends with his family. He was described by one set of Inspectors as ‘teacher gold dust.’

What events stand out for you?

I remember the plays and the Sports Days each Summer. The weather always seemed to be glorious and these events took place on Saturdays. They were huge social events with afternoon tea and all the girls and parents came. The plays were superb and I particularly remember ‘Twelfth Night’ , ‘The Boyfriend ’ and especially ‘Noyes Fludde ‘ which celebrated the opening of the Elizabeth Green Hall. Manor House has always been fortunate in its Drama and music staff.

The Guildford Cathedral service for the 75th.anniversary was wonderful. The girls sang beautifully, the local rector led the service. Everyone was there, old girls, current girls, staff and parents. We filled the cathedral.

What are you particularly proud of?

Maintaining the Christian ethos, which was so important. Having the founder still living here for many years made a big difference I think. Miss Green founded the school on Christian values and she always advocated kindness. These foundations have been passed down through each Headmistress, which is what makes Manor House different to other schools in my opinion. It is a genuinely loving community.

The school has taught many generations of the same family which is a testament to that.

Are you in touch with anyone from your MHS days?

Too many to mention! Since I still live locally, in Effingham, I meet up with and bump into old girls and their families quite often. Some are also my neighbours. I meet regularly Marian Williams, Lesley Hulme, Shirley Andrews, Maggie Darke, Jean Barrett, Kay Tercan, Gill Gibson, Margaret Parkhouse, Chriz Poultney, Carla Quirk to name a few. There are so many; in the UK and abroad.

What advice did you give to Manor House girls?

I remember asking Joan Findlay for guidance (something I did often) soon after taking over as Head and I was still learning. “How shall I do prayers?”.

She replied “Just tell them to be kind to each other.” And that’s what I did.

Linda Mendes at the opening of Elizabeth Green Hall

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Community

Rosy Barber, Leila Deeley, Megan Feltham, MHOGs 2015 Rosy (left) was a previous Manor House star of GCSE Drama. She completes her actor training this year at St Mary’s, after previously training at Arts Educational. Rosy has already performed at the Lyric Hammersmith and Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

As a lockdown project, Rosy directed and acted in her own short film collaborating with other ex-Manor House girls Megan Feltham and Leila Deeley. The purpose of the film was to create a crowdfunding platform to support young professionals in the industry during these challenging times. “This film will be sent to film festivals all around the world and the possibilities of agents, casting directors and managers seeing the work is something we are very excited about. I want to inspire girls interested in the arts & performance industry to create their own work, because that's the best way to make it nowadays. Film profits will go directly to the Theatre Artists Fund The crowdfunding campaign has closed but details of the project can still be found at http://ow.ly/WnpH50C9292” Abbie Cornwell, MHOG 2015 Abbie recently wrote and directed her own short horror film in addition to making some of the costumes. She attributes many of her skills to her time at Manor House studying Art, Drama and English. Abbie went on to study for A-levels in Art, Drama, Media production and English Literature at Godalming college, followed by a BA in Film Production at Met Film School in Ealing Studios.

Her short film was a graduation piece and once completed will be submitted into festivals world wide including Sundance, Toronto After Dark and others in the hope of being selected.

Abbie is now a freelance film maker, model and artist, and can be found on Instagram (@abbie.artist) and Etsy (AbbieArtist). ”I want to say a huge thank you to Manor House, I really enjoyed my time there and it really helped me flourish and have the confidence to stand out and explore subjects I love.”

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Community

MHOG Community

Olivia (Livi) Frank MHOG 2009 Livi is a Clinical Research Associate at Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development, seen here in 2016 being awarded “Aspiring Clinical Research Associate ” by the Pharma Times.

Grace Beards, MHOG 2007 Co-founder of Paws & Pause, a social enterprise based in SW London.

Launched in 2019, the organisation provides day care for dogs and uses profits to help fund its volunteer scheme which offers employment and training opportunities to people in recovery. See more of their story here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuLOP7 www.pawsandpause.co.uk, and h9aB0&list=RDtuLOP7h9aB0&start_r adio=1&t=0

Sophie Pearce (nee Wilson) MHOG 2001 Sophie is an Events Producer based in SW London, and attended Manor House from 1990 to 2001.

Jill Coyle (nee Sidwell) MHOG 1967 Jill was in touch this term, sharing some of her Manor House memories from the 1960s, in particular Miss Grimson (Deputy Head under Miss White), “a heavy smoker usually seen with a cigarette dangling from her lips. I distinctly remember that her silver hair on one side had a nicotine streak as a result of her prolific habit.

“I was very fond of Miss White who always seemed to be in a hurry. She would be seen running from one lesson to another, a stack of exercise books under her arm. She drove a purple Triumph Herald very fast. I wonder what happened to her?

“I feel very privileged to have been a pupil at Manor House back in the 60s.”

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

Manor House School News 100 Years of Manor House – September 2020 Despite the current restrictions, we were excited to welcome everyone back in early September and quietly mark 100 years of Manor House School. The Centenary Arch proved popular for various photo opportunities including some of our Preps seen here in the early autumn sunshine.

Manor House School News

Senior Production 2020 – Half of Sixpence The Senior Production took place on 12th September, having been rescheduled from the Summer term. The performance was live streamed to parents and featured a very familiar green blazer!

British Sailing Team Youth Squad – Lauren Irons, Senior School

Congratulations to Lauren Irons who has been selected for the British Sailing Team Youth squad following her continued development as an individual and a talented athlete.

Centenary Memorabilia

Our Centenary hoodies and water bottles were launched in September to a fantastic response from girls, staff and Alumni. Some adult and child sizes are still available, please contact Sophie Milton on smilton@manorhoueschool.org to place your order.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MANOR HOUSE School News Founders Day 2020 As is the tradition every year, Headteacher Ms Fantham led the Form Captains to lay flowers at Miss Wheeler and Miss Green’s grave in celebration of Founders’ day. The grave lies in the All Saints church graveyard, a short walk through the old gate from the Manor House grounds, with most girls choosing to wear their new Centenary hoodies on that crisp October morning.

The Founders Day Assembly video can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/46870 6644/9a714ac6ac

#Lockdown Life

Mrs Carla Quirk - Chair of the Friends of Manor House

We were delighted to receive signed copies of #LockdownLife, the publication compiled by Christina Gabbitas, English children's author and poet, in which a number of Manor House senior girls have had their English poems published. The book is out now to purchase and could make a rather nice late Christmas present. More information at poemsandpicturespublishing.org.

Mrs Carla Quirk stepped down last month from the role after 4 years, having chaired her last AGM. On behalf of staff and parents at Manor House, we are hugely grateful to Carla for her ongoing contribution and enthusiasm. Ms Fantham and staff were pleased to be able to thank her in person in front of the main house.

Carla (nee White) is also a Manor House Alumni, class of 1990.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Congratulations to all of the Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh participants for passing their Assessment Expedition in October.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Q&A LAURA BUCHANAN When did you join and leave Manor House?

I joined Manor House in 1990 and left in 1995.

Where did you spend your Sixth Form and University years? What did you study?

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I went to Sixth Form at Guildford High, spent a year out in Southern Africa and then returned to the UK and went to Bristol University to study a BSc in Physiological Science.

What was your path to the work you’re doing now?

Having done Physiological Science, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do - apart from the fact that I knew that I didn’t want to work in a lab! I ended up doing the Mountbatten Internship Programme, which was a year long work experience/Diploma in Business in New York. It was a fantastic experience (although we arrived the day before September 11th, 2001...so a slightly rocky start!).

On returning to England, I worked as a PA in London for 7 years, in Private Equity and Property Investment after which I went back to study Sports Massage, PT and Nutrition and found a passion stemming from all those years of sport at MHS. I became a

I ended up doing the Mountbatten Internship Programme...in New York.

It was a fantastic experience, although we arrived the day before September 11th, 2001

Netball Coach and worked in gyms and with doctors. In 2008 my husband and I decided to move to Zimbabwe. He was born here and felt it was time to come home and my sense of adventure got the better of me!

I still practice as a massage therapist and I coach netball at the school. I also have a side business growing chickens and selling wine. My newest venture, which I hope to start in a few weeks, is selling second hand clothing which we get in bales from England, USA, Canada and Australia.

MHOG Q&A

What memories stand out from your Manor House days? (school trips or events, moments with friends or teachers, sport, funny, transformative etc..)

There were so many. We went on a choir tour to Austria with the wonderful, charismatic Mrs Wade and had a coffee shop closed down for one of the girls to sing a song from “Oliver” to a customer. We went to where they filmed the Sound of Music and went to see the Lipizzaner Horses and slid down the shoots of a salt mine.

We had fabulous tennis team outings with either Miss Poultney or Mrs Davies to Queens Club or Wimbledon. I remember queuing to get the autographs of tennis legends on our programmes then singing all the way home in the minibus! In our last year, we performed The Boyfriend after we sat our GCSEs, but I also remember doing a performance of extracts from

Laura with friend Sarah Brown (nee Constable) outside St James’s Palace in 1995.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Q&A LAURA BUCHANAN A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the orchard, when I had to sit in a tree for most of it.

An absolute highlight was in my final year, as part of the Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild I went to their Annual General Meeting at St James’ Palace with Mrs Morris and Sarah Brown (née Constable). As we walked through Waterloo Station, a group of American tourists insisted on taking photos of us in our boaters and white gloves. The guest speaker was WInston Churchill’s Granddaughter and we shook hands with Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

What is a typical day for you now? What are some of the challenges?

We live in a dusty mining/farming town a little over 100km from Harare, Zimbabwe. I have three children, 8, 5 & 3 and they go to Bryden Country School, and the attached nursery school, which is about 8km from our house. We have been home schooling since lockdown in April, but not online (our internet is not stable enough) so we are given workpacks and craft packs that we go through. The children physically went back to school the second week of November. In the mornings, we leave the house at about 6.50am with our masks. We drive through one police roadblock on the way to school, where they check that we are wearing our masks. When we arrive at school, our tyres are sprayed down and we all have our temperatures taken. The school is a beautiful co-ed primary school, nestled in the bush, with day and boarding and reminds me of MHS. Classes are maximum of 25 from 5 - 12 years. Zimbabwean private schools have timetables quite similar to MHS and aside from history, geography and Shona. Sitting in one of the classrooms here would not be totally foreign to any of the girls in the Prep School.

During the mornings I work from home, then collect from school at 12. The food we eat is often from the garden or from a neighbour who farms. We have 13 laying hens all called Doris, that wander round our garden, trying not to get eaten by the birds of prey or the mongooses. If I do need to go to the supermarket the stock is quite limited in comparison to Sainsburys. Every shop reads your temperature and sprays you with sanitiser.

MHOG Q&A

Our daily challenges beyond our economy and food supplies are the electricity cuts, dreadful roads and intermittent internet. The electricity we are trying to overcome with solar, although that is a work in progress.

The internet where we are is still pretty good, although some days are worse than others and our roads, well, we just have to drive slowly! Weekends we often go away into the bush. We love to fish (being mindful of the crocodiles) and camp.

Are you still in touch with MHS friends? Do you get a chance to get together?

My Mum is still in the same house we grew up in, not too far from the school, so I do keep up with quite a few of my classmates beyond social media, although that offers a fabulous insight to some people that I wouldn’t have otherwise spoken to. I have a handful of girls that I will see whenever I come back to England, and WhatsApp is a total blessing. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, it always feels like no time has passed.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

MHOG Q&A LAURA BUCHANAN What skills or experience did you gain from your Manor House days which serve you well now?

MHS gave me a quiet confidence to do whatever I wanted to work for. I had a really special year group, there was such diversity in our characters and everyone had different strengths, but even in such a small year, we were a force of nature. Not just strong on the sports field, there were some outstanding talents in the art room and sewing room (not me!), on the stage and academically too. Manor House gives you an opportunity to find your niche without ever putting you in a box.

The school also builds a foundation of social consciousness - we are taught to think of others, right from the start, whether it is through fundraising, getting stuck in, or giving to others through a strong community spirit. This has followed me through to now and I endeavour to do whatever is in my power within the town I live in and to teach this to my children.

What travelling have you done?

I have travelled throughout Europe, to the States and Southern Africa, but Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. During the 11 years that I have lived in this magical place, I have had hyenas crunch at our cooler boxes, monkeys steal my daughter’s breakfast and a different one steal my son’s sippy cup, an elephant bend burglar bars to get at some lemons, lions walk through our campsite, hippos leave us stranded at a restaurant

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During the 11 years that I have lived in this magical place, I have had monkeys steal my daughter’s breakfast, an elephant bend burglar bars to get at some lemons, and hippos leave us stranded at a restaurant.

and pookies (bushbabies) take bananas almost out of our hands. We have had close encounters with all the big 5 and have learnt to share our space with majestic giants and beautiful plains game. If anyone wants to visit an untouched wilderness, this is the corner of the globe you must put on your bucket list. It is the mystical Africa from the novels, the films and the songs. There are so many challenges that this incredible place faces, but I can honestly say at this moment in time, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.

What memories of your Manor House teachers stand out?

MHOG Q&A

I am still in touch with Mrs Mendes and speak to her often. Her unending encouragement to all of us girls, left us with a feeling that we could do anything. Mrs Elmer was the same and a fantastic Senior teacher as she understood the steps we were taking into the big wide world. Others absolutely worth mentioning are Mrs Morris, Mrs Newman, Miss Macauley, Miss Poultney, Mrs Heriott, Mrs Davis, Mrs Stribley, Mrs Andrews, Mrs Roberts, Mrs Williams & Mrs Hume. Quite often I will be going about my daily business and something will remind me of them in the most unexpected way.

And lastly… what would your super power be if you could choose one?

I would love to be able to make water both clean and litter-free. That would be my super power, so that everyone and every animal in the world, no matter where they lived, could drink and bathe in clean water.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

Passing it on

Supporting local Community Guide Dogs For The Blind

Last year, the Manor House School community raised money through the Swimarathon for the charity, Guide Dogs For The Blind. We were able to sponsor two puppies, Skye and Archie, both of whom have now started their training following a delay due to travel and safety restrictions under Covid.

Remembrance Day

In preparation for Remembrance Day, Head of Science Rachel Waterhouse made 34 felt poppies which were sold to staff in exchange for donations to the Royal British Legion. Rachel raised £190, well above her initial £50 target.

Macmillan Breakfast (October 2020) & Virtual Carols for Macmillan (December 2020)

Christmas gifts for Elmbridge families

Thanks to our amazing school community’s support as always, this year’s Macmillan breakfast at Manor House raised £1754.06.

Donations also flooded in to support The Surrey Macmillan Pub Crawl Carol Singers, whose members include Zoe Triantafillou, MHOG 1996.

Undeterred by current restrictions, individual tracks were recorded by each member separately and brought together digitally for the final performance which can be see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAA0MhiNYCQ&feature=youtu.be

Passing it on

Lauren Corbett (MHOG 2018) recently launched another initiative to benefit her local Elmbridge community this Christmas.

Lauren asked for donations of small gifts which she and her team assembled into stockings and hampers, to be delivered to families and those in nursing homes who might not otherwise receive gifts at Christmas.

Currently on a gap year and with plans to travel put on hold, Lauren was keen to launch another appeal after the success of her Easter campaign Lauren’s film in support of her Christmas appeal can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/manorhousebookham/review/481619270/d96037be 89 Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild House Captains, Head Girl and helpers spent a recent afternoon sorting new clothes donated for the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild. Over 700 items were donated, an amazing amount, and a huge thank you goes out to parents and pupils. The Guild will be distributing them to a number of different agencies which support homeless people and very young babies born into disadvantaged backgrounds.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

100 Years of Manor House School The English Riviera to Little Bookham With the new academic year starting afresh this September, Manor House School was ready to open its gates to old and new staff and students, marking 100 years of Manor House history. Instead, with lessons and teaching moving online and into homes during much of 2020 and creating an alternative landscape for its school community, plans for the Centenary celebrations have been put on hold until 2021. Despite this, early September saw staff and girls reunite enthusiastically onsite, quietly celebrating a return to some normality.

Manor House School started its life in the seaside town of Sidmouth in Devon in September 1920 as the Beehive School.

Founded by two visionary ladies, Miss Elizabeth Green and Miss Wheeler, their original motto “To love it to Live” is still central to the school’s ethos today.

Looking back to that founding year, education for children had become compulsory only 39 years before in 1881. In the 19th century, schooling was seen as a passport to success for Victorian middle-class boys, who were educated "for the world", whilst middle-class girls were educated "for the drawing room". Most were taught at home, with only a minority attending boarding schools with a non-academic curriculum, with this pattern continuing until WW1.

100 Years

Before then, changes had started to be seen with the founding of the North London Collegiate School in 1850, the first modern fee-paying day school offering girls a similar education to that given to boys, followed in 1877 by the first girls' public school in St Andrew's Scotland, Roedean in 1885 and Wycombe Abbey in 1896. By 1921, the population of England and Wales had reached 37 million compared to 26 million in 1881, and the 1918 Representation of the People Act had enfranchised all men over the age of 21 and all women over the age of 30. Many more middle-class British girls were attending school, studying a curriculum similar to boys' schools, although its ultimate purpose was still to prepare women for the role of wife and mother. The same period saw the opening of numerous girls’ boarding schools fuelled by the demand from middle-class British parents based overseas during the days of the British Empire. Miss Green and Miss Wheeler grasped their opportunity to create a nurturing and academic environment for both girls and boys to thrive, whilst meeting the needs of overseas families and offering a haven after the hardships of WW1.

At the time Beehive School was opening its doors, Sidmouth was known as a holiday destination, the northern edge of the “English Riviera”, with the Sidmouth Guide of 1930 listing 17 hotels and 66 boarding houses. A visit by Queen Victoria's son the Prince Regent in 1856 had, for a time, made it “the most fashionable seaside resort in England”.

By the late 1920s, Miss Green and Miss Wheeler felt that the school would benefit from moving closer to London and relocated to Little Bookham in 1937 when Miss Green acquired the Manor House. The school has occupied the same site ever since, even remaining open throughout WW2.

BEYOND THE MANOR

December 2020 – Issue 3

100 Years of Manor House School The English Riviera to Little Bookham The following decades saw further expansion with the building of the Sports Hall known as EGH (Elizabeth Green Hall) and Mason which houses the Science labs, followed in the 2000s with the Prep, Nursery and Art blocks.

Since its founding, the school has known 11 Headmistresses and was named Best Small School in 2007 in the Sunday Times Best UK School guide. When Alumni talk about what they remember of their time at the school, some clear trends emerge. Lasting friendships are always first to be mentioned, followed by memorable school trips, outdoor performances and games in the Dell (a natural amphitheatre in the school grounds), and of course the Marrow Uniform (for better or worse!). Equally, old girls remember staff with high standards for learning and behaviour, but above all a caring and nurturing community where girls were encouraged to be themselves. These are the foundations the school continues to aspire to today.

Through the active Alumni Society, old girls and boys are regularly in touch. One boy boarder during the Second World War recently shared copies of letters he had sent from Manor House in 1942 to his father, who had been captured and incarcerated in Saigon as a Japanese prisoner of war, thankfully surviving the war. More recently the school has had contact with fashion designers, nurses and medical researchers, journalists, civil servants with the Ministry of Defence, trial lawyers to name a few, all of which make up the rich legacy of the school.

As Manor House looks towards 2021, admission enquiries continue to rise, the outdoor swimming pool is calling for its summer games to resume and the school community looks forward to celebrating its Centenary with past and present staff and girls, including plans for a Centenary Ball and Summer Picnic in the coming months.

Article originally published in September 2020 in “Which School” as well as a number of local Surrey newspapers and magazines.