Early 20th Century School Life

… from the Wychwoods Albums Archive

Pupils of Milton school in about 1932

Standing in the playground next to the church are Ralph Davis, Herman Puddle, Philip Hepden, Jack Prew, Mervyn Dore, John Richards, Eric McShea, Ivor Hunt and Eric Collier.

The Baptist Church Schoolroom was built in 1867 on the corner ofJubilee Lane and catered for pupils up to the age of seven. It closed in the 1920s. From 1930 the older pupils attended Burford School at the age of eleven. Milton school closed in 1972 when the new Wychwood School was opened.

Rest period, Milton school, about 1932

Mrs Gwen Morgan recalls that ‘the seats were hard, the desks not easy to work on, the sanitary conditions poor and the school warmed only by tortoise stoves but I cannot remember that causing too much worry. The lime trees around the playground gave such a sweet scent in the spring and attracted so many bees that I still remember the continual hum of their wings.’

St Mary’s Church of England School, Shipton, about 1913

The building, also designed by G. E. Street, was constructed in 1854 as a National School and was enlarged in 1887. It closed in 1984.

School children at Shipton school, 1909

Mr John Strong (left) was headmaster of Shipton School: and it cost 2d a week to attend.


Wychwoods Album Menu

This is one of series of snapshots taken from the Society’s publications “The Wychwoods Albums”. These publications from the mid to late 1980s feature a variety of images of the Wychwoods, all of which deserve a place in our expanding online archive.

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The Shaven Crown | Shipton Village Panorama | Shipton Post Office 1908/10 | Shipton Views Early 1900s | Aspects of Milton 1900s-1930s| Milton & Shipton Churches | Early 20th Century School Life | Shipton Court in 1895-1910 | Road and Rail | Matthews Mill, Shipton | Alfred Groves – a Historic Family Business | Vintage Transport and Deliveries | Agriculture and Manufacturing | Some Local Wychwoods Characters| Wychwoods Group Activities| Wychwoods Album Home