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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Surrey Lookup Requests => Surrey => England => Surrey Completed Look up Requests => Topic started by: cire on Friday 20 June 08 16:52 BST (UK)
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I am looking for information on the Shaftesbury Home in Bisley, in the period from about 1905 to 1918. I know there were 2 Shaftesbury establishments there at a later date but I don't know what the situation was earlier. I would think that the person I am researching would have been at the secondary school if that existed at that time as he later became a schoolmaster and headmaster.
I thought he was there because he was an orphan but I'm not sure about that. His family were living in the Guiness Building in Bermondsey in 1901, but he was born just after the census was taken.
Are there any records of the children there at that time and where might I find them?
Thanks
Eric
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Hi
Have you tried contacting the Surrey History Centre? http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistoryservice/
Rosie
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Hi Rosie
Thanks for your reply. I didn't get anything from the "search" but I have sent them an e-mail.
Eric
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Hi Eric
Fingers crossed - I hope they are able to help.
Rosie
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Hi Eric
I am also looking for information on someone who I believe was an in the same home during the same period, and just wondered if you had any success with your search?
Regards
Debbie
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Hi Debbie
I sent an e-mail to the Shaftesbury Homes but got no reply. I don't know if it was the right part of the organisation. The Surrey History Centre gave me an address
The Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa
The Chapel
Royal Victoria Patriotic Building
Trinity Road
London
SW18 3SX
but I haven't written to them yet.
Someone suggested that their records had been destroyed in a fire in the 1950s.
Eric
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Hi Eric,
I was a pupil athe Bisley boys school frfom 1936-1941 and have a lot of memeories of my time there and
see that you are interested in a period around 1918 obviously before my time but in my searches I have come across quite a lot of information on the web which might interst you ie.1891 census at the school
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engsurry/bisley/ss-1891.pdf.
There is another one that I will search as it gave details of a period about 1920 where there was obviously an epidemic and quite a few died in a very short space of time and I will try and recover it and forward.
The headmaster of my period was a Bertram L.Read which might be the one that you are looking for and I probably have a picture of him taken at on eof the Empire Day celabrations in 1937/1938 so feel ffree to contact me further if you are interested.
Regards John
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My dad. Norman Wells was at Bisley at the same time as you and he has asked me to find out what I can so ...... what can you tell me to pass on to him?
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Hi Lesley
The person I was looking for was at the school during the First World War. I did in the end find a contact at the Shaftesbury Homes organisation, but all she could tell me is that their records were destroyed in a fire in the records building in the 1950s. I had already heard that from someone else searching for information, so I'm afraid there doesn't seem to be much chance of finding much else.
The photo came over well!
Eric
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My dad. Norman Wells was at Bisley at the same time as you and he has asked me to find out what I can so ...... what can you tell me to pass on to him?
Please refer to previous reply as i am now enclosing the pic
Regards John
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I was at Bisley Boys School in the middle fifties 53 - 56. Are the School building still there??
petert
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G'day petert et al
I was at Bisley Boys' School from 1945-48. My dad was too old to enter the war and was seconded to Bisley to teach shoemaking. His name, Tom Winton. Freddie White was the tailor. Yes and I remember Mr Read. Blind as a bat, but he knew when a boy failed to salute him when passing.
I returned to Bisley in November '07. The school is no longer there. An estate of houses in its place, covering the school site, and the farm, and Cobbets farm across the road; all houses.
The chapel is now the village hall, and Topper's pond on which we used to slide in the winter has been drained to about 1/4 its original size.
David in Tasmania.
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hi debbie
i was a pupil at the bisley school from 1939-1948, any information you want i would gladly help out i have a lot of photos of the school and of the pupils.
you can also buy a book how the school started and when it closed it is called The Chance of a Lifetime, you can buy the book from The Chapel,Royal Victoria Patriotic Building ,Trinity Road , London Road, sw18 35x Tele: 02088751555.
regards gerald
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Hi Gerald
I don't suppose you have anything on the school going back to the early - mid 1910s. What a pity the school records were destroyed. The number of replies on this topic shows the interest in the school.
Eric
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hi eric
i am sorry i do not have any information in the 1910 period, i have some photos of young boys working in the bisley orchard cleaning the road and weeding ,the photo could date back to the 1900 period and maybe back before that.
i also have some photos of young boys in the band marching along the road dating back to the 1900 or before that, there is no way of nowing when the photos were taken.
you might try contacting the
surrey history centre,
130 goldsworth road,
woking
surrey gu21 6nd
i got most of my information from them.
good luck gerald
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hi motton.
i was at the bisley school and shaftesbury house from 1939-1948 i new your dad he taught me all about shoemaking we made all the shoes for the school and the clothes, we could also learn engineering and woodwork,
sadly the school closed in 1959.
the junior school was demolished and they built houses there, the shaftesbury house was also demolished about the same time. a prison has been built where the house was, called coldingley prison it opened in 1969, the surrounding area is now a housing estate.
regards
gerald
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Hi John,
I've just come across your post here and would desperately like to correspond with you. My father, Harry Valentine Smith (deceased), was also there from approx 1936 to 1942 and I would love to know , firstly if you remember him (I know the chances are slim) and also what the place was like, conditions, routine etc. Was it an abusive place? (my dad wouldn't talk about it), was it a good place? what was the housing like? Anything and everything would be great LOL!
I hope to hear from you soon
Thanks
Tania
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I got in touch with the "Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa" charity, several years ago. At first I got a reply saying that their records had been destroyed in a fire. Then a long while after, I had a reply from someone at the charity who had been looking back through some old school magazines and found a mention of the person I was looking for. Unfortunately I lost the reply when my computer crashed, so I can't tell you who replied.
Eric
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my dad norman jack rowlands was at the schooñ sometime in the 30´s. he was born in gateshead in 1923. his older brother and family stayed and lived in gateshead.can any one help.I think the youngest brother Peter also attended the school.I cannot find a reason why the 2 brothers came to be there.
They both went into the army. My dad went into the buffs´ boys band in 1937 and then onto commando no 4.
Can any help me in locating any info.
Leslie
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hi everyone stumbled across this forum by accident, my dad and his twin brother both went to shaftsbury school in bisley, now coldingly prison, they are both 80 this year to give you an idea of when they attended.
theyre names are ............... glyde anybody know them ?
love to hear from you if you do and maybe put you in touch with my dad
cheers
colin
Full names of living people removed as per Rootchat policy
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For any who are interested in better understanding conditions at Bisley and the other Shaftesbury homes, there was a film made in 1937 called "Citizens In The Making". This film was for fundraising purposes, but does show images of each of the schools and the ship Arethusa. (This includes Royston, Bisley, Fordham, and Shaftesbury Avenue.)
My father-in-law (Richard Williams, b. 1926-d. 2000) was in the Shaftesbury system following the death of his mother (in 1932) and grandmother (in 1934). His brothers Tom (b. 1924) and John (b. 1928) were also in the system.
Following his time with Shaftesbury, he joined the army and served in Egypt and Palestine.
I was able to obtain a copy of the film from the British Film Institute.
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I can see that this topic has been left for a while but hope someone picks up on this message.
I am interested in any information on Bisley Boys School as my Great Uncle, Ronald Rowe, was registered there in the 1930s.
I am also looking for information on Esher Girls School as my Nan was there from 1933 - 1943.
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Hi Eric,
Not sure you will still be checking this thread, but there's a nice picture of the school from 1914 on the Francis Frith site, also a few memories, both good and bad.
http://www.francisfrith.com/bisley,surrey/photos/shaftesbury-school-1914_67072/
Cheers
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Thanks for the website address. Yes I'm still checking the site. I looked at this originally for an old school friend's 50th wedding present. His father was there about the time of the First World War, so the photo will be something new to add to the story. I've passed it on to him.
Thanks again
Eric
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Hi My dad was at Bisley Boys school with his brother in 1935 for how long I'm not sure.He was called Peter Cottam and his brother was George known as Chum. It would be really good to get more information I have a certificate of his I will post soon Thanks Jane