History of Clapham County School 1900-1929*

Timeline

1899

The School’s origins are not to be found in Broomwood Road but on the other side of Clapham Common, as the ‘Science Day School for Boys & Girls’ at the old Battersea Polytechnic. Here began, in 1899, a School to meet the needs of children whose parents could not afford the higher fees of the Endowed or High Schools. Secondary Education was not as yet aided legally out of Rates. The School’s Principal was Mr. Sidney Wells and, under him, Miss M.E. Stoker took charge of the forty-eight girls at the School.

1902

Following the Education Act of 1902, the numbers of pupils admitted to the School became too great to accommodate and it was decided to move the girls to a separate building. Later that year the Girls’ School opened in ‘Clarence House’, North Side Clapham Common. (see Addenda *)

1906

There were now 240 girls at the School and, in July 1906, an adjacent house ‘Woodlands’ was acquired to accommodate the ever-growing pupil numbers. (see Addenda *) The Sixth Form grew and University Scholarships were gained. The Schools’s curriculum was then very much as it was to continue, with Science at the fore. Alongside the academic subjects there was a vigorous Musical Society & Plays were routinely staged. A ‘Working Party’ formed in 1905 met each week to make garments for the Fairlight Mission, Battersea Home for Mothers & the Clapham Infant Welfare Centre, helping needy mothers and children, setting the tradition of charitable work by pupils. Donations were also regularly given in support of local Hospitals.

It was in this year too that the first School Magazine ‘The Gleam ’ was published.

The School continued to grow in these two houses for three further years by which time, with nearly 400 girls, it had been recognised that a more stable and long-term plan was necessary. The School had always been managed by the Governors of the Battersea Polytechnic whose interest and friendship contributed much to the welfare and development of the School but now management passed to the London County Council who set about finding a site on which to erect a brand new, purpose-built and well-equipped School. When Broomwood Road was selected there were no houses between the present boundary and Alfriston Road. (see Addenda **) The School which was built on the site, our School, was one of the last of its design to be erected by the London County Council. Later buildings had fewer floors and spread over a larger area.

1909

On September 14th 1909 at Broomwood Road a new term began a new year at a new School. There was still much to do to finish off the interior fittings and there were concerns that the opening may have to be delayed. It was decided, however, despite the noise and bustle of workmen, that the School should open for the new academic year as planned. Now a Grade II Listed Building, this magnificent structure opened its doors to the public for the very first time.

… the next 100 years …

1910

Throughout its history, the School frequently welcomed visitors through its portals but in this year the most memorable occasion was a visit by a party of Russian teachers who spent a couple of days mingling with Staff and pupils, watching and learning. To end their visit they entertained the assembled Staff and pupils with a medley of Russian songs.

April saw a performance by pupils of Concert & Drama to raise funds for the ‘Working Party.’

The year also saw the School’s first Speech Day & Prize-giving ceremony.

1911

The year was marked by two important events, first of which was a mass Concert in Queen’s Hall conducted by Sir Frederick Bridge and performed by a large choir drawn from all the London County Council Schools. A thrilling occasion!

The second was the inaugural meeting of the ‘Quondam’ Club, the Society which endures to this day. The aim is, as it was then, to maintain contact between former pupils, Staff and their School. Miss Stoker was Quondam’s first President. A few years after inauguration the Quondam Club formed a Dramatic Society which continued to flourish and produce plays until 1934.

1912-16

These years saw many theatrical productions, many of which were written by Staff members, including ‘A Roman History ’, ‘The Romance of Chemistry ’ and ‘A Pageant of the Education of English Women‘. In this latter production, since each Form was made responsible for one scene, the participation of the entire School was ensured. To mark the 1916 Tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death each Form again produced and performed a scene from one of his Plays.

1914-18

The Summer of 1914 would be memorable when, as the end of term approached, the cloud of war began to cast its shadow. By the time the School returned in September battles had already been fought and the German advance on Paris halted. School life continued at Broomwood Road, albeit with marked differences, and there was no evacuation of the School during this war.

Many of the Staff & pupils gave freely of their time after school to help the war effort – carrying out clerical duties when Identity Cards & food rationing were introduced, working in Red Cross Hospitals and, not least, making local anaesthetics at Battersea Polytechnic’s laboratories. On one occasion in 1915, after the first enemy gas attack on London, they helped by making a simple form of respirator.

A War Savings Association was formed which continued to the end of the war. Part of the garden was given over to growing vegetables, some of which were used for School dinners. There was a weekly collection to buy eggs for the local Red Cross Hospitals and concert parties were formed to entertain patients, at the School when possible. Sewing groups made useful items for patients and Forces at the Front. On July 20th 1915, a Sale of Work was held at the School, combined with a Concert, to raise money for materials. £60 was collected. A similar event in 1917 raised £92.

At 11 a.m. on 11th November 1918 the maroons signalled the Armistice and fighting stopped. A service of thanksgiving was held in the Hall after which the School closed for the rest of the day.

The Mayor & Corporation of Battersea wished to mark the end of the war with something special for their Schools and ‘Broomwood’ persuaded them to give the School a permanent memento. This was to be the trophy called ‘The Peace Cup’ which was thereafter awarded to the Form achieving the largest number of points at the School Sports Day held at the end of Summer Term.

To celebrate the end of the war and the signing of the Peace Treaty, the Staff entertained the School with three fancy dress parties.

During the years from 1909 to 1918 the standard of work at the School was consistently raised: more girls took external Examinations, with greater degrees of success. Post matriculation or advanced courses had been established in the Sixth Form a few years before the war. One of the effects on the School of the First World War, however, was not unlike that of World War Two. It was easy for girls to obtain posts in Offices and in temporary Government Departments and this decreased the numbers staying on for work in the Sixth Form so that the advanced School work was more difficult to carry on. In spite of this, some girls did realise their ambition to enter University, a number of those with University Scholarships.

As School numbers had increased, more rooms had to be taken for use by the pupils – the Secretary’s room, the Staff Reference Library and the Museum Room all became Form rooms. Other changes in the building took place at a later date when the Secretary’s Room was divided into two, with one half becoming the Waiting Room. At that time too, the Sixth Form Chemistry Laboratory was created by moving the dividing wall between the Science Lecture Room and the Science Preparation Room, making the latter much more capacious.

From the earliest days at Battersea Polytechnic, Science had always been an important subject for the School. The removal of the girls from the Polytechnic in 1902 did not mean our connection had been severed. During the gradual increase in numbers while the School had operated out of ‘Clarence House‘ and ‘Woodlands ‘ the senior girls still attended the Polytechnic for Science, Domestic Science and for Physical Training. Their counterpart Boy’s School had by that time also moved from the Polytechnic building to another, near Latchmere, but they convened with the girls for major events such as Prize Giving, the School Concert and the annual ‘Conversazione’ held in the Great Hall. They also combined to produce and perform Plays. Joint Sports Days were also held during those years, at Herne Hill Sports Ground.

In 1909, the same year in which the newly-built Girls’ School opened at Broomwood Road, the boys moved to the new Thornton School for Boys at Clapham.

1919

In 1919, after twenty years of dedicated Headship, half of which time had been spent in the new School building at Broomwood Road, Miss Stoker retired. She had steered the School from its beginnings, organising and developing its life through two difficult periods of change, in 1904 & 1909, and through the uncertainties of wartime. She left the School with pupil numbers of 540, far in excess of the 480 for which the new building had been designed.

Always ready to experiment with new ideas likely to widen the outlook of girls and increase their self-reliance, Miss Stoker had pioneered the construction of a complex organisation and assisted girls to find interesting and fruitful careers. During her Headship she had also established in the School sound traditions of loyalty and of co-operation & response to the claims of the community.

… a new era …

1919

In May 1919, Miss Ethel A. Jones took office as Clapham County School’s new Headmistress. In a speech some years later, she remarked how fortunate had been the timing of her arrival, just after World War 1, and of her retirement 19 years later, shortly before World War 2 began. All her efforts were therefore able to be directed towards the success of her pupils’ education.

Post-war Britain had begun the lengthy task of rebuilding its battered structures and its economy. At Broomwood Road, school life also began to return to normal. Energies which had been diverted to helping the War effort were now concentrated on school work. The average school life began to lengthen with more girls being encouraged to enter the Sixth Form; entrance to University and Training Colleges of various types was now widely sought. In a Speech Day report, Miss Jones declared “A large Sixth Form is evidence of a healthy life in a Secondary School.” Girls were also inspired by Miss Jones and her Staff to take an interest in the wider world beyond school.

1920’s

The School flourished during this period with ever-increasing numbers of girls gaining General and Higher School Certificates and Open or State Scholarships at Universities and Training Colleges. Resulting Degree qualifications, in a wide variety of fields, were impressive. The many Societies active within the School provided girls the opportunity to explore and gain a wider knowledge of favourite subjects, to supplement the work in the class room or laboratory. These included English Literature, Drama, Music, the Classics, Science, French, German, History & Geography. The groups were conducted as separate entities until 1931 when they were merged into one comprehensive Society under a Central Committee.

In 1923, or thereabouts, it was mooted that the girls would benefit from being able to enjoy performances by invited Musicians of standing, Pianists in particular, but the School’s piano at that time was not considered good enough for concert purposes. In true ‘Broomwood’ style then, fund-raising began in earnest. Concerts held in 1924 raised a sum of £252 which the School invested in a Broadwood grand piano. A short recital by one of the Music Staff the following January confirmed that the purchase had been wise and worthwhile and this was soon followed by a more formal ceremony of introduction, when Miss Harriet Cohen gave a recital to a large audience.

Drama was by now playing an important and most enjoyable part in School life.

In 1924 the first School Dramatic Competition was held. This became an interesting and eagerly awaited annual event, taking place each Spring Term.

In 1925 it was agreed that a Loan Fund should be set up. This was designed to help School-leavers, by granting them sums of money to assist in further Education or enable them to undergo specific Career Training. The Loan granted was to be repaid whenever possible. By 1927, through organising a Fete and Dramatic productions, a goodly sum had been raised which gave the Loan Fund its foundation. The Fund was added to from time to time by donations and from money raised through further Drama productions by pupils, Staff and ‘Old Girls’.

A desire had grown among some of the ‘Old Girls’ to recognise, with a tangible record at School, the devotion of former Head, Miss Stoker, in guiding the School’s fortunes in its formative years. A committee of Old Girls & Staff set about collecting donations for the commissioning of her portrait. The artist chosen was Philip Humphreys, a local Clapham resident.

On July 29th 1928, Miss Thomas, a long-serving member of Staff who had worked with Miss Stoker since the School’s days at Battersea Polytechnic, unveiled the portrait and presented it to her. After accepting it with pleasure and gratitude, Miss Stoker asked Mr.Gridley, Chairman of the Governors, to receive it as one of the School’s lasting possessions.

*Adapted from ‘ The County Secondary School Clapham ’ by Annie Ellis, member of Staff 1905 – 1945, the Memorial Book to Miss Jones 1966, the Jubilee Year Book 1959 and Quondam Newsletters covering three decades.