The Laurels School is a
Roman Catholic independent day school for girls. It is located in the
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area.
Upper Norwood is situated ...
area of the
London Borough of Croydon in England.
The school relocated to its present site in September 2021. The site is the former location of Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School, a Roman Catholic
voluntary aided secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
for girls. The school site is also shared with
The Cedars School for boys.
History
The original building on the site was a hunting lodge (of unknown age). In the late 1700s, the building was owned by the
Earls of Bristol, and was known as Norwood House, the residence of the notable socialite
Mary Nesbitt
Mary Nesbitt (born 1742/3 – died 1825) was an English upper class socialite and courtesan who mixed in the elevated circles of government and royalty in late 18th century Great Britain. Her home, Norwood House, in Upper Norwood, then Surre ...
. In the early 1800s the lodge was sold and became known as the "Old Park Hotel".
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
Mother Saint Mary (Henriette le Forestier d'Osseville; 1803–1858), who had arrived in the United Kingdom in September 1848 with the intention of establishing a school under the patronage of
Cardinal Wiseman, acquired the site with funds provided by her father, Count Theodose le Forestier d'Osseville in 1857.
The current building was designed by
William Wardell and built in phases in the
gothic style to accommodate Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School commencing at that time.
The convent is part of the
Sisters of Our Lady of Fidelity, an international
Roman Catholic religious organisation, founded in France in 1831.
Due to financial pressures and lack of funds for building repairs, Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School closed at the end of the 2021 Summer term.
The Laurels School
The Laurels School was established in 2013, and in 2019 relocated to Shelley House on
Chelsea Embankment. Shelley House had been used by the
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work an ...
Catholic institution since 1978 for the education of women. The school rapidly outgrew this site and relocated to the former Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School in September 2021.
The school today
The Laurels School offers education with a Roman Catholic ethos for girls aged 11 to 18. The school is academically selective, and also operates a
sixth form. This site is shared with
The Cedars School for boys, and both schools share a sports hall.
Notable former pupils
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
*
Maura McGowan
Dame Maura Patricia McGowan Order of the British Empire, DBE (born 27 January 1957), styled The Hon. Mrs Justice McGowan, is a High Court judge (England and Wales), judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Personal life and education
She ...
,
High Court judge["McGOWAN, Maura Patricia", Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014]
References
External links
The Laurels School official websiteVirgo Fidelis Convent Senior SchoolOur Lady of Fidelity website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurels School
Girls' schools in London
Independent schools in the London Borough of Croydon
Roman Catholic independent schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark
Opus Dei schools
Independent girls' schools in London