Southover Manor School, Lewes

In September 1923 the school was established at Undercliffe, Lewes, which was purchased by John William Dodson,

Lord Monk Bretton, who formed a trust which let the house to a group of parents. In January 1925 a limited company

was established to run the school, which moved to The Manor House, Southover in time for the summer term 1925, and Undercliffe was sold.

The school soon expanded. Southover Old House, which had previously been owned by William Champion, Bishop of Lewes (died 15 February 1929) was purchased from his heir, Mrs Janet Mary Streatfeild, and executors in September

1929. The freehold of The Manor House, which had been held on lease from Frank Verrall since March 1925, was purchased from Verrall on 19 August 1937, together with The Malthouse, which had been rented from 1931. The Broads, 48 Southover High Street, was also purchased in 1937. A sanatorium was built in the Old House garden in 1936, and an annexe to the Manor House was built in 1938. The school established itself in Switzerland during the buildings works, returning in autumn 1938. It was first evacuated to Firle Place in 1939, then moved to Holt Castle in Worcestershire in September 1940; the owner, Mrs Pepys-Cockerell, had a daughter at the school. The Malthouse was converted to a senior residence in 1948.

In the early 1960s the then Headmistress, Mrs Barnett, had the idea of opening a one-year sixth form tutorial unit, which would bring additional pupils to the school, as well as encouraging existing pupils to stay on. The unit, known as The Coaching Inn, was established in 1962-1963 when the school obtained possession of 17, 18 and 19 Southover High Street. In January 1964 the first floor of The Broads, 48 Southover High Street, was leased to the artist Percy Horton and Lydia Sargent in order to pay off the mortgage on the whole building. 2 English's Passage was sold on 9 May 1962.

In February 1966 the governors announced that the school would close in the following July due to financial difficulties. The school was saved by a group of parents and friends of the school who formed the Southover Manor School Educational Trust (1966) to run it. In July 1982 The Coaching Inn was vacated by pupils due to serious structural defects, and 17, 18 and 19 Southover High Street were subsequently sold. In the same year the trustees applied for planning permission to develop the school buildings and playing fields with the object of re-locating, and The Old House and Southover Cottage were sold. It was finally decided to close the school in July 1984. The Broads, 48 Southover High Street, was sold in June 1985, and The Manor House and nearly nine acres were sold in 1986; much of the site was used for housing development; for files of the Friends of Lewes, an amenity organisation, concerning the development, 1983-1991, see ACC 7987/10/2, 13/1/1.

For histories of the school, see AMS 6799/15/1-2

Headmistresses

Beatrice Malcolm (Schoolmistress); 1923-1925

Miss Barker (probably acting Headmistress only); January to summer 1926

Miss Gardiner; September 1926 - c1927

Miss Noel Roberts; 1927 - 1928

Miss Jessie Isabel Emmeline Aspden; September 1928 - 1959

Countess Priscilla Zamoyska; September 1959 - December 1960

Mrs Marjorie Barnett; January 1961 - December 1964

Miss Elizabeth Küntz; January 1965 - 1970

Mrs LN James (Headmistress), 1970-c1977; Mrs Mary Procter (Principal), September 1970 - April 1977

Mrs Colleen D Gardener (Director of Studies), c1977-1980; Mrs Mary Procter (Principal), Apr 1977 - Dec 1980

Mrs Margaret Rose Forrest; January 1981 - 1984

List of contents

AMS 6799/1 Memorandum and articles of association; 1966

AMS 6799/2 Southover Manor School Ltd governors' minutes; 1925-1966

AMS 6799/3 Southover Manor School Educational Trust Ltd minutes of members; 1962-1966

AMS 6799/4 Southover Manor Educational Trust (1966) Ltd governors' minutes; 1966-1987

AMS 6799/5 Southover Manor Educational Trust (1966) Ltd other minutes; 1973-1984

AMS 6799/6 Other papers connected with the minutes; 1923-1930

AMS 6799/7 Headmistress's reports to the governors; 1928-1965

AMS 6799/8 Ledgers; 1925-1928

AMS 6799/9 Balance sheets; 1925-1987

AMS 6799/10 Registers of directors and shareholders; 1925-1962

AMS 6799/11 Share certificates and share transfers; 1925-1966

AMS 6799/12 Southover Manor School Ltd governors' papers; 1920s - 1965

AMS 6799/13 Southover Manor Educational Trust (1966) Ltd governors' general correspondence; 1969-1986

AMS 6799/14 Southover Manor Educational Trust (1966) Ltd governors' papers and correspondence; 1966-1989

AMS 6799/15 Histories of the school; c1966-1983

AMS 6799/16 Prospectuses; c1927-1930

AMS 6799/17 Pupil record cards; 1929-1984

AMS 6799/18 School photographs; 1951-1983

<p>For register of confirmations of girls from the school at St John Southover, 1975-1984 see PAR 413/1/6/1; for bills of quantities, 1938 and 1946 see BMW/A 11/3-4; for plan of the school, 1938 see BMW/A 12/15; for draft conveyances and leases, 1929-1939 see ACC 5786/15.</p>

Many of the records are not available for general inspection, and searchers should consult staff.

Deposited 26 September 1988 (ACC 5128) and 16 August 2005 (ACC 9256)