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A Short History Of Spring Grove School up to 1958 The following historical narrative was prepared by the Heston & Isleworth Schools' Local History Society, published in the Middlesex Chronicle in 1958 and provided to us by the Hounslow Library Local History Collection.
SPRING GROVE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Newest of the grammar schools, and the only co-educatonal school in the borough, Spring Grove Secondary School, as it was then known, opened with a meeting of the future scholars in January 1923, in a building and on a site rich in history, which will be dealt with in a later article. Twenty-one attended the first roll call - "Fifteen young gentlemen and six young ladies," to quote from an article in an old school magazine. There were only two members of staff, Mr C.A. Wood M.A., the Headmaster, and Miss I Bonnett, and the varous subjects (75 per cent gardening) were divided between them. The school, however, was officially opened by Mr. County Alderman Register on April 25th, 1923.
The grounds were described by one of those original pupils, John Davidge, in a 1939 edition of "Old Spring Grovian" as "Very wild; heavy undergrowth and many trees, since cut down, made them ideal for the pupils to lead the caretaker, Mr Stowe, a dance, when they stayed after school in the evening. The top pitch was divided down the middle by a high wall and there were orchards in each part. The vinery had a really fine vine in it and in the first two years many dozens of bunches were grown. Many of the rooms have been altered, but the biggest change has been in the Banksian Room, which originally was like a hothouse at Kew and had all kinds of vines, trees and plants growing in it, and also an aquarium. Today there are few traces left of the grotto-like room of 1923.
On Wednesday, December 17th, 1924, the new Assembly Hall was opened by the Right Hon. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks, Bart, M.P., the Home Secretary, on the first "Speech Day."
In 1927 Aleck Westrupp gained the first Matriculation and the annual prize distribution on December 8th, 1928 was reported in the "Middlesex Chronicle" under the heading "Six Years' Steady Progress! Excelsior!" The school now contained more than 450 pupils and many societies already flourished. Many will remember the old black and white uniform of those days, the "Men of the Trees," and the pageants and exhibitions in connection with which we recall the name of Mr. Fendick, then History Master, now a Director of Education. The school coninued to flourish, and there is nothing specially noteworthy to report, apart from Mr Wood's retirement and the arrival in January 1935, of the present Headmaster, Mr L.T.Brown, M.A. Cantab, under whom "Spring Grove" has made so much progress in numbers, in the widening of outlook and in academic achievements. At the outbreak of war it seemed possible that the school would cease to function, as it was taken over by the Office of Works, but their stay was a brief one, and the school was soon able to carry on its normal activities, after a short period during which the County School gave it accommodation.
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