What a view!

Our Principal, Mrs Clarke, was delighted to receive in the post a picturesque calendar dating from the turn of 1932. It had been produced for the Paul family, then resident at Goldrood, as a Christmas present for friends. The image shows the garden wall, still extant, with an impressive herbaceous border and beyond it the view down to the River Orwell.

The calendar was sent by Brother John Deeney, who found it among the effects of a deceased colleague. Br Deeney wrote, ‘I left the school in 1962 after seven happy years there. During that time, of course, Goldrood was still in the Paul family so we only glimpsed it through the hedges, though we did use the tennis courts alongside.’

The calendar arrives at an interesting time. Goldrood remains a much-loved boarding house for St Joseph’s College, but will be converted into apartments if the College’s redevelopment plans are approved. St Joseph’s proposes to construct new boarding accommodation more centrally on the campus. This purpose-designed block will take boarding at St Jo’s into the coming decades.

Goldrood House is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

A note about the artist, who captured the charming view from Goldrood: Leonard Russell Squirrell was born in Ipswich in 1893, son of Frank Squirrell, a carpenter, and his first wife Henrietta. The family lived in Spring Road, Ipswich, and Leonard was educated at the British School in the town. In 1908 he joined the Ipswich School of Art as a full-time student, remaining there until 1916. One of his water-colours was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1913 and in 1915 he won the British Institution scholarship in engraving. In 1918 he returned to Ipswich Art School and two years later entered the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He travelled to Italy and France, producing etchings related to the landscape, and received gold medals at the International Print Makers Exhibitions in Los Angeles in 1925 and 1930 and a silver in 1923. He was a member of the Ipswich Art Club from 1914 until his death. From 1929 until 1940 he taught etching at the Ipswich School of Art, he served on the council of the Royal Society of Painters in Water-Colours and the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and he exhibited widely. He died in 1979. In 2010, a blue plaque was installed at 82 Spring Road.

St Joseph’s is delighted to add the calendar to its archive. If you have any interesting objects relating to the school from the past we would love to hear about them.