All about Battersea

by Henry S. Simmonds

Erected outside St. Mary's Schools, Green Lane, is a tablet bearing the following inscription:—"National Schools for Girls and Infants. These buildings were erected by Miss Champion on land granted by Earl Spencer, and opened April 10th, 1850, for the education of the children of the poor on Scriptural principles." This tablet is placed by order of the Parishioners in Vestry assembled in Grateful Remembrance of her Munificent Charities to the Parish of Battersea.—Rev. J. S. Jenkinson, M.A., Vicar. W. H. Wilson, John Hunt, Churchwardens, 1855.

Within the Parish of Battersea there were in the year 1879, Fourteen Voluntary Schools, viz.:—

	Accommodation.
Sir Walter St. John's
Up-stairs Middle-class for Boys.
Terms, 15s. to 25s. per quarter.
Ditto Ground-floor Public Elementary School for Boys.
Payments, 6d. and 9d. per week. Head Master, Mr.
Taylor; Assistants, Mr. Jones, B.A., Mr. E. Mills,
Mr. Oliver, and Mr. Blackman.	489
St. Mary's, Green Lane. Girls; Mistress, Miss Keene.
Infants' Governess; Miss Paul. Boys: Master, Mr. T.
Ryder. Fees, Boys and Girls 4d. a week, of which
at the year's end 2d. a week will be returned to all who
have attended more than 250 times. Infants 3d. a week,
of which 1d. a week will be returned to regular
attendants at the year's end.	606
Christ Church, Grove Road. Master, Mr. Weston.
Mistress, Miss Paton. Infants, Miss Kemp.	590
St. John's, Usk Road. Head Master, Mr. Henry Smith.
Mistress, Miss Hook. Infants' Governess, Mrs. Hughes.	658
St. Peter's, Plough Lane. Head Master W. F. Normon.
Assistant, W. Beasley.	180
St. Mark's, Battersea Rise. Infant Schools, Miss E.
Townsend. 4d. per week.	99
St. George's, New Road. Head Master, Mr. John Douthwaite.
Mistress, Miss Salter. Infants' Governess, Miss
Holding.	609
St. George's Girls and Infants' Schools, Ponton Road, Nine
Elms. Mistress, Miss B. Smith. Infants' Governess,
Miss A. E. Basnett.	184
St. Saviour's, Orkney Street. Mistress, Miss Merrett.	201
Wesleyan Model, High Street.	557
St. Michael's, Bolingbroke Grove, (mixed). Mistress, Mrs.
M. Watson. 3d. per week.	152
Grove Boys' British, York Road, Established 1799, Enlarged
1840. Master, Mr. James Hammond.	196
Girls' British, Plough Lane. Mistress, Miss Mansell.
Assistant, Miss Willett.	297
St. Joseph and St. Mary, Battersea Park Road.	466
Total	5284

In 1879 there were Nine Board Schools in Battersea:—[1]

Name of	Builder.	When Opened.	Boys' Master.	Girls'	Infants'
School.				Mistress.	Mistress.
Bolingbroke	Mr. Spinks,	Dec. 1, 1873	Mr. Pink.	Miss	Mrs. Pink.
Road.	Clapham			Deacon.
	Junction.
Battersea	Mr. Sheppard,	April 14, 1874	Mr. Stokes.	Mrs. Cox.	Mrs.
Park.	Bermondsey.				Parker.
Winstanley		Jan. 6, 1874	Mr. Vince.	Miss Gale.	Miss
Road.					Blackburn.
Sleaford	William Higgs,	Aug. 10, 1874	Mr. Wheaton.	Miss Pook.	Miss
Street.	South Lambeth.				Browett.
Gideon	Wall, Bros.,	May 16, 1876	Mr. Lee.	Miss Dunn.	Mrs.
Road.	Kentish Town.				Pyle.
Mantua		Sept. 1876	Mr. Mansell.	Miss	Miss
Street.				Spalding.	Spalding.
Holden		Feb. 1877	Mr. Morris.	Miss	Miss
Street.				Macleod.	Marshall.
Tennyson	Mr. Tyerman.	Feb. 1877	Mr. Philips.	Miss Davis.	Mrs.
Road.					Lower.
Belleville	Mr. Thompson,	Aug. 13, 1877	Mr. Barter.	Mrs.	Mrs.
Road.	Camberwell			Christopher.	Watson.
	Green.

N.B.—There are Sunday Schools connected with the different places of Worship some of which are held in Board Schools.

LAMBETH DIVISION LONDON SCHOOL BOARD.—
Accommodation Area and Cost of New Permanent Schools.

Name of School.	Children	Area	Cost of	Cost of
	Accommodation.	sq. feet.	Site.	Building.
Sleaford Street	1,055	23,000	£2543 1s. 4d.	£8399 19s. 3d.
Tennyson Road	837	28,000	£2376 18s. 6d.	£7590 9s. 1d.
Gideon Road	776	19,700	£3404 18s. 3d.	£9921 7s. 5d.
Holden Street	1,101	26,887	£3074 14s. 1d.	£10305 1s. 7d.
Battersea Park	1,334	32,670	£2378 5s. 5d.	£7442 12s. 9d.
Bolingbroke Road	792	54,426	£768 5s. 5d.	£5980 15s. 10d.
Mantua Street	1,105	32,670	£2334 5s. 4d.	£11337 1s. 1d.
Winstanley Road	1,127	17,792	£3152 5s. 5d.	£7948 4s. 7d.
Belleville Road	828		£1661 6s. 2d.	£10165 19s. 11d.
	8,955

[1] Since the First Edition of this Work was published, Tennyson Road School has been enlarged in order to accommodate 400 Scholars. Landseer Street Board School is held in the large room under the Chapel and accommodates 200 boys. J. R. Ayris, Head Master. Ponton Road Board School, Nine Elms, opened for girls 9th June, 1879, and for boys August 18th, the same year, has accommodation for 350, Master, Mr. Chase. Mistress, Miss Nutcher. On the South side of Battersea Park Road, between Lockington Road and Havelock Terrace a large Board School has been built to hold about 1,400 children. Christ Church Schools, Falcon Grove, have passed for the present into the hands of the School Board for London. It is in contemplation to erect four more Board Schools in Battersea.

The first building erected for the London School Board, situated in one of the most densely crowded localities of the East-end, was opened in July, 1873, and since that time no fewer than 152 large Schools have been completed with a total accommodation for about 182,000 children, and an average accommodation for 872 children each. In addition to these, between 30 and 40 schools are now in course of erection, and about 50 other schools have been determined upon, thus the Board is most active in providing for the educational requirements of the Metropolis. Mr. E. R. Robson, F.R.I.B.A., is the Architect of this Board.