CHAPTER XXI.

Ealing and its national Schools.

The Old Schools.-Christ Church Schools.-St. John's.-St. Stephen's. --The British.-The Wesleyan.-Princess Helena College.Some Local Charitable Institutions.-The Cottage Hospital. -Training College for Teachers of the Deaf.-The Girls' Home. Chronological List of Ancient Bequests.

T. MARY'S SCHOOLS. Girls' 1712. Boys' 1721. The enormous increase, progress, and expansion of the National Schools show more clearly, perhaps, than aught beside, the rapid and continuous growth of Ealing. In his Ten Years' Retrospect—1886-1897, which was published last year, the Rev. Dr. Oliver, the vicar, gives the following interesting account of the foundation and development of the Schools in his parish, which were originally the only schools for the whole of Ealing and Old Brentford :—" The Girls' School was founded by Dame Jane Rawlinson, A.D. 1712, under whose will the School on the Green was built to educate and clothe twenty poor girls. By the aid of several successive bequests the school was enlarged, so that in 1837 fifty girls were being educated and clothed. In 1866, the whole was entirely re-built, at a cost of upwards of £2,000, twenty girls only being retained on the foundation, the others paying a fee. In 1870, additional cloak-room and offices were added, at a cost of £150. In 1894, a large class-room was built, at a cost of £340.

:

"The Boys' School, situated close to South Ealing station,

was founded by Lady Capell, of Tewkesbury, in 1721. This, like the Girls' School, at first educated and clothed twenty poor boys from Ealing and Old Brentford, but subsequent bequests soon enabled the trustees to increase the number, and to rebuild the school in 1811. In 1845, there were 115 scholars, 28 of whom were free and clothed. In 1874, the whole building was re-constructed, and a large room added at a cost of £1,500. In 1887, an infants' department was added at a cost of £100. In 1890, a large class-room was added, and increased accommodation given to the infants, at a cost of £500. In 1866, the foundation children in both schools were reduced to twenty, twelve of whom only, in each school, were clothed; the other eight receiving free education. In 1874, by order of the Charity Commissioners, the clothing and free education ceased in both schools. During the last ten years upwards of £900 has been spent on the school buildings, and in no previous decade has the development been so rapid and marked. The whole curriculum of both schools has been brought up to every modern requirement of the Education Department, and the grants in all departments exceed the average grant of the London Board Schools. Prior to 1873, no grants were received from the Education Department, but the rebuilding and enlargements of the schools so diminished the endowments, and the expenses being greater, it became necessary to put them under Government, and the first grants received were in 1873:—

Boys and Infants, average attendance, 251... 250 6 5

Dr. Oliver pays a warm tribute to the zeal and assiduity of the head teachers, Mr. Chambers and Miss Hunt, who have respectively held the responsible office for the long terms of 28 and 18 years. As illustrating the vast change that has come about, we quote the following fact, on the authority of the Vicar :-" An Ealing tradesman, still living, learnt to write in the Boys' School 70 years ago, not with pen or pencil, but with a style upon a sandboard, which was shaken up afresh for each child."

CHRIST CHURCH SCHOOLS.-Church, Schools, and Parsonage are admirably grouped, within easy reach the one of the other-an advantage of no small moment in a parish. The schools are at the rear of the church, the playground opening out of the Spring Bridge Road. The Boys' School, originally built for 200 children, was erected in 1870, and the Girls' School, adjoining, was built in 1885 for 180 children. The present accommodation provides for 260 boys, and 220 girls, the numbers on the school books being 204 boys, and 196 girls, the average attendance of boys 160, that of the girls 147. The headmaster of the Boys' School is Mr. W. Whiting; the headmistress of the Girls' School is Miss Howarth. The fees are Id. and 2d. In addition to these school buildings, is the Infants' School, situated in the Grove, at the head of which is Mrs. Cruse. Here there is accommodation of 299 infants, the number on the books being 220, with an average attendance of 183. That the school work is under excellent management is evidenced by the last grants received from the Educational Department, which were as follows:-Boys, £144; Girls, £142 135.; Infants, £127 25.

ST. JOHN'S SCHOOLS have grown from very small beginnings. The temporary iron building, put up by the Rev. J. S. Hilliard, Vicar of Christ Church, in 1865, to serve

as a mission room on the Sunday, was used as a schoolroom throughout the week, and a mixed school of some forty children were taught here by Miss Gelding, who, though long since called to her rest, is gratefully remembered by many of the Ealing Dean people. In course of time this accommodation became altogether inadequate for the needs of the rapidly increasing population, and at the close of 1871 steps were taken to secure the land for a complete set of schools, and in December, 1871, a convenient plot of ground, three-quarters of an acre, was purchased from Messrs. Yeo and Millard, and the first instalment of the present school buildings was completed, affording accommodation for 180 boys and girls, while the iron mission room, having been removed to the newly purchased site, continued to receive from 60 to 70 infants. The first master appointed was Mr. G. Stace. In 1882, there were added to the first block separate rooms for the boys and girls, who now numbered about 135 of each; the infants being moved into the room of the former mixed school. Miss Gill was then appointed, and continues to be the head mistress of the girls; and on the resignation of the first infant mistress (Miss Gelding), Miss Minard was chosen to fill the post, which she still holds. In 1887, the Infant School was enlarged, so as to receive some 55 more children, and the Boys' and Girls' Schools both had additional class rooms built in 1892, thus providing a complete set of schools:-1, for boys (233), with Mr. Jno. Johnson, headmaster, and five assistants; 2, girls (233), Miss Gill, head mistress, and five assistants; 3, infants (238), Miss Minard, with four assistants. Such has been the growth of children, from 40 in 1865, to 696 (average attendance) in 1897, and from one uncertificated mistress to a staff of eighteen masters and mistresses, nine of whom are certificated. Nor does the increase in number describe all the growth and progress of

the schools, for several years all the departments have been classed excellent by H.M. Inspector; and to mention one fact only concerning the boys, in the five years during which scholarships have been offered by the County Council for all Middlesex, our boys have won six scholarships, one of them gaining the silver medal as the best boy in the county. At the present time, the schools are once more undergoing enlargement, so as to provide accommodation for about 1,000 children.

ST. STEPHEN'S DAY AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS, 1867.The growth of St. Stephen's Schools is more than commensurate with the growth of the poorer inhabitants in the district-though, as already shown, there is plenty of evidence that the equalization of rich and poor residents in the parish will be closer in the near future. One cause of the growth is the popularity of these schools. Originally, they found a home in a stable, kindly lent for the purpose by H. Gibbon, Esq., of Kent House, and for some time this was the only available schoolroom in the parish. In the year 1882, a more commodious and more suitable Parish School was erected by subscription, mainly for the accommodation of the children of Castle Bar Mews; now, however, in consequence of the increased population, there are 76 names on the school register, with an average attendance of 647. The school is a picturesque red brick building, situated in Pittshanger Road, about ten minutes' walk from the church.

THE BRITISH SCHOOLS.-These schools were established in 1858, that those persons, who wished to give their children an unsectarian education, might have an opportunity of so doing; the building was also adopted as a Sunday School for the Congregational Church. The foundation stone was laid by the late Miss Evelina Rothschild,