Rose Hill School (Alderley)
Encyclopedia
Rose Hill School, Alderley was a co-educational, boarding and day, Pre-preparatory and Preparatory School
for children aged 2-14 years old. It was situated in Cotswold
countryside in the village of Alderley
, near to Wotton-under-Edge
in Gloucestershire
, England. Its motto, 'conando floreamus', translates as 'We are distinguished through effort'. The school closed on 2 September 2009 to merge with Querns Westonbirt School, together forming Rose Hill Westonbirt School which is co-located with Westonbirt School
in nearby Tetbury
.
was originally established in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
in 1832. In 1903 the then Headmaster, Mr Browning, founded a second Rose Hill School in Banstead
, Surrey
, taking the vast majority of the original school with him. Following the outbreak of World War II
, this second Rose Hill School re-located to the small village of Alderley
, near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire in 1939. The school was based around the 20-acre site of Alderley House
, a Grade II Listed neo-Elizabethan 19th century manor house designed by Lewis Vulliamy
and built for Robert Blagden Hale between 1859 and 1863. The house was built on the site of a previous Jacobean property, and the cellars from the original building remain to this day under the house. On the ground floor of the house were located the dining room, the library, the Headmaster's study, two classrooms, the school office, a billiards hall, a small laundry, the staff room, the staff dining room and the kitchens, whilst the upper floors (including the former servants' quarters on the top floor) provided the Sick-Bay and all dormitory accommodation and washing facilities for boarding pupils, as well as living quarters for the matrons and some teachers. All of the dormitories were named after local villages, including Alderley, Badminton, Hawkesbury, Hillesley, Kingswood and Stinchcombe.
The sizeable grounds in which the school was situated included a number of spinneys, two grass tennis courts, a hard court, an outside swimming pool and a large playing field, and it adjoined St Kenelm's Church. The grounds directly to the west of the house were dominated by a mature Wellingtonia
tree, a very tall specimen of the Giant Sequoia family, while on the other side of the house towards St Kenelm's Church were two Monkey-Puzzle
trees.
in nearby Tetbury
. Weston Birt School Limited (Company Registration No. 230224, Registered Charity No. 311715) acquired the undertakings, assets and liabilities of Rose Hill School Alderley Limited (Company No. 911698, Registered Charity No. 311708) for £1.798 m on 29 August 2008. The property at Alderley
was put on the market at the end of 2009 for £3m and subsequently sold for use as a private residence. After purchasing the house the new owners employed Humphrey Cook Associates to refurbish the property back to its original state in 1860.
In September 2009 the property was used as one of the filming locations for a Season 24 episode of BBC1's
hospital drama Casualty
which aired in early 2010.
In documents filed since the sale of the property the house has been referred to as "Alderley Manor", whereas the Land Registry still refers to it as "Alderley House". There also appears to be a reference to the property as "Alderley Manor" in the National Archives, in the context of R. H. Blagden Hale's purchase deeds.
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
for children aged 2-14 years old. It was situated in Cotswold
Cotswold
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England that give their name to:*Cotswold *Cotswold *Cotswold Chase, a horse race*Cotswold Games, annual games in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire...
countryside in the village of Alderley
Alderley, Gloucestershire
Alderley is a village and civil parish in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, about fourteen miles southwest of Stroud and two miles south of Wotton-under-Edge. It lies underneath Winner Hill, between two brooks, the Ozleworth and Kilcott...
, near to Wotton-under-Edge
Wotton-under-Edge
Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern end of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058 Wotton is about from the M5 motorway. The nearest railway station is...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England. Its motto, 'conando floreamus', translates as 'We are distinguished through effort'. The school closed on 2 September 2009 to merge with Querns Westonbirt School, together forming Rose Hill Westonbirt School which is co-located with Westonbirt School
Westonbirt School
Westonbirt School is an independent day and boarding school for girls located in Gloucestershire in South West England. Founded in 1928, it is a member of the Allied Schools organisation...
in nearby Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
.
History
Rose Hill SchoolRose Hill School
Rose Hill School is a British Independent School situated in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools. The school is co-educational.-Summary:...
was originally established in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1832. In 1903 the then Headmaster, Mr Browning, founded a second Rose Hill School in Banstead
Banstead
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London. It lies south of London, west of Croydon and of the county town of Kingston-Upon-Thames. Banstead is on the North Downs and is protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt;...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, taking the vast majority of the original school with him. Following the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, this second Rose Hill School re-located to the small village of Alderley
Alderley, Gloucestershire
Alderley is a village and civil parish in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, about fourteen miles southwest of Stroud and two miles south of Wotton-under-Edge. It lies underneath Winner Hill, between two brooks, the Ozleworth and Kilcott...
, near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire in 1939. The school was based around the 20-acre site of Alderley House
Alderley House
The present day Alderley House is a mid-19th century Grade II listed country house designed by Lewis Vulliamy and built for Robert Blagden Hale in the small Cotswold village of Alderley, near Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire...
, a Grade II Listed neo-Elizabethan 19th century manor house designed by Lewis Vulliamy
Lewis Vulliamy
Lewis Vulliamy was an English architect belonging to the Vulliamy family of clockmakers.-Life:Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 1791, and articled to Sir Robert Smirke...
and built for Robert Blagden Hale between 1859 and 1863. The house was built on the site of a previous Jacobean property, and the cellars from the original building remain to this day under the house. On the ground floor of the house were located the dining room, the library, the Headmaster's study, two classrooms, the school office, a billiards hall, a small laundry, the staff room, the staff dining room and the kitchens, whilst the upper floors (including the former servants' quarters on the top floor) provided the Sick-Bay and all dormitory accommodation and washing facilities for boarding pupils, as well as living quarters for the matrons and some teachers. All of the dormitories were named after local villages, including Alderley, Badminton, Hawkesbury, Hillesley, Kingswood and Stinchcombe.
The sizeable grounds in which the school was situated included a number of spinneys, two grass tennis courts, a hard court, an outside swimming pool and a large playing field, and it adjoined St Kenelm's Church. The grounds directly to the west of the house were dominated by a mature Wellingtonia
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
tree, a very tall specimen of the Giant Sequoia family, while on the other side of the house towards St Kenelm's Church were two Monkey-Puzzle
Araucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana is an evergreen tree growing to tall with a trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile, western Argentina and south Brazil. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria...
trees.
Closure of the School
After 70 years at the Alderley site, Rose Hill School closed on 2 September 2009 when it merged with Querns Westonbirt School (formerly Querns School, Cirencester until its acquisition by Westonbirt School in 2002). Together the two schools formed Rose Hill Westonbirt School which is co-located with Westonbirt SchoolWestonbirt School
Westonbirt School is an independent day and boarding school for girls located in Gloucestershire in South West England. Founded in 1928, it is a member of the Allied Schools organisation...
in nearby Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
. Weston Birt School Limited (Company Registration No. 230224, Registered Charity No. 311715) acquired the undertakings, assets and liabilities of Rose Hill School Alderley Limited (Company No. 911698, Registered Charity No. 311708) for £1.798 m on 29 August 2008. The property at Alderley
Alderley, Gloucestershire
Alderley is a village and civil parish in the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England, about fourteen miles southwest of Stroud and two miles south of Wotton-under-Edge. It lies underneath Winner Hill, between two brooks, the Ozleworth and Kilcott...
was put on the market at the end of 2009 for £3m and subsequently sold for use as a private residence. After purchasing the house the new owners employed Humphrey Cook Associates to refurbish the property back to its original state in 1860.
In September 2009 the property was used as one of the filming locations for a Season 24 episode of BBC1's
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
hospital drama Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
which aired in early 2010.
In documents filed since the sale of the property the house has been referred to as "Alderley Manor", whereas the Land Registry still refers to it as "Alderley House". There also appears to be a reference to the property as "Alderley Manor" in the National Archives, in the context of R. H. Blagden Hale's purchase deeds.
Headmasters
| 2005-2009 | Mr Paul Cawley-Wakefield |
| 2005-2005 | Mrs Jackson (Acting Head) |
| 2002-2005 | Mr Peter Platts-Martin |
| : | |
| 199?-200? | Mr Richard Lyne-Pirkis (author, nom de plume: "Richard de Methley") |
| : | |
| 1983?-19?? | Mr Kenneth Green |
| 1982?-1983? | Mr David Austin (Acting Head) |
| 1978?-1982? | Mr Chris? Knox |
| 1957-1978 | Mr Gilbert Wheat |
| 19??-1957 | Mr ? "Tiggy" Hughes |
| : |
Notable former pupils
- 1868 Robert Baden-PowellRobert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-PowellRobert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
(pupil at Rose Hill SchoolRose Hill SchoolRose Hill School is a British Independent School situated in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools. The school is co-educational.-Summary:...
, Tunbridge WellsRoyal Tunbridge WellsRoyal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
) - 1968/9-1972/3 Robert LawrenceRobert Lawrence (British Army officer)Robert Alasdair Davidson Lawrence MC is a former British Army officer who fought and was severely wounded in the Falklands War...
- Richard Hildick-Smith (part of the 2008 Beijing pre-Olympic British modern pentathlon team)
External links
- 'Rose Hill Memories', the Old Rose Hillians website
- Rose Hill School on the Friends Reunited website
- Maps of the former school site: Google Maps Satellite Image, Bing Maps Bird's-eye View, O.S. Map, O.S. plan of school site,Streetview of school entrance
- Aerial photographs dated 1951–63 by H A Wingham of Alderley House and Rose Hill School, National Monuments Record
- Hunter Page Planning's Change of Use application document for Rose Hill School