Welcome to the York House Centenary Page!
York House School was founded in September 1910 by Rev. Cambridge Victor Hawkins at 98 Broadhurst Gardens in Hampstead. There were a number of ‘moves’ within the Hampstead area until 1938 when the threat of war meant that it was considered ‘unsafe’ to remain in the London area. After giving up the idea of evacuating to the Wiltshire area because the costs would be too great, the school was transferred to ‘Cremore’ at 10 Cedars Avenue, Rickmansworth, just 17 miles from ‘dangerous London’! Interestingly enough, a bomb “thrown overboard by a bomber fleeing London” fell on a house at the end of this road, fortunately with no injuries! In 1942 Meadow Way School was acquired and York House had a dual site for a short time until September 1943 when the school moved into Money Hill House where it remained until 1966 when the Redheath site was purchased for £45,000 from Lord Poole. And here we are today, in this beautiful site which has been thoughtfully developed over the years yet still retaining the magnificent tree-lined driveway up to the gracious building which we all know so affectionately as York House School.
(This historical information is taken from “A History of Redheath and York House School” by Patrick Moore, a former Headmaster of York House School)
A centenary is a milestone in the life of any institution and in choosing to celebrate the 100 years of York House School we are paying tribute to all those, past and present, who have worked so tirelessly, and who continue to work, to preserve the values set down by Reverend Hawkins all those years ago.
In order to plan our celebrations, the school has put together a committee of parents, staff and governors who are busy arranging a series of events to be enjoyed by pupils past and present throughout the centenary year. There will be one major function in each term of the school year 2010/11 as well as a series of smaller, more child-focused events.
The major events planned for each term are as follows:
Autumn Term : 25th September 2010 11:00am OLD YORKISTS’ DAY
Spring Term: 12th February 2011 10:30 FOUNDER'S SERVICE
Summer Term: 18th June 2011 CENTENARY BALL
OLD YORKISTS’ DAY
We are marking the start of the Centenary year with Old Yorkists’ Day, which we hope will be a happy and celebratory occasion to set the tone for rest of the year. We are looking forward to welcoming back to school as many Old Yorkists as possible with a Reception and Buffet Lunch, followed by time for an informal wander around the school and, we hope, a great walk down memory lane.
Please either complete the enquiry form ‘Contact Us’ on the website or e-mail direct to centenary@york-house.com giving contact details, dates at York House and personal history as we would like to invite you to our centenary events