The Village School

The Village School

original front elevation select to enlarge south elevation after the 1897 extension

The village school has a long and varied history, beginning with the first reference to a school in 1602. Between then and when the Revd C B Leigh built the present building in 1875 the school was located in several buildings within the village. It ceased to be a state school in 1977, became a “study centre” for St Edwards school, Romford, and then re-opened as "Wheatlands" day nursery in 1996. It is now called “Goldhanger Community Nursery”.

these are two of the earliest postcard views of the school on which the above drawing is based...

A 1904 postcard of the school

( all of the photos on this page can be selected and enlarged )

as seen from the Church tower in the 1920s

a hitching post and maypole can be seen in the play ground

Date

Event

1602

Earliest reference to a school in the village Essex court sessions held on 15th April 1602...

In Chelmsford on Thursday after the close of Easter before Thomas Myldmaye & Sir John Petre — Knights. Licence granted by the court to John Knight, Parson of Goldhanger, to convert certain building, which he hath lately builded at his own charges and upon his free land in Goldhanger, a school house and to some other habitation, at his humble request.

1818

A parliamentary committee report refers to 60 boys & girls in the school

1833

Parliament survey shows 4 males & 11 females attending a fee paying school, probably in the cottages opposite

1839

Church vestry and bell tower room were used as the school

1850

The Pit Cottages on Maldon Rd triangle were still being used as a school

1860

The Old Rectory was being used as the "Dame School"

1870

..and appears on an early OS maps as a “Parochial School”

1875

The Revd Leigh’s family funded building a new school.

It may have been designed by architect Ewan Christian who designed the new rectory

1877

A high definition framed school certificates for Alice Wenden

from this year is available here...

1890

Average attendance was recorded as 106

1892

-1906

Headmaster was Mr Harry Branch

1895

The Parish magazine pleaded for funds for the school

1890

The new school appears on the OS map as “School”

1896

Lily Clark started as assistant teacher and stayed for 43 years

1897

From Kelly’s directory of 1899...

The school was extended in 1897 to add an infant’s wing.

1900

the Revd. Gardner presented Teacher Lily with a children’s book

entitled Goldhanger Woods

1900

earliest known photograph of pupils with the caption:

“Young Goldhanger”

showing the headmaster Mr Branch

1900

school outing using farm wagons

a high definition version is here...

1901

-1925

The school Manger's minute book is available for this period in ERO

1903

From the School Manger's minute book...

The estimated cost of "warming, lighting and cleaning" the school was estimated at being £15 per annum. It was also decided to do away with the septic tank and provide "sanitary pails which shall be emptied 3 times a week"

1904

From the School Manger's minute book...

School cleaning was undertaken by Mrs Chaplin, 3/- a week and Mrs Jordan 2/6 a week. It was decided that wheels should be purchased to carry away contents of the closet pails." May Cottis an assistant teacher gained a pay increase from 1/6 to 3/-

1905

From the School Manger's minute book...

Holidays - The school was to be closed on Bank Holidays as well as Ash Wednesday and Ascension Day. In addition Mr. Dobson and Mr. Bunting proposed that the school be closed forthwith for pea picking. Over the years Mr. Dobson set the time for the summer pea picking holiday which became set as 4 weeks at the end of June and the beginning of July. In September there was also the annual Blackberry picking holiday. A number of attempts were made by the local authority to standardise the times of holidays in the area. These attempt were resisted strongly by the governors who felt local conditions of the crops should be taken into account.

1906

“The Old School” building on the Maldon Road triangle, also known as the Pit Cottages, was put for sale...

1906

From the School Manger's minute book...

There were 4 teachers at the school. The Headmaster, Mr. Langford, was a long-standing teacher at Goldhanger as was his wife who looked after the infants. In addition there were two assistant teachers Miss Lily Clark and Miss May Cottis. Mr Langfords Salary in 1906 was £124 per annum.

1906

-1919

The Headmaster was Mr Langford,

who appears on the right of this photo

with Miss Clark...

1909

From the School Manger's minute book...

The school managers were the Rev. Gardner, the Rev. Durrant Field, Mr. Evitt, Mr. Dobson, Mr. Payne and Mr. Bunting. As recommended by H.M. Inspectors a gallery was removed from the Infant room. The cost of this,7/6, was paid for by the county council. Tenders for the redecoration were asked for. Mr. Mann won the contact.

1913

From the School Manger's minute book...

Miss Clark was asked to resign after 22 years at the school as it was over staffed. This was to everyone's regret.

1915

-1919

Parish magazine records of the school’s involvement in WW-1 [find the word “school” – 19 occurrences]

1916

13 year old school children permitted to do farm work during WW-1

1916

From the School Manger's minute book...

Ernest Johnson, a scholar of 13 years of age was granted leave of absence from school from June until October to work at the rectory, owing to a shortage of labour occasioned by the war. Mrs Langford after 16 years at Goldhanger died. Miss Clark was re hired to take her place.

1919

End of WW-1 celebrations held in the school

1919

From the School Manger's minute book...

Mr. Langford retired and became one of the school managers. Miss Fielding was appointed to replace him.

1920

-1927

The headmistress was Miss Ethel Barnett

1920

The Rector, Revd Gardner is in the centre of this school photo (with his dog)...

1920

school photo taken in

the school field

1927

-1937

The headmistress was Miss Ault

1930

From Cyril Southgate’s Early Goldhanger Memories...

Goldhanger School in the late 1930s - The school looked after the education of the children up to the age of 14. Until I think 1937-1938, when pupils of 11years old were bussed to Maldon Secondary Schools (separate boys and girls). I was 11 years old in February 1939 and went to Maldon in September just as war was declared. During the period of the “phoney war” some pupils already at Maldon decided to stay in Goldhanger for school, but after a month or two things got back to normal schooling in Maldon.

School days in the 1930s were happy days and we always looked forward to holidays, especially pea picking holidays in June. We picked peas by the sackful for the Bunting Brothers of Highams and Joyces Farms.

The local school children also enjoyed a summer tea party at Joyces Farm in the same era 1930-1940. Mrs George Bunting (Edith) and Mrs Mabel Speakrman were school governors for many years. We were transported in wagons along the lower fields to joyces farm, where we always enjoyed a lovely tea, usually on the tennis court This was followed by a treasure hunt and various activities. All these thing fell apart as war loomed in later years.

A lovely single lady, Miss Lily Clark lived next door in Fish Street. She acted as an auxiliary teacher at the local school. I remember she suffered badly from what I can only now presume to be arthritis, because at my early age of 3½ years I would remember her badly disabled fingers. About this time she took me to school, daily walking up Fish Street. I understand they took me in early at school to give my mother some relief as my brother was still under 6 months old. The head teacher at this time was Miss Ault who lived with a companion a Miss Allen, at the house we now know as “Tayspills”, Church Street, the home of the late Miss Moira Benham.

1932

Records indicate that there were still joint lessons with Lt Totham using horse & wagon transport

1931

Headmistress Miss Ault produced a Guide to Goldhanger - 1931 (ERO A9886 – restricted access, not seen)

1935

Goldhanger reminiscences from a previous era (late1800s?) in The Essex Chronicle in 1935...

Mr. Howard first attended school held in a room in two cottages. The governess was Mrs. Dennington. Later he went to school at the Old Rectory where Miss Barlow was the teacher. Sunday school treats, at which roast beef and plum pudding were served came to mind as he recalled the past. Scholars took their own plates, knife, fork and jug, and Mr. Samuel Huxter, the rector's gardener, and Mr. Collins, the butler, assisted at the gathering.

Miss Wenden was a pupil at Miss Stowell's private school, which used to be held in a cottage nearly opposite the present school. Alice Bridge, Patty Scowen and Bob Bridge were pupils too. Miss Wenden attended the Wesleyan Sunday School when Mr. Henry Bevis was superintendent and Miss Alexander a teacher.

1935

A special school magazine was produced for the King’s Jubilee...

It has 35 pages of descriptions of the village and poems

written by the children in their own handwriting.

This high resolution version may be slow to open.

1939

Miss Lily Clark retired after 43

years teaching at the school and

was presented with an easy chair

and money.

1940

A former resident and pupil at the school recalled that on Oak Apple Day, certain nasty village boys used to pick stinging nettles to lash the backs of girls’ bare legs on their way to school. It was an old tradition, though it could be done only if the girls were not carrying an oak apple themselves. The village’s head teacher Mrs Waring quickly put a stop to it.

[Oak Apple Day, or Restoration Day, was once an English public holiday on 29 May to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The holiday was abolished in 1859, but retains some significance in local customs. Celebrations entailed wearing oak apples or sprigs of oak leaves. Anyone who failed to wear a sprig of oak risked being pelted with bird's eggs or thrashed with nettles].

1941

In World War 2 an air-raid shelter was built in the playground

1939

-1969

Mrs Warin was headmistress for 30 years

1950

Sports day parade...

1950

Mrs Marjerie Randall, wife of the Rector, was a teacher at the school in the 1950s.

1950

The WW-2 air-raid shelter was still in the playground

and being used for “target pratice”

1960

This was the period when many ancient buildings in the village were listed for their historic value, however the school building was not listed then and never has been. The usually reason given is that at the time of the listed designations, buildings that had already had been altered in a way that detracted from their originality did not qualify for a listed status. In the case of the school this was a mixed blessing, as a listed status would have inhibited its further development, preserving it as it appears at the top on this page, but it would not have had the useful purposes it has had in recent times.

1969

-1975

The headmaster was Mr Bob Broadie

1975

-1977

The headmistress was Mrs Violet Owen

1975

Celebrations of the school’s 100 year anniversary

including presenting commemorative mugs to the children...

1977

School photographs were taken for the Silver Jubilee

just before the closure of the school was announced

1977

Newspaper articles announced the closure of the school...

1977

The Church of England sold the school building and lands to St Edwards school in Romford. Local people who were unhappy about the school closure and the sale of the building and moved the school bell from its belfry to the church tower “for safe keeping”.

1978