CREWS HOLE SCHOOL opened in 1880 - the year that education for children between the ages of five and 13 became compulsory - and closed in 1905. Little was known of its history. But now almost a century later a school log book has surfaced, rescued from a skip by a teacher who recognised it as a unique social document from Victorian times. The book opens in 1894 when John Monckton was the headmaster. Teachers included Mr Webb, Miss Payne, Miss Evans and Nellie Beese, who was a pupil teacher.
The number of pupils at the school tended to fluctuate depending on sickness and the weather. When it rained, the children, few of whom had raincoats, got soaked and were then sent home. In the winter the river Avon would sometimes flood into the playground and stopped the pupils from entering the classrooms. Flooding also meant that pupils from the other side of the river were not able to get the ferry to school. In May attendances were also down as many of the pupils went to the Lansdown races near Bath with their parents.
Local schools, paid for by the local authorities, were still a novelty in those days and the St George School Board would come to inspect the pupils on a regular basis. Mr A G Verrier (remembered in Verrier Street) and the Rev Trebilico were just two of them. The Rev E J Bales, on one visit, lectured the children on the habits of perseverance, industry, punctuality and good conduct. The log book also mentions pupils some as old as nine who, the teacher says, 'know nothing, and don't know their numbers or letters'
I would have thought that this reflected badly on the teaching at the school but on the whole, pupils did well, many winning prizes for exams that would take them on to higher education. The girls often performed better than the boys much the same as today. At the festivals of Christmas and Easter cards, booklets and sweets were distributed to the children, which must have been a bonus for the poorer families. There is mention of parents coming to the school to complain about the treatment of their offspring by the teachers mostly to do with corporal punishment. If they became abusive they would be ordered out of the building.
Here are just a few of the more interesting entries in the log.
October 14,1895: The pupils were given a half day off to celebrate the opening of the electric tramway to Kingswood.
1896: Ethel Ranavalona Ruth Teale becomes a teacher at the school. (What a beautiful name.) The same year Dr Young called to gather information about an epidemic of measles which was rife in Crews Hole at the time. In the July the arrival of the school photographer caused much excitement.
1897: The school closed for a week to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee. A special tea was laid on by the St George Urban Council for all the pupils in the area which numbered something like 300. The lucky children were all given two buns and two oranges each plus a few nuts before singing and marching off to St George Park.
1897: Oh August 27 a young girl, Hilda White, was drowned near the school. No alarm was raised because the younger children who witnessed it didn't know what to do. On Saturday, July 31, a big fire broke out at the nearby Butler tar works. The headmaster, believing that the fire could spread to the school, carried books, maps, records and pictures to safety.
1898: Mr J Ewers, the new head, took over and the school bell rope was replaced.
1899: The pupils were marched to Lawrence Hill railway station where they all got on the train to Clifton Down. From here they went to see the ageing Queen Victoria open a new convalescent home on the Downs.
1900: Only a few children attended school in February due to snow and high winds. Because of soaking wet boots, stockings and other garments these few were sent home. '
1901: The Rev Parker came to the school and conducted a service for the death of the old Queen. A boy was expelled 'in the best interests of the school', said the head. In March the school received an invalid chair for a crippled pupil. It was donated by a Miss Townsend of Redcross Street. In the same month school closed again this time for the funeral of the chairman, the Rev Urijah Thomas, who was buried at Arnos Vale. In July another pupil drowned, this time while playing near a quarry. Samuel Lovell tried to save him. At this time there were nearly 200 pupils at the school, which was very overcrowded. In good weather some classes were even held in the playground and others sent to Two Mile Hill school.
1902: Gerty Iies died from scarlet fever. Two others were taken ill. There was general concern about the drains under the premises. Teachers at the school - including a new head Mr Clarke were Ann Cartwright, Martha Payne, Lily Cavill, Edith Smith, Kate Evans and sisters Nellie and Lily Beese. In December 57 pupils were absent due to an outbreak of measles.
1903: In September there were cases of diphtheria, typhoid and scarlet fever reported. In October councillor John Swaish visited the school. (I wonder how many pupils would later visit his pawnbroker shops?) Time after time we are told that the Beese sisters were stranded at their tea garden home by high tides and flooding.
The school closed at the end of the summer term in 1905. No official reason for the closure was given but it must have been a combination of the drains, flooding and the closeness of the volatile tar works. Butlers would later buy the empty buildings and store chemicals there.
