Grosvenor House School Wokingham

[ellisa]

I am researching Grosvenor House School, Wokingham for the school history project.  The school was also called Wokingham Preparatory School and The White House School.  Does anyone have any information about the school or access to any documents or photographs which would help fill in gaps in the history.  The School had several sites in wokingham - Terrace Point and Montague House, Albert Road (but I don't know where and have no photos or anything) and the present site in the Finchampstead Road at the White House or East Heath cottage as it was previously.

[HeatherLynne]

Hi Ellisa and welcome to Rootschat!

Although I live reasonably locally (about 5 miles away) I don't have any connection to your school or knowledge I can impart but having googled I found this, which you may already have seen:

http://www.wdvta.org.uk/pdf/orientalplane.pdf  and also

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/retro/articles/2010/01/01/44218-retro-the-plane-facts-about-rare-tree/?mode=print

Hopefully someone will be along soon with more information 
Heather

[behindthefrogs]

You may find some items of interest on the following thread:

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,321858.0.html

It covers a number of subjects but Montague House is covered.

[ellisa]

Hi Heather and 'behindthefrogs',  that is great info - thanks a lot.  The postcards from PHodgetts are absolutely brilliant and I have taken copies for our archive.  I will also try and make contact with this Rootschatter.  I must now go on and put up my profile properly - I only posted late last night as a long shot and it is amazing the information I already have!   

A bit more history:  The School was founded by Miss Laura Jane Baker in 1890 and started in Milton Road (1890 - 1893) before moving to Terrace Point (now Tudor House)(1893-1919) and adopting the name Grosvenor House School after Miss Baker's training college in Bath.  Then it moved to Montague House (1919-1931) and onto a site in Albert Road (1931-1948) and finally to the White House in 1948.  Miss Baker retired in 1933 and a teacher at the school, Miss Rosalie Smith, became head followed in 1939 by Miss L Baker's neices, Misses Olive and Janet Knight.  By this time the school became the Wokingham Preparatory School.  I know very little of the School during this time.  Eventually a Miss Beryl Caudwell took over the school and moved it to its present site. 

This school history project has been started as the school will be celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2015 and is hoping to get an alumni going and other things.   Many thanks again, ellisa

A

[HeatherLynne]

Glad my Googling was of use!  If you put a reply on the other thread then everyone who has contributed will get notification that there's a new post and may look in and give you more information. 

Alternatively, once you've made three posts on Rootschat you'll be able to use the personal messaging service.  If you click on the little green scroll beneath a chatter's name you can send a message to them directly - for example someone on the other thread who you'd like to contact.  If the scroll is bright green that person is currently online, if it's a darker shade then they're not at the moment.

Good luck!  Heather

[behindthefrogs]

Unless something has been demolished in Albert Road the only choice is one of the large houses to the left as you enter the road from Wellington Road.  These are all much smaller than Montague House or The White House.

I have lived in the area since the late 1970s and I can't remember any larger houses in Albert Road.  You can see the road on Google Street View.  Wokingham Library has large scale maps of the area going back to the 19th century which should show any large house. 

[ellisa]

Hi,

Heather - thanks for that - I will give your suggestions a try.

Behindthefrogs - I have a short history of the school compiled in 1984 for the schools centennial celebrations and I quote 'The school now moved to Albert Road, where another new hall was built.  The present cricket field was still used for games.  After the school had settled into its new environment, Miss Laura Baker retired....'.  Basically by this stage the Holt School had opened and the older girls left to go there - they also abandoned boarders so I suspect the school would have been smaller.  I, like you, am puzzled by this as I cannot see which building it is or indeed a place where it might have been.  I thought I might try the Trade Directories and maybe I would get lucky and get an address.  The maps in the library is a great idea and I could try the photos too.  Someone else suggested the Wokingham Churches magazine which has been published since 1860 to the present - being a christian school it most probably is mentioned in those pages on occasion - but so far the only copies I can find are in Reading Library which is a bit far for lengthy research.  Anyway thanks for your help  Ellisa

[newburychap]

Schools often advertised in the local papers in search of pupils - if you can find something there you should get an address of sorts. 

[PaulC120]

you could try

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html  just type in Wokingham and select enhanced zoom

Looking on the 1933 map of Albert Road and comparing to the 1966 it appears that what is described on the 1966 Map as #s 2 & 4 Albert Road was in 1933 one plot  with 2 buildings. Could the long rectangular building which became # 2 be the new school hall?