New Forest girls boarding prep school in WWII

[jonrobatta]

My mother, now aged 75, attended a girls boarding school somewhere in the New Forest for one year, 1940-1.  It might have been a school evacuated from a city.  She thinks it was in the Lyndhurst/Brockenhurst area, but it might have been further west.

The girls were aged from 4 up to 11 or 12 so it may have been a prep school.  She remembers a long tarmac drive and 1 or 2 storey white buildings, this might not be accurate.

Does anyone know of any girls schools in the New Forest area in 1940, as we are trying to work out where it might have been? Thanks....

[pete1789]

Foxlease in Lyndhurst is certainly white, and I believe was used for evacuated children during the war. I know it has been connected with girl guiding for many years, but don't know if it was ever a school. At least it will be one off the list if it's  not the one.

Good luck with your search

Pete

[GrahamSimons]

An email to the Hampshire Archives and Local Studies will probably answer your question quickly:

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/archives

[ReadyDale]

Foxlease in Lyndhurst is certainly white, and I believe was used for evacuated children during the war. I know it has been connected with girl guiding for many years, but don't know if it was ever a school. At least it will be one off the list if it's  not the one.

Good luck with your search

Pete

From their website:
"In 1939 Foxlease House was used to house evacuated children, and by 1941 it was being used as a holiday location for Guides who came from bomb-damaged areas."
It is on the Lyndhurst-Brockenhurst road. Long tarmac drive, white building

[jonrobatta]

Thanks for the suggestion and all the trouble posting photos etc.  I contacted Foxlease and got the following reply:


Thank you for your enquiry. Foxlease was indeed used to house evacuated children during 1939 but only for a few short weeks. Shortly after this first small group arrived an exclusion zone was set around Southampton as the docks were deemed a potential target area, Foxlease fell into this area. The evacuees were re housed and no others were accommodated. Training courses for Guide leaders continued to be held but camping was not allowed on the site during the war. I am afraid we have no other records that would be of help to you. 
Have you tried the New Forest Centre  (  newforestcentre.org.uk  )  they have an extensive library and facility for family history research and for my experience are extremely helpful.

So, it seems it was not Foxlease, and may have had to have been further west outside the exclusion area.  Any more suggestions very much appreciated.

Jonathan.