Eastbourne School of Cookery 1921

[fiddlerslass]

Hi,
Whilst looking at branches of my Richardson family I have found something odd.

 Sidney Charles Henry Richardson b. Nov 1891 Rotherhithe, is visiting in Eastbourne 1921census and is down as married, but his wife is down as single, Florence Light b. Italy and is at the Cookery School.
Their marriage was registered March quarter Lewisham 1921 and the census was taken in June.

Did you have to be single to enrole? Is she being " economical " with the truth in the pursuit of Home Economics ?!

They have a son born in 1923 and remain together in the electoral rolls for London 1929 onwards living in Hither Green Lewisham.

Does anyone know more about this cookery school?

[AlanBoyd]

There are a few mentions in newspaper articles but this seems to be the most informative. (It's definitely the same one, the address matches the census entry.)

10 December 1927: Eastbourne Chronicle

SCHOOL OF COOKERY.
A local institution one hears very little of, but which is fulfilling an important public function, is the School of Cookery and Domestic Economy in Silverdale-road. Started some years ago the School has gradually increased in size and membership until now it covers the whole terrace of seven houses from the sea end down to the corner of the road. There are at pres-ent, I hear, some seventy resident and a number of day pupils, and the extensive work going on in the confection of food renders the " milieu" a hive of industry. With the approach of Christmas, and its demands,, the workers are exceptionally busy and the array of cakes, plum puddings and mince pies daily produced means a large contribution to the Christmas and pre-Christmas dinner table.

[AlanBoyd]

A view of Silverdale Road here on the 1920s 25 inch map. You can see the row of seven terraced houses at the east end of the main part of the road where the bend is.

http://tinyurl.com/2p9xs5er

[AlanBoyd]

In case you were wondering how so many people might fit into a few terraced houses.

[Jebber]

Did you have to be single to enrole? Is she being " economical " with the truth in the pursuit of Home Economics ?!

More likely the person responsible for filling out the schedule took the easy way of describing them all as single. There were a lot of them, 65 students, it would have been quite a task checking everyone’s marital status.

[AlanBoyd]

I noticed that in the census record the employees give their employer as School of Domestic Economy.

Lots of ads like this in the Eastbourne Gazette:

[fiddlerslass]

Thank you both. It looks very grand. I have been digging more into the Light family and it looks like they had come somewhat down in the world.
Florence was the granddaughter of Colonel William Light, surveyor of South Australia who was the son of Francis Light, "founder" of Penang Malaysia. William married Mary Bennett who was a natural daughter of Charles Lennox 3rd Duke of Richmond, and hence a descendant of Charles ll.
On the other hand the Richardsons for the last 2 generations were mostly either printers or marine engineers based around Bermondsey and descend from William Richardson, b 1783 a shoemaker of Bishop Auckland DUR.