Commonweal Lodge was an independent school for girls aged between eleven and nineteen, located on the Webb Estate in Purley operating between 1916 and 2010.

History

The school was opened in 1916 by Margery Frances Bray (1895–1962), together with Elsie Bourne (1879–1937), after she had been asked to do so by William Webb, who planned and built the Webb Estate, in 1915. The school opened in the "Woodcote" Smithy near the village green with eight pupils, including Mary Webb, daughter of William Webb. In January 1917, it moved to the purpose built construction designed by Sidney Tachell located in Woodcote Lane, where it remained until its closure. In 1925, it was extended by the construction of seven new classrooms, a library, extended cloakrooms, kitchens and a new staffroom. In 1931, a swimming pool was added. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, air raid shelters were built underneath the tennis courts. From 1941 to 1943, the school moved to Ardock,

Lewdown Lewtrenchard is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. Most of the larger village of Lewdown is in the parish. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a manor of Lew is recorded in this area and two rivers h ...

, Devon, and the school buildings were occupied by military personnel, but by Autumn 1945 it was back, and by then had 70 pupils. In 1966, a gymnasium was built. In 1973, a second storey was added to the classrooms. In 1997 the school merged with Downside School to create the association, Lodge School. Mixed pupils from the age of three attended the infant school, Silverdene Lodge, then continued in Downside Lodge from the age of six, and girls continued further in Commonweal Lodge from the age of eleven. The school closed without prior warning during the summer school holiday in 2010, but the other two constituent schools of Lodge School remained open after the buildings were controversially bought for two million pounds by Linda Jenkins. The last head of the school was Pamela Maynard.

School heads

*1916-1960 Margery Frances Bray *1960-1966 Molly Lockwood *1966-1982 Miss Blunden *1982-1995 Miss Brown *1995-1998 Mrs Law *1998-2010 Pamela Maynard

Notable former pupils

* Sheila Cameron, lawyer *

Angharad Rees Angharad Mary Rees, The Hon. Mrs David McAlpine, CBE (16 July 1944 – 21 July 2012) was a British actress, best known for her British television roles during the 1970s and in particular her leading role as Demelza in the 1970s BBC TV costume ...

, actress

References

External links

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1916 Educational institutions disestablished in 2010 Independent girls' schools in London Defunct schools in the London Borough of Croydon 1916 establishments in England 2010 disestablishments in England