Cranbourne Chase School
Encyclopedia
Cranborne Chase School for Girls was an independent
boarding school
originally opened in Crichel House
in Moor Crichel
, Dorset. In 1960, the school moved to the New Wardour Castle
near Tisbury, Wiltshire
.
In 1985 there were 130 girls, aged between 11 and 18 years, and 26 teachers at the school. The school eventually closed in 1990.
(not to be confused with Wardour Castle
) there were dormitories for girls in the 1st to 4th Forms around the top fourth floor of the building, each with beds for between two and six girls. Fifth Formers slept on the mezzanine
floor below this. The Lower Sixth Form had studios for one or two girls in a modern extension on the south-eastern side of the building. Upper Sixth formers all had their own individual rooms in the upper East Wing flat or in a separate building known as 'The Hexagon' ( The Hexagon was used as accommodation for staff in the late 70's).
Students ate in the modern dining hall built on the south-eastern side of the building, next to the gym
nasium. This extension had additional modern classrooms for Art and Science. All other classrooms were in the main building on the ground and first floors.
A student assembly was held most mornings around the rotunda
staircase, with each year standing in groups between the columns. This usually included a short religious ceremony and singing accompaniment on the rotunda organ
.
Other facilities included a school chapel and student laundry rooms. Each year had its own common room
to relax in, when not in class.
Outside, there was an open-air swimming pool in the walled garden
, six tennis court
s and a running track, with space for field sports on the front lawn. There was also an enclosure for outdoor pets, which students were encouraged to keep.
In addition to the Hexagon building, there were three houses for staff and their families. These were built in the 1970s and were referred to as Melbury, LongAsh (Long Ash was used for 6th form students in the late 70's ) a grea and Burwood. Other staff lived in flats within the main building or else commuted from the surrounding area.
Other outdoor features included a bicycle shed, a water well
, a temple folly
, a Camelia
house, and a sewage treatment
works and an ice house.
The 2009 movie, Tanner Hall
, written and co-directed by Alumni Tatiana von Furstenberg, was loosely based on her experiences as a student here.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
originally opened in Crichel House
Crichel House
Crichel House is a country house located near the village of Moor Crichel in Dorset, England. It is surrounded by of parkland, which includes a crescent-shaped lake covering ....
in Moor Crichel
Moor Crichel
Moor Crichel is a village and civil parish in East Dorset, England situated on Cranborne Chase five miles east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 181 ....
, Dorset. In 1960, the school moved to the New Wardour Castle
New Wardour Castle
New Wardour Castle is an English country house at Wardour, near Tisbury in Wiltshire, built for the Arundell family. The house is of a Palladian style, designed by the architect James Paine with additional pieces from Giacomo Quarenghi, who was a principal architect of the Imperial Russian capital...
near Tisbury, Wiltshire
Tisbury, Wiltshire
The large village of Tisbury lies approximately west of Salisbury in the English county of Wiltshire.With a population at the 2001 census of 2,056 it is an important local centre for communities around the upper River Nadder and Vale of Wardour...
.
In 1985 there were 130 girls, aged between 11 and 18 years, and 26 teachers at the school. The school eventually closed in 1990.
Wardour facilities
At New Wardour CastleNew Wardour Castle
New Wardour Castle is an English country house at Wardour, near Tisbury in Wiltshire, built for the Arundell family. The house is of a Palladian style, designed by the architect James Paine with additional pieces from Giacomo Quarenghi, who was a principal architect of the Imperial Russian capital...
(not to be confused with Wardour Castle
Wardour Castle
Wardour Castle is located at Wardour, near Tisbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Salisbury. The original castle was partially destroyed during the Civil War...
) there were dormitories for girls in the 1st to 4th Forms around the top fourth floor of the building, each with beds for between two and six girls. Fifth Formers slept on the mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
floor below this. The Lower Sixth Form had studios for one or two girls in a modern extension on the south-eastern side of the building. Upper Sixth formers all had their own individual rooms in the upper East Wing flat or in a separate building known as 'The Hexagon' ( The Hexagon was used as accommodation for staff in the late 70's).
Students ate in the modern dining hall built on the south-eastern side of the building, next to the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. This extension had additional modern classrooms for Art and Science. All other classrooms were in the main building on the ground and first floors.
A student assembly was held most mornings around the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
staircase, with each year standing in groups between the columns. This usually included a short religious ceremony and singing accompaniment on the rotunda organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
.
Other facilities included a school chapel and student laundry rooms. Each year had its own common room
Common room
The phrase common room is used especially in British and Canadian English to describe a type of shared lounge, most often found in dormitories, at universities, colleges, military bases, hospitals, rest homes, hostels, and even minimum-security prisons. It is generally connected to several...
to relax in, when not in class.
Outside, there was an open-air swimming pool in the walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
, six tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s and a running track, with space for field sports on the front lawn. There was also an enclosure for outdoor pets, which students were encouraged to keep.
In addition to the Hexagon building, there were three houses for staff and their families. These were built in the 1970s and were referred to as Melbury, LongAsh (Long Ash was used for 6th form students in the late 70's ) a grea and Burwood. Other staff lived in flats within the main building or else commuted from the surrounding area.
Other outdoor features included a bicycle shed, a water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
, a temple folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
, a Camelia
Camelia
-Awards:* Anugerah Industri Muzik 1998** Best New Artist**Best Vocal Performance in an Album for "Camelia"-Personal life:She was married to Mohd Ehsan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce until their divorce in 1999. She then married a prominent local developer who is a Datuk in 2010. This makes her formal...
house, and a sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
works and an ice house.
Other notes
Betty Galton, the founding headmistress of Cranborne Chase School died in December 2005. (Noted in Bryanston Newsletter)The 2009 movie, Tanner Hall
Tanner Hall (film)
Tanner Hall is a 2009 drama film that centers on four girls coming-of-age in boarding school. It was written and directed by Tatiana von Fürstenberg and Francesca Gregorini...
, written and co-directed by Alumni Tatiana von Furstenberg, was loosely based on her experiences as a student here.
Notable former pupils
- Jessica Berens, novelist and journalist
- Josceline Dimbleby, cookery writer
- Tatiana von FürstenbergTatiana von FürstenbergTatiana Desirée Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg or Princess Tatiana Desirée zu Fürstenberg ) is an American rock singer and filmmaker - and daughter of fashion designers Diane and Egon von Fürstenberg-External links:...
, singer, actress and socialite - Baroness LinklaterVeronica LinklaterVeronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater of Butterstone , is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. Her career indicates her interests in children’s welfare, education and special needs, and prison reform...
, member of the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster.... - Cindy Marshall-Day, née Day, actress and socialite
- Roxanna PanufnikRoxanna PanufnikRoxanna Panufnik is a British composer of Polish heritage. She is the daughter of the composer and conductor Sir Andrzej Panufnik....
, composer - Joanna Waley-CohenJoanna Waley-CohenJoanna Waley-Cohen is a professor of history and chair of the Department of History at New York University. She specializes in early modern Chinese history, Chinese imperial culture, and China and the West.-Biography:...
, professor of history at New York University - Harriet WalterHarriet WalterDame Harriet Mary Walter, DBE is a British actress.-Personal life:She is the niece of renowned British actor Sir Christopher Lee, as the daughter of his elder sister Xandra Lee. On her father's side she is a great-great-great-granddaughter of John Walter, founder of The TimesShe was educated at...
, actress - Rolline Frewen née Williamson, co founder The Admirable Crichton
- Jekka McVicarJekka McVicarJessica "Jekka" McVicar is an English organic gardening expert, author and broadcaster, particularly on the cultivation and use of herbs.She was brought up in Chew Magna, Somerset, and learned about the use of herbs from her grandmother, the writer Ruth Lowinsky, and her mother...
, gardener, writer and broadcaster, founder Jekka's Herb Farm; Council Member, Royal Horticultural Society - Jane Owen, journalist and broadcaster. Council member, Women of the Year