EAW022720 ENGLAND (1949). Shirley House Preparatory School for Boys, Watford, 1949

The next door private Northfield School for Girls. Unlike Shirley House, a prep school for boys up to 12/13 years of age, Northfield took girls right through their education to A Levels at 17/18 years old. It was run (and owned?) by a Quaker lady (Mrs Hart?) who I think was also instrumental in setting up the adjacent Friends (Quakers) Meeting House. Northfield closed and was demolished (early 1980s?), the grounds being developed as Grange Close. The Friends Meeting House is still there. The girls used the Shirley House swimming pool. Otherwise to my knowledge there was no link/collaboration between the two schools.

The original house, build for and owned by the Stewart family (I understand). It can't have been a private residence for very long as I believe that it opened as a prep school (with Stewarts still owners and principal governors) in 1899. the same family still owned/governed it when I was there in the 1950s. See other closer-up photo of the school for more of my info tags.