Figure 1.--Many of the stately mannor houses converted to preparatory schools had formal statecases. Here the school uses the staircases for boys to line up before dinner.
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Figure 1.--Many of the stately mannor houses converted to preparatory schools had formal statecases. Here the school uses the staircases for boys to line up before dinner. |
Many preparatory schools are centered on stately old homes, often manor houses. The owners in many cases could not mauntain the schools and were forced to sell them. This individuals interested in founding schools were able to acquire then fairly inexpensively. Many of these stately old houses, however, are not well suited for use as schools. Schools often grew around these home, with purpose-built facilities added if the schools proved successful. The large, poorly insulated rooms generally prove uncomfortable and expensive to heat during the winter. They do not make for ideal classrooms. One can imagine how daunting some of these old houses must have been for wide eyed 7 and 8 year old children finding themselves away from home for the first time and bewildered by the huge rooms and maze of halls and cubbyholes in these houses It is interesting to note the imagination used to covert such homes to school use. The schools have attempted to utilize the buildings as well as possible and the original design has been cut up into a maze of little rooms. Cellars make ideal locations for various after schoool activities such as modeling and railroading. Larger rooms are used as commons rooms where the boys can play billiards, ping pong, or other games in their free time. Girls practice dance and boys do karate in ball rooms which once hosted elegant social events. Studies serve as offices for headmasters and other school officials. Upstairs bedrooms are converted to dormitories which usually accommodate five or six boys. Smaller, more private rooms are awarded to older boys or prefects. All the space is used as well as possible. The stables has been converted into rooms for dramatics, art, music, and carpentry. Other schools use ballrooms for dance classes and other group activities.
Many preparatory schools are centered on stately old homes, often manor houses. The owners in many cases could not mauntain the schools and were forced to sell them. This individuals interested in founding schools were able to acquire then fairly inexpensively. Schools often grew around these home, with purpose-built facilities added if the schools proved successful.
Many of these stately old houses are not well suited for use as schools in a structly phsical sence. But many provide a much more comfortable atmosphere than the more sterile felling of many purpose-built facilities. The large, poorly insulated rooms generally prove uncomfortable and expensive to heat during the winter. Heating can be a major problem at some of the schools. Fuel costs have greatly increased the cost of these often poorly insulated structures. Not uncommonly a fire is maintained in a large fireplace. Some of the fire places are real pieces of art in their own right. Often the fire places become popular gathering points at various times of the day. At one school a beautiful old fire place was popular for the boys to play board games before bed time. Here the fire place was not just a source of warmth, but really provided a homey, comfortable atmodphere. Rooms in these stately old homes often do not make for ideal classrooms. One can imagine how daunting some of these old houses must have been for wide eyed 7 and 8 year old children finding themselves away from home for the first time and bewildered by the huge rooms and maze of halls and cubbyholes in these houses
It is interesting to note the imagination used to covert such homes to school use. The schools have attempted to utilize the buildings as well as possible and the original design has been cut up into a maze of little rooms. Cellars make ideal locations for various after schoool activities such as modeling and railroading. Larger rooms are used as commons rooms where the boys can play billiards, ping pong, or other games in their free time. Girls practice dance and boys do karate in ball rooms which once hosted elegant social events. Studies serve as offices for headmasters and other school officials. Upstairs bedrooms are converted to dormitories which usually accommodate five or six boys. Smaller, more private rooms are awarded to older boys or prefects. All the space is used as well as possible. The stables has been converted into rooms for dramatics, art, music, and carpentry. Other schools use ballrooms for dance classes and other group activities.
