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Saturday, 22 October 2011
Stanwell, Middlesex, Lord Knyvetts School c1910
Stanwell, Middlesex, Lord Knyvetts School circa 1910. Stanwell is a village in Middlesex near Heathrow Airport. The boys in this photograph appear to be celebrating something, perhaps it was Friday afternoon? Lord Knyvett was the man who arrested Guy Fawkes in his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In his will Lord Knyvett made provision for a free school in Stanwell and the school was founded in 1624. The school building still exists in the High Street but is now used as an old people's day centre. This postcard was published by Young & Co of Teddington in about 1910. For more old photographs visit (or join) the Sepia Saturday Blog. As always, click on the postcard to enlarge. Blogspot.com have recently introduced a 'lightbox' feature that make the picture open in your browser's window, but you can right click on it and save a high resolution version to your computer.
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An amazing photo, it looks like the photographer was just passing by at a break time and how wonderfully it contrasts to the official school photos where the class all sit so orderly. It looks great in the new lightbox.
ReplyDeleteGood to see that the building still survives.
Lightbox is definitely an advance. It makes viewing these tiny details so much easier. You can just imagine the boys all rushing up to the railings. Some have jumped on their pals’ backs.
ReplyDeleteA great image, some fascinating background detail, and a comparison shot - three for the price of one.
ReplyDeleteWhere have all the people gone?....isn't there a song like that? Amazing comparison shot for sure, but I do miss the crowd joined for the photo!
ReplyDeleteNo surprise that the area has become very much more built up, but at least the building has been preserved. I wonder where the girls were? Behind the wall maybe.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting photo. It seems a little like a zoo or a prison, however, with most of the boys behind the fence.
ReplyDeleteThe boys caught on the to photographer, it seems. Look how they are all crowded around the fence.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that fence was taken down as scrap to aid the way effort. Somehow the wall its not the same; glad to see the building still stands.
ReplyDeleteHow nice to see that this grand old building has survived for so long, perhaps because of the S-braces (I know that's not the right term, someone help me out here) holding the walls together. The huge main windows with their massive frames and boldly leaded glazing, the oval window up above, and classic entrances mark it out as special even in 1910. I am surprised, however, that it seems so small only a century later! Perhaps it needs some schoolboys in the playground once more.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. It's too bad they put that half-wall around the building which prevents us from seeing the whole thing. As I looked at the original photo and read that it was now used for old people, I wondered about the steps and how they managed. Too bad we can see that in the modern view. I really enjoy how you bring the locations of old postcards to live with modern views. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe building looks so much bigger then, as a school, than what it does now. I'm sure that it's because there's more mature landscaping now and closer neighbors, or maybe it's just the size of its occupants. It's a great photo, though. I love all the boys lined up by the fence with their faces pushing between the bars. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a boisterous bunch! As always, I love your modern contrast shots.
ReplyDeleteSuch a rambunctious bunch of boys. They look like they are thoroughly enjoying themselves!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was the remind me of a bunch of monkeys going crazy at the zoo for spectators. haha, what a beautiful school building this is compared to so many of the other school buildings from the past! And Im glad the building is still there.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing photocard that really captures the noise of schoolboys! A bit terrifying actually. It took a strong teacher to control this bunch.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the boys in the first picture were just poking fun at the photographer. A bit different from the usual 'posed' school photos.
ReplyDeleteThis brings back many memories for me as I lived in the School House in 1956. Their were only two classrooms a door lead straight into the main one.
ReplyDeleteAlso my brother attended this school.
I was one of the little urchins in Lord Knyvetts in 1956. We lived in Selwood Gardens (which had recently been built) and Lord Knyvetts was my first school. The class room was heated by an open fire with a huge fireplace. The small bottles of milk we had each day were warmed up around the fire in the winter. The school had some outhouses where the school caretaker kept his tools, etc.. Rumour had it that there ghosts in the outhouses. Many shivery tales, lies, and naughty goings on in the outhouse. At the end of the summer holiday we were all assigned to the brand new Town Farm School and into the clutches of scary Headmaster, Mr. Coleman and our teacher, Mr. Munnings. These were delightful times. My parents were rightly optimistic having moved from the East End out to the sticks, My Dad had is first ever proper job at the airport doing air-traffic control. My mother - a stalwart of the Women’s Institute - was always busy, and had many friends from all different parts of the country. We walked into Staines each week for shopping using the footpath by the reservoir, and we also used Raynor’s shop and the Paper Shop for other things. Some food was paid for by rationing stamps. I don’t know when rationing finished, but I guess it was around 1955?? My brother and I were very taken up with the Iraqui estate that was close by. Huge shiny cars came in and out, with strange people in funny hats. No one dared to go into the estate, and they never participated in the village activities. Mystery people ..... until they all got killed when they went back home to Iraq - or so I was told. I now live in the USA and have not been back to England lately and not to Stanwell. Maybe never again. But these were really good times for young children and their parents in those days.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the little urchins in Lord Knyvetts in 1956. We lived in Selwood Gardens (which had recently been built) and Lord Knyvetts was my first school. The class room was heated by an open fire with a huge fireplace. The small bottles of milk we had each day were warmed up around the fire in the winter. The school had some outhouses where the school caretaker kept his tools, etc.. Rumour had it that there ghosts in the outhouses. Many shivery tales, lies, and naughty goings on in the outhouse. At the end of the summer holiday we were all assigned to the brand new Town Farm School and into the clutches of scary Headmaster, Mr. Coleman and our teacher, Mr. Munnings. These were delightful times. My parents were rightly optimistic having moved from the East End out to the sticks, My Dad had is first ever proper job at the airport doing air-traffic control. My mother - a stalwart of the Women’s Institute - was always busy, and had many friends from all different parts of the country. We walked into Staines each week for shopping using the footpath by the reservoir, and we also used Raynor’s shop and the Paper Shop for other things. Some food was paid for by rationing stamps. I don’t know when rationing finished, but I guess it was around 1955?? My brother and I were very taken up with the Iraqui estate that was close by. Huge shiny cars came in and out, with strange people in funny hats. No one dared to go into the estate, and they never participated in the village activities. Mystery people ..... until they all got killed when they went back home to Iraq - or so I was told. I now live in the USA and have not been back to England lately and not to Stanwell. Maybe never again. But these were really good times for young children and their parents in those days.
ReplyDeletemy mother was raised at Lord Knyvetts school because my grandfather, Mr. Taylor was the headmaster. His wife, my grandmother, was the daughter of Mr. Rayner who owned the shop. My father, Eric Perryman was a student at this school and then went on to university. i am in the process of memoir writing and we are now in canada...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your message. I am pleased there are others that remember Lord Knyvett school and Stanwell of old !!
ReplyDeleteMy email is bmaskell@maskell.com if you want to chat about these “good old days”. We now live in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania 19342
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ReplyDelete