Do you remember Knapp Road School?
Bill Hawkins emailed us to ask, if anyone remembered Knapp Road School.
A walk to Knapp Road told me that it is now called The Clara Grant Primary School, and a quick bit of research produced an absolute deluge of fascinating local history.
School Board for London
Visually it looks like one of the many sturdy School Board for London buildings which have lasted so well. High on the wall a plaque reads Devon’s Road School, 1905. The SBL (colloquially LSB) was setup following the 1870 Elementary Education Act. The SBL built 400 schools like this one between 1870 and 1904 – quite an achievement. Then responsibility passed to the London County Council, but there was obvious continuity. The board was elected democratically and from the off in 1870 all ratepayers, including women, could vote in a secret ballot for the board. That 1870 board had three women on it, including Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Many caring, influential and can-do people served on the School Board for London.
The aim of the SBL was to provide sufficient school places for London’s poorest children. By the late 1880s they were educating 350,000 pupils. The London board had passed a by-law in 1871 compelling all parents to have their children educated from the ages of 5 to13. That didn’t work too well as school attendance wasn’t free until 1891. Additionally poor children were working, either helping their mothers with outwork, such as making matchboxes on the kitchen table, or simply in employment.
Geezer Ted Lewis (1929 – 2017) told me how he came to leave school at 11 during WW2. He was evacuated to a village in Devon that had a church run school which only took infants and juniors. So Ted went to work on a farm, which he enjoyed. He’d previously spent all his boyhood summer holidays hop picking in Kent, and had gained some experience.
Clara Grant
Clara Grant was born in 1867 to a reasonably well-off family in Wiltshire. She trained to become a teacher at Salisbury Diocesan Training College, and her first post was at a small Wiltshire church school in 1888. Motivated by her Christian faith, she became the head of a school in Hoxton in 1890. She set out to help the most deprived children in London. Ten years later she became head of a tin school at Bow Common (All Hallows). When the splendid Devon’s Road School in my photos opened in 1905 she was headmistress of the infants.
Clara was up to speed with the latest ideas on child development. She was influenced by the work of Friedrich Froebel who invented the kindergarten. This considered the whole child – health, physical development, emotional well-being, the environment and other factors as important.
Fern Street Settlement
The Settlement Movement began with the 1884 founding of Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel. This socially reforming movement brought rich and poor together in one place. Wealthy volunteers brought donations, culture, education, and provide daycare, and healthcare to the struggling poor. Clara Grant worked at Toynbee Hall for a while, and this influenced what she did next. In 1907 she opened up her own terraced house in Fern Street, which backed onto Devon’s Road School, as a small settlement. By the 1939 PO Directory (below) you can see that it now occupied 3 houses.
Margaret MacMillan established the first school clinic in London in Devon’s Road School in 1908. Clara organised hot breakfasts for her young pupils, paying for porridge, milk, bread and butter. She also gave them proper clothes and boots. The Settlement provided healthcare, a dentist, a library, and organised a thrift club. Clara Grant is famous for the farthing bundles of toys which the children queued to get. From 1908 a worker and nurse would visit every baby born to families in the area once a month for a year who were connected to Devons Road School.
Clara Grant received an OBE in 1949, and died soon after aged 82.
Does anyone have any memories of going to school in Knapp Road to share with Bill?
Jimmy I remember that very well when we had to sleeping the afternoon dobyouvremember the headmaster Mr Goode
A long time ago 1944, can’t remember that much. We lived in Rounton Road, opposite the left-hand entrance of the school, number 70 was only 150 yards away. I remember the curtains being drawn in the classroom at about 2 pm and pupils being put to bed for a nap in ex-army beds, similar to a stretcher. This terrified me, not being used to it, I used to run from the school and hide up a tree that was outside the house, knowing that my mother would return me if I went indoors. I would watch someone from the school come to the house to report my escape, from my hiding place in the tree. My mother knew where to find me, as this was a known hiding place of mine, I would come down only if she assured me that I would not have to go to bed again. this was a regular occurrence until I was exempt from nap time. Treasured memories. Can’t climb trees anymore.
I would love to read some of your recollections of the infants school. It probably hadn’t changed much since my dad’s time.
John Islip was one of my teachers at Knapp Road school in 1948. Great teacher.
I attended Knapp Road school in 1944 infants and junior until 1950. Then as a senior, sent to Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (mixed) Southern Grove. Anyone who knew me still around?
I have a slightly damaged photo of my dad’s class in Knapp Road school 1936 (He was 5 at the time).
Hi Chris, I have talked to Mick and he remembers you very well. He wants to have a day out with you in the near future. Hi e-mail is: mikelovell@mr-genius.co.uk
I’ve had a rare old time out here and have lived in Sydney, Melbourne , Wellington NZ. and
finally ended up in Adelaide. I did a trade for raising steam in boilers and got what’s called
a ”First Class Engine Driver’s certificate. That meant I could operate any boiler and steam turbine to
generate electricity. I had two jobs aver the 40 years working for two private companies, working in
control room environment. The Aussies I worked with have mainly been fantastic blokes and I still have days out with a lot of them. I’m on my second wife, having divorced the Aussie girl I was with and believe or not, this one is from Broadstairs. I met her in Peru when we did the same Amazon
expedition in 2009. She now lives here in Goolwa Beach with me, about 80kms from Adelaide.
I have a son aged 45 who is a dental specialist in Adelaide.
I’m glad to hear you have done so well and it’s funny how we all like to move to the coast having come from the big smoke. I’ve been back a few times and I must say, I feel like a foreigner.
I still remember the old street and the good times with all the mates.
Stay well and we’ll talk soon. Jim
ps. james.cornish@live.com.au
cheers jim.
i live in eastbourne had have done for 46 years.
im now semi retired, working for brighton uni- after 33 years teaching in special ed.
what have you done in aussie since ’68?
ps. i remember selling lead to wally tibbats and playing footbal with his younger brother johnny!
chris
Hi Chris, Yes, I was in that class too. Roger Washbourne had a twin sister, Barbara.
Also, there was Charlie Souza, Melvyn Finegold, Dennis Isaacs, Reggie Beckwith, David Cooper,
John Lamming, Michael Brand, just to mention a few.
Bob Goodbody and Mick Lovell lived in my street, Fairfoot Road. I’m still in touch with Mick and I think
he contributes to Our Bow. I can’t believe I got this far in life still in one piece.
It’s been a fantastic ride and I’m so grateful to hear from folks like you from the old days.
Hi Jim
We may have been in contact before via another site.
I lived in Sumner house ,Devons rd-1050 to 1968.
We have some mutual friends in Michael Lovell,Marilyn Drake and Bob Goodbody.the lads
lived near you I think?
Best
Chris Savory
hi derek
i have a similar story in that ,bob woodman,was in my reception class;my juniors; st pauls way;football teams and on many holidays. we too are still in contact and meet up when we can.
he lives in sidcup- i live in eastbourne.
chris
Hello Chris..
I can’t remember any of the pupils at Devons with the exception of Mike Ellis, who lived in Campbell Road. On my first day at school I went into Miss Taylor’s class. She asked the kids that were already there “This is Derek, does any body know him” ? Mike put his hand up and I went and sat next to him, even though I didn’t know who he was at all . Our friendship lasted thtough our schooldays and into adulthood, where I was best man at his wedding as he was at mine. Later we both lived near each other in Hornchurch until he moved to the coast when he retired. But we are still regularly in contact.
hi derek
yes knapp road was at the other end of knapp rd and was destroyed by a flying bomb in WW2.
my parents lived next to it.
which pupils do you remember at devons rd?
best.
chris
Hello.
Knapp road School to me was the school at the top end of Knapp Road that got bombed during the war and demolished. My elder brother was a pupil there at that time.
I attended Devons school from 1945 until 51 when I passed on to St. Paul’s Way
I can only remember Miss Gadd and Mr Islip from your list above, but I do remember that my first teacher was a Miss Taylor followed next term in the kindly Miss Roper’s class. The head Mistress was the fearful Miss Hunt.
Hi there
I was at Devons J.M. 1954-61. I remember teachers being:Mr Jackson(head};John Islip(who went as a missionary to Africa);Chris Pope;Miss Gadd;Miss Baraclough; Miss Morris and Miss Jacobs(reception).
45+ in a class- I remember playing football and cricket for the school and have the photos!
I went on to SPW Sec.
Chris Savory
We did exactly the same. Happy memories.
Hi Gina, I had the same teachers in the 50’s and also there was Mr Jackson the headmaster.
Some of the kids in my class were, Frances Adnams, Irene Philips, Roger Washbourne,
Sidney Bootle, Lennie Sinclair. Sir Michael Caine always says, we weren’t poor, we
were underpriveleged. Too right, Michael…………………..
Hi mate, I was there from 51 to 56 and the old caretaker was Mr. Hooper.
If I remember rightly he had a limp and couldn’t catch us kids.
We would play football at the far end of the playground and when we saw him coming we would
shoot down the side of the school and climb the gate into Knapp Road.
I was at the school from 1946 until 1951 and can remember the caretaker at that time. He lived on the school premises. The caretaker’s house was to the right of the school. Can’t remember his name but he was a short man, who often chased me out of the playground after hours.
I went to this school (then Devons Road School in the 50’s. My 2 older sisters and brother went there too. I loved it. Our teachers were Mr. Islip, Mr. Woolly and Miss Gadd. Miss Allan, the rector’s sister, from the Lighthouse Baptist church , was our reception class teacher.
The playground for the juniors, was on the school roof.
There were around 48 of us in my class; a boy called John Newland and l passed the 11 plus and went to grammar school from there. We lived opposite the school in a little road called Chiltern Road. I think the houses we lived in were all pulled down and replaced with a skyscraper. It was a happy school – we didn’t know we were poor! ???