The Laurels School is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

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 The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; ...

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 A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

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 The Cedars School is an 11–18 boys, Roman Catholic, private school and sixth form. It is located in the Upper Norwood area of the London Borough of Croydon in England. The current site is the former location of Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior S ...

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 Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who became the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1850. Born ...

, 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 William Wilkinson Wardell (1823–1899) was a civil engineer and architect, notable not only for his work in Australia, the country to which he emigrated in 1858, but for a successful career as a surveyor and ecclesiastical architect in En ...

and built in phases in the

gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

to accommodate Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School commencing at that time. The convent is part of the

Sisters of Our Lady of Fidelity The Congregation of Our Lady of Fidelity (french: Congrégation Notre-Dame de Fidelité) is a Catholic religious congregation of women founded in France in 1831 by Henriette Le Forestier d'Osseville, known in religion as Mother Saint Mary, which h ...

, an international

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 Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of ...

. 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 In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

. This site is shared with

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