Wikipedia

Draft:Bow School, Durham

  • Comment: Despite your disagreement, there is a consensus that it be merged. Three editors in good standing agree. I suggest you merge it, swallow any alleged unfairness, and show the differences in history in your merge 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 10:33, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
  • Comment: There is strong history here, and it should all be together im one article 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 09:05, 27 October 2022 (UTC)

Bow School has had a very different history to Durham School for the majority of its existence. I note various banks that have merged still are allowed separate pages.Comment: Sorry I disagree. They were separate institutions for most of its history, and it has now closed. I note other institutions have not had to merge their articles in this way and this feels a bit unfair.

Bow School, Durham
Address
South Road

Durham
,
County Durham
,
DH1 3LS

England
Information
TypeIndependent school, preparatory school
Religious affiliation(s)Anglican
Established1885; 139 years ago (1885)[1]
FounderWilliam Bramwell
Closed2021
Last Head MistressSally Harrod
GenderCo-educational
Age3 to 11
Enrolment136 (January 2018)
Colour(s)Grey and Green

Bow School was a preparatory school on South Road in Durham, founded in 1885 by William Henry Bramwell. Initially, Bow School only accepted boys until 2008 when the first girls were admitted. In 1937, Bow School merged with Dunelm School under the Headmistress Mildred Mary Lodge. In 1973, Bow School became the official preparatory school for the nearby Durham School, and was renamed Bow, Durham School. In September 2021, Durham School merged with The Chorister School to become the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation, and Bow School ceased to exist.[2][3][4]

History edit

Bow School was founded in 1885[5][6] by William Henry Bramwell Jr.[7][8][9] (1856-1917)[10] in 38 North Bailey, the building next door to the Bramwell’s residence that had previously been accommodation for undergraduates of Hatfield Hall.[10][11] The school had no official name until 1886 when it appeared in press notices as Bow School. Prior to this, the school had only been referred to as the “Preparatory School for Boys” and locally was known after its founder as “Bramwell’s School”.[10] The name Bow School was taken from the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow[12] near Hatfield where Bramwell’s sister Sarah Emily[13] married Benjamin Barrett in September 1885[10], now the site of the Durham Museum and Heritage Centre.

The first assistant master of Bow School was appointed in 1885[10]. Lawrence Gee (1861-1932) had recently taken the License in Theology at Hatfield Hall[9] and was later ordained. He was succeeded by Arthur Thomas Rogers (1862-1887) in 1886[10], a graduate of St. John’s College, Cambridge[14], and a member of the Durham City football team. Rogers died tragically in 1887[14][15] at the age of 25 and was succeeded as assistant master by William Bingham Ashton Wynyard[7] (1863-1915), brother of the England cricket player Teddy Wynyard.[10]

The Move to South Road edit

The current site of Bow School was designed by Edward Robert Robson F.R.I.B.A., F.S.A.[16] (1835-1917) and was built in 1888 by Frank Caldcleugh[17] (1836-1916) of Elvet Waterside, who had also done some restoration work on the Chapter House of Durham Cathedral and the screen in the Great Hall of Durham Castle.[10] Whilst the Bow site at South Road was under construction, Hatfield College required the use of 38 North Bailey for student accommodation, so Bow School temporarily existed at 53 Old Elvet[10], now part of the North of England Territorial Force Association headquarters. Bow School moved into the building on South Road in the summer term of 1889.[10][16] It was officially opened on 6 June 1889 by the Dean of Durham and Warden of the University, the Very Reverend William Charles Lake (1817-1897).[10]

Due to the expanded space that the new premises afforded Bow, the number of pupils grew, and in 1892, a second assistant master was appointed.[10] Stuart Dodgson Collingwood (1870-1937) was a graduate of Christ Church, Oxford[18] whose claim to fame was in 1898 as the official biographer for his maternal uncle Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.

Collingwood was succeeded in 1896[19] by George Shafto Legard[20] (1874-1924), an Old Bowite[16] with close relations to local gentry[21], and a direct descendant of the titular ‘Bonny Bobby Shafto’[22][10] from the folk song of the same name. Legard was one of Bow’s earliest pupils[16], and quickly established himself on the sports field, playing in the XV and captaining the cricket XI. He continued to play sport throughout his education, playing Rugby and competing in Athletics at Dulwich College[23], and he was part of the successful College XV at Wadham College, Oxford. Upon his graduation in 1896, Legard was offered the position as assistant master at Bow which he held for 28 years, becoming junior partner in 1904.[10][16][23]. He was responsible for organizing co-curricular activities for the pupils at Bow.[10] A tribute by his good friend, assistant master at Durham School[24] John Hay Beith (known as the novelist Ian Hay) reads, “The school games, the Cadet Corps, the swimming, the school theatricals, the provision of casual occupation for restless young hands – his boys all looked to George to provide these things, and George Legard never failed them.”[10] In 1903, Legard founded a Cadet Corps at Bow School[16], who were inspected by Field Marshal Earl Roberts (1832-1914), Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, when he came to Durham to receive the Honorary Freedom of the City in 1904.[10] The Cadet Corps was disbanded in 1930 due to the falling numbers of admissions to Bow and was replaced with a Scout Troop and Cub Pack.[10]

The Great War and Intermediary Headmaster edit

Bramwell left his post as Headmaster of Bow School at the age of 61 and died not long after in July 1917.[10][24] With Legard away fighting in World War I[25] as Captain in the 2rd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry[26], a temporary Headmaster was instated from February to July 1917.[10] Edward Vazeille Stocks (1870-1934) built and occupied a dwelling on Quarry Heads Lane[27], aptly named Quarry Heads, adjoining the grounds of Bow School which had previously been home to a farmhouse connected to Flintoff’s Engine Pitt.[10][17] He was already acquainted with Bramwell[8] through Durham University Library and the British and Foreign Bible Society, as well as having preceded Legard at Wadham.[10][18]

In summer 1917, Legard was demobilised[28] and returned to Durham, taking up the position of Headmaster of Bow School[21], however, he had been seriously wounded at Ypres[10][28] in 1916 and by 1922 was largely confined to the house. His condition deteriorated, and in autumn 1924 became very ill. He died suddenly in September 1924, aged 50.[10][19] He was succeeded by Michael Wilkinson (1898-1968)[29][30][31] who held the position until 1934.[10][16]

Miss Lodge and Dunelm School edit

In 1929, Charles Lodge Adamson (1906-1979) came to Bow School as an assistant master.[10] An Old Bowite[10][16][24] and a fierce competitor in both cricket and rugby throughout school and his career, Adamson came to Bow School for only a short while in December 1928 before leaving in in 1930 to join the staff of Rock Lodge preparatory school, Sunderland[32][33], a school founded by fellow Old Dunelmian and Old Chorister the Reverend James Edgar Dobbie (1902-1943), who was killed in the Second World War.[10][24][34][35] Adamson's maternal aunt, Miss Mildred Mary ‘Fanny’ Lodge[36] (1880-1961) was the first female teacher at the nearby Durham School[16][37][38], teaching English and history from 1918 to 1931 when she opened Dunelm Preparatory School on South Street.[10][39][40][41][42] The following year, when the Headmaster of Bow’s rival Bailey School decided to retire after 41 years, Miss Lodge negotiated a takeover of the school, effectively combining the schools of Dunelm and Bailey.[10][16] The pupils shared facilities such as the baths, gymnasium, art room, and science laboratories with Durham School. [10][16]

Economic Depression and the Fate of Bow School edit

The economic depression of the 1920s hit all public schools hard, and for Bow, the dwindling admission numbers were exacerbated by a fallout between the then-Headmaster of Bow, Geoffrey La Trobe Foster[43] (1896-1984) and the proprietor of the building, Miss Edith Bramwell, sister of William Henry Bramwell. Miss Bramwell began to encourage parents to send their children to Miss Lodge’s Dunelm School instead of Bow, and thus the fate of the School was for a time uncertain.[10] There was a proposition by the Headmaster of the Cathedral Chorister School[16], which at the time was only attended by the 24 choirboys, to bring both schools together on the Bow premises, however, issues including leasing the Bow site, buying out freeholders and finding accommodation for Foster meant that the deal was ultimately dismissed by the Dean and Chapter.[10]

In December 1937, it was announced that Miss Lodge had acquired Bow School.[10][16][44][45] Geoffrey Foster and the remaining staff at Bow School left Durham for other business, and in 1938, Bow School opened under its new Headmistress, Miss Lodge.[10][16][46][47] Bow School was inspected by one of His Majesty’s Inspectors and, after some improvements including the provision of a fire escape from the dormitories, Bow School became a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools in 1941.[10][48]

The Second World War edit

Despite the stresses and strains of wartime living on Bow, the School thrived under Miss Lodge, with admissions soaring to the point where Bow decided to no longer accept pupils under 8 or over 11 years of age. The preschool department, that had been in use since Bow had existed on South Street, was abandoned. Boys were entered onto a waiting list terms in advance in order to secure admission. The former home of E.V. Stocks on Quarry Heads Lane was acquired to provide more accommodation for boarders, as well as a property on Church Street in 1943.[10] Shortages of food, clothes, books and paper were frequent due to rationing, and the imposed blackouts and use of the swimming bath in the basement as an air raid shelter made the time all the more difficult. The loss of domestic servants required the boys to help out with household duties, and even sport was not unaffected by rationing as the School had only one cricket ball which Miss Lodge was determined to make last through the war.[5][10]

Charles Lodge Adamson, nephew of Miss Lodge, returned to Bow School by invitation of his aunt in 1945 to teach English, history and Latin. The breakout of war had led to all of the remaining male teachers being called up for service, leaving Miss Lodge and a number of veterans and retired teachers to run the school. Adamson was not exempt from service, though sustained an injury training for work in the coal mines and so returned to his work as a schoolmaster and coach.[10]

Lodge and Adamson edit

After the war, Bow School returned to its full outfit of teachers, however only one of Bow’s pre-war staff members returned; senior assistant master and Flight Lieutenant James Ison, who had joined Miss Lodge’s staff at Dunelm School. He left Bow in 1947 for Jesmond Preparatory School, and Charles Adamson took on the role of senior master in Ison’s absence. In 1948, Miss Lodge (now in her mid-sixties) announced at the Bow School Speech Day that Adamson would be her partner, and they were henceforth listed as joint Principals.[10]

In August 1949, Adamson married Miss Helen Mary Bolland[49][50] who had joined Bow School as Secretary after the war, though knew the School well as she had previously been Assistant District Commissioner and later County Commissioner in the 1930s.[10] Mrs Mary Adamson became a huge part of life at Bow, organising the Cub Pack, teaching art, providing transport for boys to and from matches, and keeping boarders occupied during summer evenings. She became responsible for the domestic side of life at Bow School and made sure it ran smoothly.[10]

Miss Lodge continued as joint Principal of Bow until her death in 1961 at the age of 81[10][51]. She taught up until her stint in hospital before her death and was considering teaching only part time once she had recovered, which she unfortunately never did. Thus, Charles Adamson became the sole proprietor of Bow School.[10][16] He adopted the title Headmaster, instead of Principal which he and Miss Lodge had shared, and introduced changes in the system of discipline, including abolishing corporal punishment. Adamson held the view that the purpose of schooling was not only to make boys be able to pass exams, but to “…encourage him to be unselfish, well-behaved, manly, able to survive hardships and not to give up in the face of difficulties, have a good sense of humour and strong principles of right and wrong, not be fearful of responsibility, possessing a clean tongue and a refined mind.” To this end, he introduced Sections, eight of boarders and five of day boys, of which two older boys would be in charge, as Captain and Vice-Captain. This hailed from the days of the Cadet Corps, when Section Commanders were also Monitors, and was designed to invoke a sense of responsibility and good behaviour in the older boys. For the most part, the boys took great trouble and gave much time to looking after the members of their Sections.[10]

Bow and Durham School edit

By the 1970s, Adamson and his senior staff were all nearing retirement age and were concerned about the future of Bow School. The lease of the building on South Road was nearing its end, and the University were reluctant to extend this due to the proposition of building a new Library across South Road; for which the Bow site would be a prime location. Adamson considered alternative locations for Bow; however, the Headmaster of Durham School Michael Vallance suggested a second takeover. Adamson then contacted the Dean and Chapter, who were Governors of Durham School, about strengthening the informal bonds that had always existed between the schools.[10]

In 1973, it was announced that upon the retirement of Mr and Mrs Adamson, “Bow School will continue under the management of the Governors of Durham School, who will maintain the name of Bow School and its separate identity”.[10][16] Hence, Bow School became Bow, Durham School, the preparatory school of Durham School. Adamson continued to be associated with the School, coaching rugby and cricket. The University had no scruples about assigning the leases to the Dean and Chapter upon sale of Bow School, and on Speech Day 1974, Michael Vallance was able to announce the merging of Bow and Durham School.[10][52] Bow would have access to all of the facilities at Durham School,[53] including playing fields, laboratories, music rooms, theatre, sports centre, and swimming baths.[10] The majority of pupils from Bow would then proceed to Durham School after passing Common Entrance, though they were not required to.

John Quash (1936-2005), then Bursar of Durham School, was appointed Headmaster Designate of Bow School in April 1975, and began teaching at Bow in January 1976 to prepare for the role.[10][52][53] Adamson retired at the end of summer term 1976, though he remained in Quarry Heads and kept an interest in school activities until his death in 1979 aged 73.[10][54] On 1 September, Bow School became part of the Durham School Foundation, and the leases of the School, the spinney and Quarry Heads with the freehold of Bow Cottage and 11 Church Street were transferred to the Dean and Chapter.[10] John Quash took up position as Headmaster of Bow, and the School retained its staff members other than those who retired alongside Adamson.[10] Bow School became part of the Durham School Foundation in September 1976.[16]

The Dean and Chapter wished to make needed renovations to the Bow site, however, they first needed some reassurance about the lease which was nearing its end. The University was not prepared to sell the site and could not offer a long lease due to statutory limitations. After serious negotiations in 1982, the University agreed to surrender the three leases of the current buildings to be replaced by a single lease for a reasonable period. A lease was sealed in 1895 by the University and the Dean and Chapter. The boarding house at 11 Church Street was sold off as it was no longer necessary.[10]

In 1982, the Governors began plans for a new block at Bow, including a sports hall and two classrooms, to the west of the main building. Construction was delayed by the need to locate and examine the abandoned Flintoff’s Engine Pit from the days of the Elvet Colliery, to ensure it was properly capped before work could proceed. On 26 January 1985, the centenary year of the School, Mrs Mary Adamson opened the Adamson Hall, commemorating the contributions of her husband Charles Lodge Adamson to Bow School.[10]

Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation edit

In September 2021, the existing Durham School Foundation merged with the nearby Chorister School to create the Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation. Bow School became the Bow site of the preparatory school, the Chorister School, hosting pupils from Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 2. The Cathedral site hosts pupils from Years 3 to 6, with Durham School as the senior school, hosting pupils from Year 7 to Year 13.[2][4]

Girls at Bow School edit

Bow School officially started admitting girls in 2008, however, prior to this, there were two female pupils at Bow. Kathleen Ida Primrose Gordon Davies (1902-1956) attended from 1910 to 1915, and Gillian Foster attended in 1934.[10]

Primrose was a niece of George Shafto Legard. Her brother, Major Vivian Gordon Davies (1899-1941), attended Bow from 1906 to 1912. Primrose was reduced to tears at the idea of leaving home to become a boarder, and pleaded successfully to be allowed to attend Bow. She proceeded to the High School, where her elder sister was educated, in 1915.[10]

Gillian was the daughter of Headmaster, and previously senior assistant master to Wilkinson, Geoffrey La Trobe Foster.[10]

Headmasters edit

  • 1885-1917: William Henry Bramwell[10]
  • 1917: Edward Vazeille Stocks[10]
  • 1917-1924: Captain George Legard Shafto[10]
  • 1925-1934: Reverend Michael Wilkinson[10]
  • 1934-1937: Geoffrey La Trobe Foster[10][16]
  • 1938-1961: Miss Mildred Mary Lodge[10]
  • 1961-1976: Charles Lodge Adamson[10]
  • 1976-1979: John Quash[10]
  • 1980-1987: Christopher Bailey[10]
  • 1987-1995: Campbell R.F. Paterson
  • 1995-2000: Jonathan Wansey
  • 2000-2015: R. Nicholas Baird
  • 2016-2021: Sally Harrod

Notable Old Bowites edit

References edit

  1. ^ "About The Prep School". Durham School. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b Graham, Hannah (24 November 2020). "Two Durham schools announce plans to merge". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Historic Durham schools set to merge". Independent Education Today. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Historic Durham schools with shared heritage of 600 years unveil plans to merge". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  5. ^ a b Leinster-Mackay, Donald (1984). The Rise of the English Prep School. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-35754-7.
  6. ^ "Bow School, Durham" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b Kelly's Directory of Durham, 1890 - Page 115. Kelly and Co. 1890.
  8. ^ a b Kelly's Directory of Durham, 1914 - Page 145. Kelly and Co. 1914.
  9. ^ a b Durham University Calendar 1885. Durham: Andrews and Co. 1885.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp Watkinson, C. (1986). Bow School, 1885-1985. A Centenary Record. Chester-Le-Street: The City Printing Works Ltd.
  11. ^ "History of Hatfield" (PDF). Durham University. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  12. ^ Hagar & Co.'s Directory of the County of Durham, 1851 - Page 11. Stevenson and Co. 1851.
  13. ^ "Sarah Emily Bramwell in 1885". www.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Cambridge University Alumni Database". Alumni Database. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  15. ^ "The Sedbergian March 1888" (PDF). The Sedberghian. 1888.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Malden, John (2013). Floreat Dunelmia 1414 - 2016; A look at 600 years of Durham School. Durham: Robert Attey & Sons.
  17. ^ a b Holt, Susan (1979). "Continuity and change in Durham city: an historical geography of a nineteenth century small town" (PDF). Durham University E-Thesis (3).
  18. ^ a b Foster, Joseph (1893). Oxford men, 1880-1892, with a record of their schools, honours and degrees. Illustrated with portraits and views. James Parker and Co.
  19. ^ a b "The Dunelmian, December 1924" (PDF). The Dunelmian. 1924. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. ^ Mosley, C. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (107th ed.). Burke's Peerage Ltd.
  21. ^ a b "North East War Memorials Project - Every Name A Story Content". www.newmp.org.uk.
  22. ^ "Shafto Family Tree". Ancestry. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  23. ^ a b Ormiston, Thomas. Dulwich College Register, 1619 - 1926 - viewing page ii. Keliner and Co. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d Bickmore, D (1986). Durham School Register To 1967 (4th ed.). Thomas Reed and Co.
  25. ^ "Record Details for G S Legard (Durham Light Infantry)". www.forces-war-records.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Durham Light Infantry, 2nd Battalion". www.durhamatwar.org.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Catalogue of Durham University Records: Central Administration and Officers: Estates and Buildings". reed.dur.ac.uk.
  28. ^ a b Sheen, John (1 January 2009). The Steel of the DLI (1st ed.). Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84884-143-7.
  29. ^ "Michael M Wilkinson in the 1939 England and Wales Register". www.ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Michael Wilkinson in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007". www.ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Michael WILKINSON". Ancestry. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  32. ^ Austin, Jonathan (1995). "The English boys boarding preparatory school, 1914-1940" (PDF). Open University E-Thesis.
  33. ^ "Charles L Adamson in the 1939 England and Wales Register". www.ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  34. ^ "James Edgar Dobbie in 1943". www.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  35. ^ Old Chorister War Dead Plaque. Chorister School Reception, Durham
  36. ^ "1939 England and Wales Register for Mildred M Lodge". www.ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  37. ^ "The Dunelmian, 1993-1994". The Dunelmian. 1994. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  38. ^ a b "The Bow Record, 1949-50". The Bow Record. 1950.
  39. ^ "The Dunelmian, 1991-1992". The Dunelmian. 1992. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  40. ^ "The Dunelmian, July 1933". The Dunelmian. 1933. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Catalogue Item - Headlam family of Holywell". Durham Record Office. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  42. ^ "Catalogue of Spennymoor Settlement Papers". reed.dur.ac.uk.
  43. ^ "The La Trobes". The La Trobe Guide. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  44. ^ "The London Gazette 12 April 1938" (PDF). 1938.
  45. ^ "The Dunelmian, July 1937". The Dunelmian. 1937. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  46. ^ "1939 England and Wales Register". Ancestry. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  47. ^ "The Dunelmian, December 1941". The Dunelmian. 1941. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  48. ^ "Bow School". iaps.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  49. ^ "Helen Mary Bolland". Ancestry. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  50. ^ "The Bow Record, 1949". The Bow Record. 1949.
  51. ^ "The Bow Record, 1961". The Bow Record. 1961.
  52. ^ a b "The Dunelmian, July 1974". The Dunelmian. 1974. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  53. ^ a b "The Dunelmian, December 1976". The Dunelmian. 1976. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  54. ^ "The Dunelmian, 1979-1980". The Dunelmian. 1980. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  55. ^ "The Bow Record, 1984". The Bow Record. 1984.
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