A Boarding School in Weston-Super-Mare in the early 20th century

[hanes teulu]

Weston Super Mare Gazette and General Advertiser, 14 May 1910

Educational
EASTERN HOUSE, SOUTH ROAD
Weston Super Mare
HIGH CLASS HOME SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
Careful Preparation for Examinations

Outside pupils can be received for Music, Singing and Languages

For Prospectus apply to Misses Cruse and Helmsly

The 1911 Census shows about 50 boarders

[Treetotal]

Great find Phil and Hanes...what a great joint effort...we got there in the end 
Carol

[Treetotal]

News about the Sisters who ran the schools:

http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/la-retraite-sisters-to-leave-weston-super-mare-after-more-than-100-years-1-5206457


and info news here :

http://www.laretraite.lambeth.sch.uk/14/history-of-la-retraite

Carol

[Elliott3396]

Hi There

I just looked at the 1956 street directories of Weston-Super-Mare & see that 17,19 & 21 South Road are for La Retraite Convent School For Girls which was a boarding & day school.

also 23 South Road is the senior girls house for La retraite.

I hope that this is some help to you

All the very best

Phil

ps Im sending this posting from the main library at Weston-super-Mare

Thank you very much for that information, I was wondering whereabouts on the road it would have been.

The building (now the Leawood Court) still looks to be pretty much intact from the image I have of La Retraite Convent from the early 1900's.

Weston Super Mare Gazette and General Advertiser, 14 May 1910

Educational
EASTERN HOUSE, SOUTH ROAD
Weston Super Mare
HIGH CLASS HOME SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
Careful Preparation for Examinations

Outside pupils can be received for Music, Singing and Languages

For Prospectus apply to Misses Cruse and Helmsly

The 1911 Census shows about 50 boarders

Well this is a problem. I was lead to believe that the Eastern House School was not a girls school until the early 30's. If it was a girls school as early as 1910 then there is every possibility that it was that school that my relative attended and not the La Retraite school.

Is there any other sources I should be looking for to help narrow this down? Other than finding my relatives name in school records (which I can't seem to find any of) I am all out of ideas sadly

[hanes teulu]

There was also a girls boarding school at Dunmarklyn, South Road, principal Maud Syson. The 1911 census has about 30 boarders. Later newspaper items  (1912 and later) refer to 1&3 Worlebury Road.

old maps (1885 Town plan)
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html#/Map/331185/162344/13/100312

Dunmarklyn - junction of Worlebury Road and South Road

Also, click on 1931 old map for "convent school"

[philheeks]

Hi Elliot

if you want some more info on la Retraite its worth getting in touch with Weston-Super-Mare Library as they have a file on it (not a huge one) & it contains quite a few photos of the school - Ive not looked through it all yet as I was hoping to find a list of old pupils of the school but I don't think there is one at Weston library.  Im on holiday in Worcestershire at the moment & cant access that file remotely but Im one of the volunteer Family & Local History Researchers who attend Weston library every Saturday to try & help the public.

Another thought springs to mind - you could contact the Weston-Super-Mare & District Family History Society as they have a remarkable head researcher whose name is Pat Hase.
You can find this family history society by typing wsmfhs into google & that will give you an option to click on for it

All the very best

Phil

[Elliott3396]

Hi Elliot

if you want some more info on la Retraite its worth getting in touch with Weston-Super-Mare Library as they have a file on it (not a huge one) & it contains quite a few photos of the school - Ive not looked through it all yet as I was hoping to find a list of old pupils of the school but I don't think there is one at Weston library.  Im on holiday in Worcestershire at the moment & cant access that file remotely but Im one of the volunteer Family & Local History Researchers who attend Weston library every Saturday to try & help the public.

Another thought springs to mind - you could contact the Weston-Super-Mare & District Family History Society as they have a remarkable head researcher whose name is Pat Hase.
You can find this family history society by typing wsmfhs into google & that will give you an option to click on for it

All the very best

Phil

Thank you very much for the advice, it is much appreciated.

How should I go about contacting the Weston Super Mare library? Would they be able to send me a copy of the file via e-mail or something? Sorry if it is a silly question, never done something like this before.

[philheeks]

Hi Elliot

I have a bit of a problem with advising you how to contact Weston-Super-Mare main library as Im on holiday & dont have all the details with me  - but you could try typing North Somerset Libraries into google & Weston is bound to be one of the options.

As for copying the files they have can you hang on till I get back home in a couple of weeks time & I'll have a look at all they have & advise you if its worth spending the money on having it all copied - but from what I noticed when I took a cursory glance a them it seems to be a lot of pictures & newspaper cuttings but I didn't have a good look so there may be some more details in that file.

If the person you are searching for was from an old Weston family the Local Historian has compiled a lot of local family trees.

The Weston-Super-Mare & District FHS also have almost complete records of who is buried in Weston cemetery as well as the inscriptions on the stone where we were able to read them.

I hope that this is of some help to you.

All the very best

Phil

[KGarrad]

URL: https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/services/weston-super-mare-library/

Email: weston.library@n-somerset.gov.uk

Tel: 01934 426 010

Found using a simple Google search