St Brandon's School was an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

incorporating an infant and junior school and a senior boarding school for girls, located in the town of

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, in South West England. The school was opened in 1831 and closed in 2004.

History

The school was founded in 1830 by Reverend Holmes, minister of Christ Church in Gloucester, and Miss Abraham, as the Clergy Daughters' School, opening in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in 1831. In 1833, the school moved '..to a house on the Royal Fort site', and in 1862 to Great George Street on St Brandon's Hill in Bristol, in premises for which the architect was

William Venn Gough William Venn Gough (1842–1918) was an architect responsible for a number of prominent buildings in Bristol. His works include the Cabot Tower, Colston's Girls' School (now Montpelier High School), Trinity Road Library, St Aldhelm's church ...

. The name of the school was changed to St Brandon's Clergy Daughters' School after its location in 1904 to distinguish it from other Clergy Daughters' Schools at Brighton, Casterton and Darley Dale, and this was shortened to St Brandon's School in the 1930s. A junior department was opened in

Henbury Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Ha ...

in 1933, and plans were made to move the senior school there. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the school was evacuated to the Bishop's Palace in Wells. In 1945, it bought and moved to

Clevedon Hall Clevedon Hall is a mansion with of land in Clevedon, North Somerset, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. It is not to be confused with Cliveden on the Thames near Taplow, nor other houses with similar names. Dating back to the 19th cen ...

, where it remained until 1991. It erected some additional school buildings in the grounds, including a new wing which was opened by the

Duchess of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

in 1958. The school had financial difficulties, with debts of about £1 million, in late 1990, and the senior school was closed in July 1991. The infant and junior schools were sold in 1992 and continued as coeducational institutions in lower grounds of the Clevedon Hall estate. St Brandon's School was closed in 2004,

Accident

In the

Burns' Day storm The Burns' Day Storm (also known as Cyclone Daria) was an extremely violent windstorm that took place on 25–26 January 1990 over North-Western Europe. It is one of the strongest European windstorms on record. This storm has received different ...

in 1990, a conservatory collapsed, and a pupil was killed and four, or possibly five, others injured.

Notable former pupils

Jenny Barraclough __NOTOC__ Jennifer Ann Barraclough OBE (born 2 May 1937) is a British film and television producer. Much of her work is in television documentaries. She has also been involved in a number of trusts and charities. They include the Grierson Tr ...

Monica Edwards Monica Edwards (née Monica le Doux Newton; 8 November 1912 – 18 January 1998) was an English children's writer of the mid-twentieth century best known for her Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm series of children's novels. Early life She was ...

* Margaret Gilmore * Sue Hamilton *

Daphne Pearson Joan Daphne Mary Pearson, (25 May 1911 – 25 July 2000) was a Women's Auxiliary Air Force officer during the Second World War and one of only thirteen women recipients of the George Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry not in the face ...

History

Accident

Notable former pupils

References

Further reading