Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre. Perlethorpe School part 4.

 

Above: Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre as seen from the churchyard opposite. Countless generations of Perlethorpe schoolchildren have crawled along the long lower branch of that Lime tree.

When Perlethorpe Primary School closed in 1984, both the land and building reverted to the ownership of Thoresby Estate, Lady Rozelle. As has been mentioned elsewhere on this blog, Lady Rozelle was already a keen supporter of childhood education through her 1970s scheme to rehabilitate “East End boys” in care. Negotiations between Thoresby Estate and Nottinghamshire Education Committee soon took place, and it was agreed that this once busy primary school, could be used as a field study centre.

In 1985 the centre offered the opportunity for groups of children, perhaps from a mostly city or town background, to visit designated areas in the park’s woodlands, farm land, and river. It proved a great success. Between then and now (2024), the centre has gone on to develop and offer a rich, broad curriculum, incorporating such subjects as Archaeology, Geology, Art, Bushcraft, Saxons & Vikings, Victorian days, World War, Art, and of course, the Nature Studies so enjoyed by the estates own children in many decades past.

Above: Roof repairs, 2015.

Above: Rear view, 2017.

Above: 2021. Solar panels being fitted for an environmentally friendly Environmental Education Centre.

Above: 2022. New extensions to the Centre.

Perlethorpe Primary School part 3.

 

Above: Mr Peter Pierpont stages a joke photograph with the pupils outside the side entrance to the school, c.1959, with Mrs Morgan in the rear. Left to right: Colin Turnbull, Janet Carter, Barry Fretwell, Billy Craig, unknown, Ian Gordon Craig, Patricia Tully, Theresa Tully, Geraldine Mountjoy, Unknown, Unknown, Linda Fisher, John Dew, Simon Morgan, Susan Tully, Eric Fretwell, Alan Wignall, David Dewhurst. Teachers are Peter Pierpont and Mrs Morgan. Corrections can be made via the comments box.

 Renovations to Perlethorpe School were completed in 1959. During the course of those renovations the children attended lessons in the Village Hall, 100 yards down the road, which had been built in 1957.

Mr Peter Pierpont took over as Headteacher in January 1961, with Mrs Morgan in charge of the juniors. The dinner lady was Mrs Langstaff. Peter Pierpont (no relation to the Pierreponts) was possibly the first male schoolteacher Perlethorpe had employed. His outgoing nature, and slightly boisterous attendance at Village Hall socials, whilst the children got involved with Twist dance competitions, is something I well remember. Examination results for the 11+ in 1961 show standards of education were high with the majority of the applicants going on to grammar school. Mr Pierpont died in 1963.

Peter Pierpont was replaced by C. Alan Bollans in April 1964, whilst Mrs Morgan continued to teach the juniors.

 Above: Mr C. Bollans with a group of school children outside the school grounds in front of Perlethorpe Church, c.1962.
Left to right: Alan Wignall, unkown, unknown, Janet Carter, David Dewhurst (rear), unknown, Brian George (rear), Eric Fretwell, William Craig jnr. (hand on lama), John Dew, Simon Morgan, unknown. Teacher is C. Allan Bollands. Corrections can be made via the comments box.

Above: Class of c. 1964 / 65.

 I am thankful to ex-schoolmate Eric Fretwell for this school photograph. The teachers are Mrs Morgan and Mr Bollans, but most of the pupils’ names eluded us. If anyone can fill the gaps, do leave a comment.

Left to Right: Yvonne Graham, Gordon Hodgkinson, Valerie Johnson, Unknown, Unknown, John Dew, Unknown, Unknown, Simon Morgan, Eric Fretwell (Back), Nicholas Almond, John Wignall, Unknown (Front), Alan Wignall (Back),
Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, David Dewhurst, Nigel Dew, Brian George, Brian Lupton, Unknown, Janet Carter (Back), Unknown, Michael Roberson, Dawn Johnson, Jonathan Bollans, Unknown. Update: The 4th boy on front row with tie is Mark Beard, girl with hair band and coat is Elizabeth Beard, between and behind them is Robert Beard.

In December 1984 the decision was made to close the school, which by then had a total of only 16 pupils. Headmaster C A Bollans left in July. His service towards all aspects of the life of Thoresby Estate was notable, and when the school closed he continued to serve the estate, working in the art gallery, organising his beloved cricket team, and much more. Mrs Morgan became the school's final Headmistress for just one term, presiding over only 4 pupils.

Above: Perlethorpe Primary School 1985, one year after its closure. The arch window on the left was originally the doorway where Mrs Bruce stood and rang her bell in the 1950's.

Perlethorpe Primary School part 2.

 

 Above: Class of c.1953 / 54.

My gratitude to one time school mate Allan Wignall and his sister Joan for sending me a full list of the pupils' names:

Back row from left to right. 1 Mrs Storey. 2 Carol Mendan. 3 Pauline Johnstone. 4 John Singleton. 5 Richard Gill. 6 Pamela Cooper. 7 Stewart Johnstone. 8 Sheila Carnitas. 9 Mrs Bruce.

Middle Row from left to right. 1 Robert Rayner. 2 Hazel Wood. 3 Ronald Pashley. 4 Janet Fuller. 5 Josephine Jackson. 6 Christopher Devereax. 7 Christine Mott. 8 David Reddish. 9 Philip Whittaker.

Bottom Row from left to right. 1 Christopher Cooper. 2 Joan Wignall. 3 Rose Carrol. 4 Kenneth Mott. 5 Tommy Riddley. 6 Francis Hendem. 7 Christine Craig. 8 Cynthia Wilks. 9 Madelaine Crowden. Mistakes can be corrected via the comments box.

 Education at Perlethorpe in the 1950s adhered of course to a strict timetable, but always incorporated a rich tapestry of creative exercises in manual dexterity, from weaving to maypole dancing, and from plasticine modelling to drawing the butterfly specimens that surrendered their short lives to Mrs Bruce’s thumb. If the sun came out (which seemed to happen practically every day), we simply all went on a nature walk. The nature books in which we drew our collected specimens were dark green hard backs. Dip-in pens were a compulsory element of writing lessons. New nibs were periodically issued to the class who were then instructed to place the small brass nib in their mouths to suck off the protective wax coating. (Perlethorpe Church records list no fatalities from this activity!) The walls were covered by large posters depicting the different animals, birds and trees from each season. When my older sister and myself retrieved a stag's skull and antlers from beneath the rhododendrons of the Pleasure Grounds that also became part of the display. (It's still there). Mrs Storer was in charge of the juniors prior to the arrival of Mrs Ward. Mrs J E Bruce became Headmistress in January 1950, in charge then of the seniors as they approached the "11-plus" examination.

At the start of the school day, and after dinner, the pupils would line up in two orderly rows at the sound of her bell, ready to enter the school via the dark oak door which was situated on the left of the front of the building. (This porch entrance was converted to a window during the renovations of 1959, and the porch became a storeroom.) Coats were hung inside that porch. The seniors then turned right and sat in rows with their backs to two rectangular windows, awaiting Mrs Bruce's instruction. The juniors walked straight ahead, beneath the high arched window on their left, and entered the rear classroom to be taught by Mrs Ward. A spelling mistake might merit a light slap on the back of the leg from her, whilst good work could merit a new pencil, complete with the novelty of having an eraser on the end.

Before the renovations of 1959 the pupil's toilets were stagnant metal drums with wooden seats situated on the right of the building where the entrance porch is today. The boy's urinal was a brick wall which separated them from the girls' toilet on the other side. This was open air, and swilled only occasionally by a solitary tap. A favourite game among the boys was seeing who could pee the highest up that wall.

Miss J E Bruce resigned as Headmistress in December 1960. She was noted for her dedication towards getting her pupils through the 11+ examination and on to a grammar school beyond. But the population of Perlethorpe Village was ever diminishing as the Estate's fortunes changed with the decades.

Above: This is what a pupil's exercise book and school reports looked like in the late 1950s / early 60s.

Perlethorpe Primary School part 1.

 

Above: Perlethorpe Church of England School, c.1956. Note the maypole, and the flowerbeds the children helped tend.

Perlethorpe Church of England School was built in 1861 by the 3rd Earl Manvers. It was designed by Salvin and predates St John the Evangelist Perlethorpe Church, on the opposite side of the road. A typical attendance figure for the late 19th century was about 40 children. This figure would go largely unchanged as the decades passed, before dropping significantly in the late 1960s.

In October 1879 the school was extended, probably by the addition of a second classroom to separate the juniors from the seniors, and the new School Headmistress Sarah Jan Wass recorded that the desks had also arrived. 1879 was also the year when formal registration of the pupils commenced at the insistence of visiting School Inspectors. In 1897 the classroom was illuminated by gas supplied from the Woodyard, and became a popular reading room for people on the estate who paid a small subscription to attend on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, between 7 pm - 8 pm.

Teaching methods involved the use of a tiered seating gallery, which ensured all pupils could see and be seen at a time when children would sometimes be taught in mixed groups by a pupil monitor. The gallery at Perlethorpe School was situated under the windows of the front of the building, against which our backs were turned. I have memories of being a junior at Perlethorpe School and joining the senior's class for lessons in tying shoe laces and "weaving". On these occasions I seem to remember my desk being slightly raised by the gallery in order to better view Mrs Bruce's desk across the room. This use of a gallery persisted into the early 1950's at Perlethorpe even though HMI reports of 1904 called for its removal.

Before the renovations of 1959 the pupils' toilets were stagnant metal drums with wooden seats situated on the right of the building where the modern entrance porch is today. Late 19th / early 20th century girls’ needlework classes involved making red cloaks from material provided by Lady Manvers, wife of the 4th Earl, which they had to wear to and from school. If ever a coach carrying Lady or Earl Manvers should come into view, children were expected to stop and curtsy or bow. This practice continued into the 1950's when my sister and I would stand still and politely wave until her car had passed. Until 1959 the two classrooms at Perlethorpe School were each heated by a central pot-bellied stove, its fuel supplied by the Woodyard. According to HMI reports there had been no separate office accommodation for teachers as late as 1920, and this was still likely the case into the 1950's.

Pupils from Budby would walk to school via Thoresby Lake, until that route was banned when the ice on the lake became too great a temptation. Sometimes they would hitch a ride on the milk cart, and risk being told off if the cart was late. Education was not as high on the average family agenda as the seasonal chores on the farm which might require their assistance. On the day after their 14th birthday, pupils left school to start work on the Estate. That all changed in 1927 when pupils over the age of 11 would move on to Edwinstowe School for the first time. In the early 20th century the Girls Friendly Society would meet in the school, engaging in such activities as knitting gloves or scarves for the Navy. This was a very popular club, as the boys played their cricket or rang the church bells.

During World War 2 a total of approximately 17 evacuees from heavily bombed Sheffield attended Perlethorpe School at one time or another, but their attendance was usually fleeting as homesickness set in. In 1940 Miss Lizzie Bradley became Headmistress and a year later was mentioned on the BBC for sending the £7 she raised by carol singing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.  1943 saw the introduction of a school canteen, and records show that 19 pupils stayed for a hot meal at dinner time. In 1944 Miss Ida Brett became Headmistress, succeeded in January 1950 by Miss J E Bruce.

Above: Although now an Environmental Education Centre, these photographs were made possible in 2017 because of the Victorian style re-enactments of school life carried out therein.

Below: The school building as photographed in 1985.