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Schooldays in Haslemere

Between the 1940s and 1960s, Haslemere had a variety of different schools. Private schools included St Ives, which at this time was a school ran by the Parents’ National Educational Union and as such emphasised the teaching of nature studies and the arts. The Haslemere School on Chestnut Avenue was opened on 22nd April 1900. It was originally designed for some 220 pupils and built by public subscription. There were also smaller schools such as Hillside School, situated for a time on the Petworth Road and run by the formidable Miss Welland, and Shottermill School in Lion Lane. Woolmer Hill, today the only secondary school in Haslemere, was built in the 1950s to satisfy requirements of 1944 Education Act.

Track 21 Chestnut Avenue

Credit line: Mitch Mitchell talks about his time at Chestnut Avenue School.

Transcription:

Interviewee: Later on I went to what we called ’The Big School’ in Chestnut Avenue which is now a nursery school or something and, yes, there were some nice teachers there. I don’t think there were any horrible teachers at all. Miss Ostler was the first one I remember. She was very nice and Mr Roebuck. Of course being just after the war books and things were in short supply and we had various people donate books and things for the school and I always remember Mr Roebuck picked this book up and said "well there is only one person in this school who can possibly understand this" and he handed it to me. It was Don Quixote. I could only have been about ten then.

Interviewer: He thought highly of you and your literacy skills.

Interviewee: Yes, yes.

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