Board School, Exmouth, Devon

I came across this rather lovely building whilst having a wander around Exmouth in 2009. At the time there was very little information to be found about either the building or Board Schools in general, and I was rather confused by the wording on the date stone. However, on re-writing the article for my now defunct website in 2015, I found a lot more information and was able to add to its history. And even more so for my blog. :)

Board schools were introduced by the Elementary Education Act in 1870, which enabled locally elected school boards to provide education for five to ten year olds within their area.They were allowed to charge fees, but were also allowed to raise funds from government rate and were eligible for grants. This meant that provision could be made for the children of the poorest families.  

Erected in 1877, this delightful building is an intriguing mix of the Victorian Italianate style of the 1850s & 1860s and the Victorian Gothic style of the late 19th century; the rather pretty bell tower possibly used to summon the children to school.  School Boards were eventually abolished with the introduction of the 1902 Education Act, in which they were replaced by Local Education Authorities. The building now houses the town library.

The school was built on what was once the site of a manor house. Not to be confused with The Old Manor House in North Street; an hotel which, although of early 18th century origin, wasn't given the name until the 19th century. The former manor house on this site is mentioned in two blue plaques on the wall of the board school / library, which commemorate two residents of the former building. The wording on the blue plaques is as follows...

 

"Sir John Colleton. This site was formerly the Manor House of Rill or Hill, a sub-Manor of Marpool, occupied in the early 18th Century by Sir John Colleton, retired administrator of S Carolina. He brought the first Magnolias with him which he developed by mutation to produce the 'Magnolia Grandiflora Exmouthiensis' variety which is incorporated into Exmouth's Coat of Arms."

 "Conrad Martens. This landscape artist, born in London in 1801, moved to Exmouth in 1822 where he lived in Elm Cottage, former manor house, on this site. From 1833 to 1834, he was the ship's artist on the Beagle and corresponded with Charles Darwin for many years. He is regarded as an important Australian water colour artist and died in Sydney in 1878."

 

Such a lovely building and I wish I had taken more photographs during the short time I had here. Hopefully I'll be able to visit again in the not too distant future when I'll be able to have a more leisurely mooch and add more photos. :)