Discovering Warren Hill School in 1880

The indefatigable Barry McAleenan is at it once again! Just when we think we've culled all of the archival images of Warren Hill School possible, Barry has sent more—for our personal use in this research [click the images to enlarge]!

Here's a message I recently received from Barry:

The local library found a couple of photos of Warren Hill School taken in 1880. The second assistant was most insistent that copies should only be for personal use - not for books as they have the copyright... The first assistant was affable and helpful. So it goes.

The scanner was unavailable, so I resorted to using a camera and natural lighting from a small window as the flash was far too bright:

Both are stamped BUDGEN BEQUEST

[This image is located above, left]

Reference PG 01316
Builders at work. Note the extensive landscaping that must have occurred.

The back says
Warren Hill School Additional buildings
Genl [General] Buchanan 1880 [The 1875 map shows no buildings on the site]
Meads road etc


[This next image is seen, right]

Reference PG 01510
School and 2 people

The back says
Building the 3rd Addition to Warren Hill School [Phase 4 since the first sod was cut?]
Photo Genl Buchanan


Are they good enough?



Far more than good enough, Barry!

First, it's interesting to note the change from an 1875 Eastbourne map that shows no buildings at all on this site to what apparently is the "third addition" to the main building. There is much to be learned from these images since we know that Warren Hill didn't become a school until 1885!


Right off the bat, we can see that the building layout depicted on the 1930 map [see it by clicking HERE] grew from right to left (east to west), and appears to be growing quickly at the time of these images.

But for what reason? Warren Hill started as a school in 1885, some five years later. Was this the Victorian mansion of a homeowner? If so, why were three additions done in so swift a time—between 1875 and 1880?

The provenance indicates that these 1880 images were captured by a "General Buchanan."

This is likely Gen. James Buchanan, who appeared on the 1881 UK census living at No. 5, Grange Gardens, in Blackwater Road. He was 63 years old that year, and had been born in Bangalore in the East Indies. His occupation was listed in what appears to be this way: "General [illegible symbol—"H"?] Ind. Army Cavalry." He dwells there with his wife, 54, two adult daughters (one of whom was born in India), and a son-in-law, along with servants.

Incidentally, the General lives next door to a retired Colonel from the Bengal Staff Corps, James W. H. Johnstone, and the Colonel's family—a wife, three daughters, 13 through 21 years of age, and servants—who reside at No. 6.

Grange Gardens [Both No. 6 and No. 5 are pictured today, at left] at Blackwater Road appear to be about a half mile east-northeast of the site where these photographs of the additions to Warren Hill were taken. Just as an aside, but seeing these homes of retired British officers still makes me wonder why Lt. Arthur F. H. Mills, brother of George Mills, was unable to support an allegedly impoverished wife back in England during the First World War (and a promotion to Captain during the conflict did not seem to help). Did wages only become enough to support a wife and consider having a family when one became, say, a Major? And then was one able to afford a home like No. 6 after reaching Colonel?


Anyway, Barry adds:

The index for the files and labels gave the following details

Warren Hill

Alfred M Wilkinson 1885-1916/17

Preparing boys for public school or Royal Navy

M A North and F R Ebden 1916/17 -

War Memorial designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.


We can now corroborate that the complete roster of principals of Warren Hill were, in order: A. Max Wilkinson, M. A. North, F. R. Ebden, Joshua Goodland, and Bertram de Glanville.

It strikes me as odd, however, that someone might have invested in building this beautiful structure, and spent over five years slowly adding on to the empty structure, turning it into a school for boys headed into the military. It must have first been a home, or even a business, it seems, for however briefly. One wonders why it is identified here as "Warren Hill," and not "The home of Someone-or-Other," even if the annotations were written later.

And beautiful this edifice is! We now can easily see the finish of the walls, windows, gables, and chimneys, and what one supposes was the original landscaping to the right [east] in front of what must have been the first part of the structure built.

There's reason to believe that someone constructing an edifice of this size, even for use as a private residence, would have expected a great deal of company. Our assumption that the kitchen is likely located there, in the original structure to the east, remains plausible.

We can also see that the conservatory/greenhouse clearly visible in the sepia image [view it by clicking HERE] is part of that original structure.


Just past the conservatory, to the northeast, Barry writes: "The masters' house appears to be down Beachy Head road and the optimum reproduction scale probably shows it to be behind the man's left ear beyond the lean-to conservatory. It shows up conveniently alone in both the 1899 and 1930 maps. What do think? Number 161 in the parcel (on the 1930 map)."


I had to admit, I couldn't see anything in the image, beyond that left ear [seen, right]. Barry, however, has seen the original image.

Barry continues: "If I look carefully enough, I seem to be able to see a gable - in the mess of tree branches - of what could well be the Masters' house. But it is only discernable briefly if you do a slow zoom!"


Admittedly, I still can't make out a gable, no matter how, but I accede to Barry's careful perusal of the original photograph, and believe that the house across and down Beachy Head Road from the school may have been the mysterious and missing master's residence.

Now, I don't think that house was in the West Ward census from 1901 that I examined here a few weeks ago [see it by clicking HERE]. And my access to those census records from the United States is only searchable by people--I need surnames, at least. Once I "hit" someone in that locale, I can search it entirely, including all surrounding dwellings, but I can't enter it in any other way. Without the name of someone living in that home during the late 19th or early 20th century, I can't check census documents to see if it may, indeed, have been chock full of schoolmasters!

We can see further evidence of the house to which Barry refers by examining the vintage image of it from the post card photograph as it is inset against a screen shot of the road as it appears today [pictured, left], captured from Google Maps Street View. We can see that, while some modifications have been made, the real structure of the dwelling's chimnneys still are exactly the same!


Lastly, these old photographs indicate that I must flip-flop one again in my speculation regarding the age of the post card image (seen by clicking HERE) of Warren Hill School that we have previously discussed. I had originally thought that it must have been the oldest of the images, but changed my mind to it being the newest—perhaps more recent than 1930—and thinking it simply must have been "antiqued."

Still, that didn't explain the flatness of the front façade of the building, facing Beachy Head Road. These 1880 images depict the structure before the final westward additions have been built, and it seems likely to me that the front of the building would not yet have included the bulge in the front that is missing in the image on the post card.

Hence, I believe that the post card image is the oldest of Warren Hill [seen, right] out of the original three I received from the Eastbourne Local History Society, and nearly identical in overall structure to these latest 1880 images found in the library by Barry Mc!


Once again, I owe Barry a greater debt of gratitude than I could ever begin to express. His resolve and ingenuity have helped me grope my way along the way here at Who Is George Mills? and I am most grateful.

As always, thanks, Barry!

Looking at the Life of J. Goodland: Part 3

When Gillmore Goodland's family boarded the S.S. Saxonia along with former neighbour Edmund Stephenson in 1918, bound for New York and then Hollywood, their "nearest relative" recorded on the ship's manifest was not Gillmore, waiting in North America.

It was Joshua Goodland [pictured, left, circa 1930; image courtesy ELHS], Gillmore's younger brother, a barrister who lived with his wife, Florence, and his daughter, Josephine, at 144 Ashley Gardens in London.

From everything we now know, Gillmore Goodland financed his brother Joshua's re-education in the field of Law. As we've seen, Joshua had been first an assistant teacher in Exmouth, and then spent most of the final decade of the 19th century in Cardiff, Glamorganshire, as a "probationer," studying to become an architect. He passed his exams and even mentored another architect for a year before eschewing it all and beginning his legal studies at Cambridge in 1901.

Looking over the life of Gillmore Goodland, it's easy to see why he might have wanted a barrister on hand, especially one he could trust inherently. Gillmore ran afoul of the law on several occasions—a couple of bankruptcy proceedings in England, an arrest in Mexico [right], and a civil lawsuit in the United States. It's clear how very much he liked money. What we don't know is the exact nature of his dealings to acquire it.

Gillmore loved to travel first class in his capacity as a mining engineer and consultant. This proclivity to see far off lands also seems to have rubbed off on Joshua, who spent much of his time during his eight years studying at Cambridge travelling around England, Europe, and the world.

Joshua settled in as counsel on some very substantial cases before the First World War, and worked for the government as an advisor in the Department of Munitions during that conflict. He subsequently was awarded an M.B.E. in January 1918 for his work on behalf of the crown.

Later in 1918, we know he was involved in an extremely high-profile case on behalf of the Department of Munitions and the Metropolitan Water Board of London.

At the end of the war, Gillmore's family's departure from the U.K. in 1918 coincided with Joshua's return to private practice in London.

By 1921, Goodland's London telephone directory listing is twofold: "Central  . .  . .  . 99 Goodland, J  . .  . .  . .  . .  1 Papr Bldgs Tmple EC4," and "Victoria  . .  . .  7691 Goodland, Joshua, Barrister-at-law  . . 144 Ashley Gdns S.W.1." The Paper Buildings [left], even today, are prime real estate for barristers in the Temple District. Goodland obviously was doing quite well for himself and his family.

Goodland had become a barrister, at least in part, to help his brother in Gillmore's frequent dealings with capitalists and investors regarding their mines. Once the elder brother skipped the country, however, Joshua would no longer have had any substantial tie to a profession that really had not been his "first choice."

While Joshua might easily have returned to the discipline of architecture, we have come to realize that that was not his first choice, either. His father had been a "certificated elementary school teacher," and as an adult, he had assisted at the school during his own first steps into adulthood.

By 1 May 1922, we find a ship's manifest of interest. On it, Mrs F.A. (Florence) Goodland of "144 Ashley Gardens" and Miss M.E. (Margaret) Goodland of "Westminster" [both "domestics"] steamed into London from Sydney on the S.S. Borda of the shipping line P. & O. S.N. Co. Ltd. That would be Joshua's wife, Florence, and his sister Margaret, the latter then sporting a Westminster address. That gives us a clue as to how Gillmore Goodland's family was able to live in London while he was ensconced in America from 1915 through 1918.

It also gives a good idea of how close the Goodland family attempted to remain in general, despite the vast distances between and among many of them. It would be uncanny to me to find that Margaret Goodland hadn't been visiting her brothers Ernest and Kenny, and possibly even Theodore, along with her sister-in-law, Florence, whom they had likely never met.

The following years, 1923, 1924 and 1925, reveal telephone listings for Joshua Goodland, barrister, at home in Ashley Gardens and at his offices in the Paper Buildings.

Not in 1926, however.

By that time, Joshua Goodland had made a career move. This vocational change also entailed a geographical move from central London to Eastbourne, Sussex. Goodland's new career would begin at a local preparatory school, Warren Hill. Joshua had taught in Exmouth, taken a student under his wing immediately after becoming an architect in 1899, and had served as a law coach at Cambridge and thereafter in London. In some ways, he had always been a teacher, so this shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise to anyone.

Warren Hill School in Meads [below, right; image courtesy ELHS] had been run by Michael Arthur North and Frederic Rogers Ebden under the auspices of the firm North & Ebden until the partnership was dissolved officially on the "31st Day of December, 1924," and announced in the London Gazette on 15 May 1925.

That dissolution, for some reason must have attracted Goodland. Joshua was quite possibly an advisor in the proceedings, or perhaps he heard of it around chambers. We do know Goodland was an enthusiast of golf and loved playing in Sussex in the summer. Joshua turned 52 in 1925 and, although a fit-looking and energetic man, the weight of the law and of private practice may have become a real burden to him, so a move to a quieter setting by the sea may have greatly appealed to him—and why not?

Perhaps it had even been what we today might call a 'mid-life crisis'—a desire to return to the pursuits of a simpler and seemingly happier time.

For whatever reason, Joshua committed himself to a return to the discipline of education in 1925. He likely would have had some savings in the bank, and with experience in the law and in contracts, it would seem that he could have made himself quite valuable to F. R. Ebden while becoming his partner.

Far from being cloistered in Eastbourne and quietly enjoying his waning years, we find Goodland mentioned in Volume 6 of the periodical Hockey Field and Lacrosse, distributed by the All England Women's Hockey Association in 1926. His name is mentioned in an item as having been selected to serve on an "Umpires Sub-Committee." How unusual might it have been for one of the Heads of a boys' prep school to not only serve as an girls' hockey umpire, but to serve on the Association's Umpires Sub-Committee back in 1926?

If anyone needed further proof of Goodland being an avid sportsman, even into his fifth decade, membership on that committee would seemingly do the trick! After that 1926 mention, though, we lose track of Goodland to a degree.

We've read a promotional leaflet from Warren Hill, circa 1930, in which his school is described in great detail, and, of course, we've seen Goodland mentioned as being the "sometime Head Master" of Warren Hill in the dedication to George Mills's Meredith and Co.: The Story of a Modern Preparatory School in 1933. It has been assumed that "sometime Head Master" referred to Goodland's partnership with Ebden.

The most interesting post-1926 reference to Goodland, however, is another one from 1930. It's on page 1960 of Crockford's Clerical Directory, published by the Oxford University Press in that year. Although I can only read a "snippet" of the text on-line, it records a list of former and current bishops and priests, among them "J. Goodland,  P.-in-c." following an entry for a "G. Camp,  I." (Did the capital "I" mean 'incumbent'?)

Where exactly Goodland served as a "Priest in Charge" in 1930 cannot be determined from this snippet, but it is presumably somewhere in or near Eastbourne. Wherever he was "in charge," he may have been waiting for bishop to offer an incumbency and change that title to "Vicar."

It seems that Goodland's 1925 love affair with education was a brief one. Perhaps he simply looked at partnership in the school as an investment. Perhaps he found he liked dabbling in education and theology simultaneously.

Either way, we now have a much clearer idea of what George Mills meant by "sometime Head Master" of Warren Hill School. This was likely not a reference to sharing duties with Ebden, but to splitting time between school and church.

It's interesting to note, though, that Goodland appears amongst archival photographs circa 1930 without any sort of clerical accoutrements. In fact, Goodland looks quite worldly and dapper in a taut bow tie and nicely tailored, double-breasted suit [top, left]!

Joshua Goodland took over Warren Hill School himself in 1931, dissolving by "mutual consent" his partnership with Ebden on 1 August, according to the 7 August 1931 issue of the London Gazette. Goodland resolved to receive and pay "all debts due or owing to the said late firm." Goodland at this point seemed to have been staying the proverbial course. Warren Hill School was all his!

The 1932 Eastbourne telephone directory features this new entry: "Goodland Joshua , Warren Hill Meads . . . Eastbourne 204."

There is no continued entry, however, in 1933. Well, at least not in Eastbourne!

Here's his 1933 entry [left]: "Goodland Joshua, River ho St Peters rd Twickenham . . . . . POPesgve 3563."

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), residing in Twickenham, almost 90 miles NNE of Meads, made a daily commute to Warren Hill quite impossible.

We do know, however, that Goodland at some point sold the school to Bertram George de Glanville, a former long-time magistrate in the Ceylon Civil Service and more recently the Chairman of the Colombo Port Commission, through his final appearance on "The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List" in 1932.

Goodland sold the school to de Glanville sometime after 1932, probably in 1933, when the telephone record for Eastbourne 204 changed from "Goodland Joshua, Warren Hill Meads" to "Warren Hill, Preparatory School, Beachy Head rd."

Warren Hill [right; image courtesy ELHS] remains listed as noted above until 1936, when it disappears from the telephone record. Eastbourne's 1936 directory does contain the listing: "de Glanville B.G., Ascham Lodge . . . . . . . . . Eastbourne 204."

That number at de Glanville's private residence is the same number as had been Warren Hill's. It is questionable at that point if the school still existed, or was simply hanging on perilously, hoping for a miracle in the midst of a worldwide economic depression.

On page 55 of the 29 June 1937 edition of the London Gazette, we find the following item:

No. 1600. DE GLANVILLE, Bertram George, Ascham St. Vincents Lodge, Gaudick Road, Eastbourne, Sussex, SCHOOLMASTER, lately carrying on business and residing at Warren Hill, Beachy Head Road, Eastbourne aforesaid.
Court—EASTBOURNE.
Date of Filing Petition—May 14, 1937.
No. of Matter—2 of 1937.
Date of Receiving Order—June 27, 1937.
No. of Receiving Order—2.
Whether Debtor's or Creditor's Petition—Creditor's
Act of Bankruptcy proved in Creditor's Petition—Section I-I (G.), Bankruptcy Act, 1914.

Warren Hill was quite certainly out of business as dawn broke on the year 1937.

Joshua Goodland probably was fortunate to find a buyer returning from decades overseas, a man who was unaware of the financial climate of the times. I hesitate to conjecture that the deal was in any way shady—caveat emptor, after all.

Unlike Gillmore Goodland, who fled his creditors, de Glanville, incidentally, made his debts for "5s. in the £" by 3 November 1937, according to the London Gazette dated 16 November (page 7239).

Goodland, who had been dabbling in religion as well as education, had closed the book on his life as a Head Master.

And next time we'll examine the remaining years of Joshua's life, as well his last career change…

Of J. Goodland, Warren Hill, and perhaps the Son of Oscar Wilde...

Today, let's take another look at that dedication to Meredith and Co. written in 1933. To recap, George Mills was employed as a junior teacher at Windlesham House School, in Brighton [but more specifically Portslade at the time] from Lent 1925 until Easter 1926. He may have been there during the summer term as well, but his name was definitely taken off the staff list by the end of that summer term.

In some order, Mills then apparently taught at The Craig in Windermere, the English Preparatory School in Glion, and Warren Hill School in Eastbourne [more specifically Meads] where the "sometime Head Master" was a "Mr. J. Goodland".

An archival Eastbourne Local History Society newsletter has noted that an early headmaster of Warren Hill was A. Max Wilkinson, who was likely there from 1895 through 1918. The newsletter noted that Wilkinson was succeeded by "M.A. North and F.R. Ebdon" and that the school was no longer listed in the local directories in 1936.

More research has come to light about Warren Hill School and the identity of "Mr. J. Goodland":

In the [London] Times of Saturday, 16 May 1925, there's a report stating that the partnership between M A North and F R Ebden (school proprietors of Warren Hill Eastbourne) had been dissolved. So Goodland must have gone into partnership with Ebden.

In the Times of Wednesday 03 Oct 1928, there a report of the death of Mr M A (Michael Arthur) North, who died at Farnham on 27 Sep at the age of 63. It states that he was headmaster of Warren Hill until 1925. One can suppose that North had been ill and therefore sold his share in the school in 1925.

In the Times of Saturday 8 August 1931, there's a report stating that the partnership between F R Ebden (note the spelling, which differs from what you have) and J Goodland was terminated on Friday August 7, 1931. Both are recorded as school proprietors.

Then, a few days later, the Times reports the registration of land (the school and its grounds) at Warren Hill, Beachy Head Road, and land (the playing field) in Carlisle Road, Eastbourne. The property was registered by Joshua Goodland. So now we know the Christian name of the headmaster. It seems that Goodland continued alone and one may assume that he had bought out his partner, F R Ebden.

The school was still in existence in Beachy Head Road in May 1934 because there's a reference to a scholarship in the Times of 29 May 1934.

The prevailing economic situation in the 1930s meant that private schools were having a hard time. Some were forced to close in Eastbourne and I guess this it could have been the reason for the demise of Warren Hill. However, the owner (headmaster) would have been sitting on some valuable real estate and would have been able to sell for a good sum.

In the Times of Saturday, 30 Oct 1948, there's a notice reporting the death of an early headmaster, Mr A Max Wilkinson, at Exmouth. It is noted that he was 'sometime of Warren Hill, Eastbourne and of Wittersham, Kent'. He was 92 years of age.

Now, let me see if I can interpret all of this at least somewhat correctly. Joshua Goodland, between May, 1925 [the dissolution of North's and Edben's partnership] and 1931 [the dissolution of Ebden's and Goodland's partnership], had acquired a shared proprietary interest in Warren Hill School. I suppose it may have been in 1925, with North selling his share directly to Goodland.

Goodland takes on sole proprietorship in August, 1931. Am I correct in assuming that, as Mills wrote his 1933 dedication, he was recalling time when Joshua Goodland shared the role of Head Master, presumably with F.R. Ebden? That would place George's employment at Warren Hill sometime between Summer, 1926 [when he is last recorded teaching at Windlesham] and August, 1931.

It could be posited that Mills had been working at Warren Hill School when the dedication was written, as Warren Hill was given 'first billing', so to speak. One could even have surmised that his employment may have extended past 1933, at least before this new information came to light. This all might narrow the window of his time spent in Meads, at least somewhat.

It now seems unlikely, given that Goodland was mentioned as "sometime Head Master"—something that might've been amended to simply "Head Master—that Mills was teaching there when and after Goodland took over by himself. If so, why not simply refer to him as "Head Master" and be done with it? Why hedge? A gap of years that could have been as wide as a decade—1926 to 1936—may perhaps now have been halved.

Of course, all the air will rush out of my balloon if we find that, Ebden alone had been Head Master until 1931, with Goodland taking over after the August dissolution of their partnership while Mills is in the school's employ. That could also explain the word "sometime", especially if Mills didn't care for Ebden, wasn't sorry to see him go, and wanted to name only Goodland for tribute.

The evidence above fuels conjecture, but still proves little. The question still remains: For how long did Mills teach and have his pint in Meads?

And Meads is significant. Not only does naming "J. Goodland" in the dedication of his first novel appear to indicate Warren Hill was a significant part of George's career, but the new French master at fictional Leadham House School, introduced in 1933's Meredith and Co., is named "Mr. Mead".

Mr. Mead's first day taking the school's French Grammar is outlined in a chapter entitled "DESCRIBES A NEW MASTER'S FIRST HOUR IN SCHOOL," and Mead is portrayed as an understanding, fair sort of fellow with a good ear, who likes boys and dogs, and takes ample care to heed the Head Master's sage advice to "start off by standing no nonsense" and "keep the class busy every moment of the time".

Is Mead's name a tribute to the locale of Warren Hill School, a place remembered fondly by Mills, and a name of the same initial he's used to cloak his own identity in the story? Perhaps only the author can be absolutely certain, and he's not telling.

Another question: Is the Joshua Goodland at Warren Hill School the same Joshua Goodland who is mentioned numerous times by Vyvyan Holland, in his 1954 memoir, Son of Oscar Wilde, the author having written that he had been "sent up to Cambridge to prepare for the examination in charge of Joshua Goodland, with whom I lived in rooms in Trinity Street" when Holland was denied entrance to Oxford due to antipathy toward his controversial father, circa 1904? It would certainly give us a better glimpse of Goodland, a man obviously admired by Mills.

As always, if you have any thoughts, ideas, information, or informed speculation, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Of Meads, Head Masters, and a Pint After a Long Day Teaching

More information has arrived via the Eastbourne Local History Society, and I couldn't be more delighted. First, this bit from Michael regarding the actual playing fields of Warren Hill School, not the ones I'd incorrectly identified:

If you look on Google Earth, you will see the school's former playing field at:-

50 45 27 84 N and 0 15 43 32 E

The land may now be owned (leased?) by a sports club in Meads, the part of the town which, until WW2, was home to many private schools for boys and for girls.I believe that the former school hall or gymnasium still stands but has been converted into a private house. I think that the building can be seen on Google Earth at:-

50 45 22 97 N and 0 15 52 88 E

I immediately downloaded and installed Google Earth [You'd probably heard there was someone who hadn't], but I think I have to work a bit on reading the "Helps". My first attempt with the coordinates dropped me between Epsom and Leatherhead, right into Ashtead. My second foray put me somewhere at the edge of a forest slightly northwest of Chagny, France. If that's correct, no wonder Warren Hill was dropped from those football fixtures!

You know, being somewhat technologically impaired, I think I just may be doing something wrong. I've made some wrong turns before, but this is ridiculous! I'll read everything I can about the program and see if I can find my objectives at last.

Michael's previous messages had allowed me a virtual look at the location of Warren Hill School. The school was named, obviously, because it was on Warren Hill ROAD, not because it was on Warren Hill itself as I'd thought. Should that have come as a surprise to me? The name of the school in which I teach: Madison STREET Academy.

I'll admit, though, there was a certain romance to imagining the school perched atop a windswept hill just a stone's throw from Beachy Head and the English Channel. Still, after chasing George Mills around Sussex for so long, it was good to find it no matter where!

Anyway, what I especially appreciated was getting some information on what Mills's life might've been like in Meads. This gives me some feel for the prep master's evenings, just as his books give a feel for his days in the classroom and around the campus:

I am attaching now a picture of what would have been the nearest pub to Warren Hill School and to the masters' house which was situated diagonally opposite the wooden gate which you show in the Google Street View of Beachy Head Road. I believe that in the evenings, schoolmasters would have frequented the saloon bar of 'The Ship', the pub which is shown in the attachment. It still stands, but the interior has been modified considerably since the days when it would have been the 'local' of Mills and his colleagues. For further details of Meads, see the article at:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meads

This morning, Peter, another member of ELHS, sent me a scan of the article which appeared in issue 104 of the Society's quarterly newsletter. This is also attached.

Good hunting ...

Thank you! I loved the picture so much, keep an eye on my masthead! I also am grateful to have received the scanned excerpt [below, left] from the ELHS newsletter, "Eastbourne Local Historian," issue 104. It gives a wonderful sense of not only where exactly the buildings were situated, but some of the history of Warren Hill School. Click the image to enlarge it.

We heard of Head Master Alfred Maximilian Wilkinson, M.A., in my last post. Here we find him leaving Warren Hill in 1919 and donating a memorial statue from the First World War done by the esteemed Sir Robert Lorimer to the Warren Hill—an artwork whose location is apparently in question if it was not destroyed in the bombing of St. John's Church during World War II.

Wilkinson was followed, it is suggested, by "M.A. North and F.R. Ebdon" [sic] as no longer listed in any local directory after 1936.

George Mills makes reference "To MR. J. GOODLAND, sometime Head Master of Warren Hill, Eastbourne" in the dedication within Meredith and Co. in 1933. Had Goodall perhaps been a temporary Head Master between North and Ebdon, still teaching at the school when Mills arrived? Did Goodall follow Ebdon until yet another Head Master could be located?

It's hard to say without further evidence. However, last time I speculated that it might not have been Mills who left Warren Hill, but the other way around. With Mills apparently off to Windermere and Glion as well before publishing his first book in 1933, it appears Mills did the leaving.

Was it simply a young fellow's wanderlust? Was he dismissed? If the latter is the case, he found subsequent employment at a continually greater distance from his initial years as a preparatory school master in Brighton and Eastbourne as the years went by.

Why, one wonders?

We may find the answer at The Craig in Windermere and the English Preparatory School in Glion—two more schools that no longer exist, neither on the planet nor seemingly on the internet.

But that's all for another day in the future. Right now there seems to be far too much still to learn in Eastbourne, among the memories of the boys and masters who once populated Warren Hill School and the estimable ELHS!