Victorian New 'University School'

[Richard]

A new 'University School', built at Step Meadow (junction Holmesdale Gardens and Redmayne Drive) was opened in 1874. It was designed by the Architect Thomas Elsworthy of St Leonards. It was a large building, with a square tower on its north-east corner.
In 1932 it was demolished by the (?nearby) hospital, which opened a nurses’ home on its site in July 1934 [now demolished].

This 'University School' must have been a sort of Victorian 'Prep School'.
Not sure if this was a private type of Grammar School or how it fits into the picture of colleges preparing selected pupils for Oxford, Cambridge or London Universities.
This is the only picture I can find:
It would be a long time before some means of selection other than that according to wealth (or scholarships) allowed greater access to Universities.

[Gerry Glyde]

It was a boarding school taking pupils up to around 18 or 19 according to the census. I located a photo of some boys doing physical exercise a few weeks ago but have no idea where it was.
The name university school suggests that it was expecting pupils to go on to the few handful of Universities that existed at the time, rather than into business or Sandhurst or similar, although I expect that several will have gone into the Army

[Richard]

Thanks Gerry, It makes me think there must have been a lot of money around in those days, for the numerous Boarding Schools catering to the children of the relatively wealthy, as seen in Hastings and St Leo's.
We have already touched on a few on the forum in general - not sure exactly how many there were, but it is all quite interesting.
How it compares to the present-day is another matter but, for Hastings at least, the picture must surely have changed dramatically, in no small part down to the two world wars and political attitudes to education.
Who exactly funded the building of these numerous private Boarding schools is unknown to me, but presumably it would have been a purely business arrangement with shareholders and accountable Governors/Governesses.

[Gerry Glyde]

The profile of the school is similar to that I had suggested in the earlier post. Prior to the 1870 Act the availability of education was mainly down to private establishments be they big or small and various religious foundations and charities.There were also what was known as ragged schools where the very basic reading and writing were taught.Many people could not write their own name and of course the ubiquitous 'mark' X for tranches of the working poor. (Christ's Hospital somewhere near Hastings, is an old established charity that still dresses it's pupils in ankle length blue uniforms). Earlier in the 19th c young women who had received some education but had not been or did not want to marry, might set up a Dame School as a career and teach a handful of children in their own home.

The University School like many of it's kind could be set up by a person able to raise the cash by a loan or from sponsors who wished to participate. A frequently seen school sign would have the head's name plus MA (Cantab) or (Oxon) or perhaps (Lond). Some times just a mere BA.

US did as I expected, have a role of training for potential military cadets with its own version of what some schools now have, the CCF (combined cadet force) Hastings Grammar used to have a CCF. The pupils had their military ranks as can be seen in the attached newspaper extract. It also promoted lots of physical training and frequent sports activities at it's 'beautifully situated' private ground at Bo-Peep. After the school closed at Holmesdale it moved to Quarry Hill. The Head who retired when the school moved, to St Ls had served for 37 years and amongst other things was given a framed photograph of the cohort pupils. I have also uncovered a link between this post and the recent one about fire stations, with a report of a fire at the school attended by the Middle Street volunteer fire service.

As a tantalizing addition to the posters resident in Blacklands I have also found a school that was situated in St Helen's Cres.

[Gerry Glyde]

Extra extracts

Of those who were in their CCF, I wonder how many were slaughtered at the Somme or Gallipoli and other places.- along with all the Tommies from the general Hastings population.

[Richard]

Thanks for all your research Gerry,
It is interesting to build up a bigger picture of the education system in Victorian and later times in Hastings.
I will search the Library when I get time later in the month.
Thank you !!

[Chris Barlow]

My father was a pupil at the University School in 1919, he would have been 10. His father was a Baptist Minister and probably not in the 'wealthy' bracket of life. I have a few photos of the school and its activities which I have put here: https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/album?album_id=4367343859
At 10yrs. he was at the lower age range. The Cadet force was clearly taken quite seriously but then in 1919 I'm sure it would have been.
He is no. 73 in the sports day photo ( no. 3).
Not sure sure that rifles all round the gym walls and 'armoury' would meet current laws!

[Chris Barlow]

sorry about duplicated image.I meant to add this one