West Downs School - History

History

The school was founded by Lionel Helbert (1870–1919), with help from his sister Adeline Rose, wife to Vice Admiral Sir James Goodrich, KCVO (1851–1925). Helbert an exhibitioner of both Winchester and Oriel College, Oxford, was for over four years a House of Commons clerk. The Helberts were supported by Hampshire's Lord Northbrook (who had also helped found the predecessor school), and by their kinsman Lord Rothschild.

Helbert, who described himself as Principal, was influenced by the miss Mason system, as seen at her House of Education, Ambleside (akin to the P.N.E.U.), and things like the Montessori method, the ideas of Edmond Holmes, and the Little Commonwealth for young delinquents developed by Homer Lane on the lines of the George Junior Republic in America, basically as put by Norman Mac Munn, who taught at West Downs 1914-18, they were interested in the: emancipation of the child.

Its buildings had been purpose-built for Winchester Modern School to designs by the architect John William Simpson on a good site on the south-western edge of the cathedral city of Winchester, nearly opposite a Victorian county gaol, HMP Winchester (category B), and next to Edwin Hillier's nursery, established there in 1874.

On Helbert's death Lady Goodrich passed the school, after an hiatus under Dorset landowner William Brymer* (kinsman of William Ernest Brymer of Puddletown), to Kenneth Tindall, a Sherborne housemaster. ( A memorial tablet to Brymer in Puddletown reads: Wilfred John Brymer Of Ilsington, High Sheriff Of Dorset 1932, Justice Of The Peace : Alderman of The Dorset County Council: For Many Years At West Downs School Winchester : Born 31 July 1883: Died 28 March 1957: Son of F. A. Brymer : Sometime Archdeacon of Wells ).

During the war (World War II) it was evacuated first to Glenapp Castle and then more significantly to Blair Castle.

In 1953 it was purchased by Jerry Cornes, who was headmaster until 1988.

For most of its history West Downs was a boarding school for boys aged between eight and thirteen, but in 1970 it admitted its first girl, and from 1975 to 1988 it was co-educational (though curiously the school's founding intake in 1897 of four comprised two girls).

West Downs was a rigorous and enlightened place which prepared its pupils admirably for a variety of schools (including Winchester and Eton) and also for life in general. It lasted ninety-one years and about three headmasters, closing in 1988 (Read more).

The school's site has lived on as The West Downs Conference and Performing Arts Centre, which was opened by Lord Puttnam in May 2001, and then from 2005 as part of the University of Winchester; and from 2009 as the university's own Winchester Business School.