ERCALL MAGNA
A brief journey through time
The Place
The People
External Sites
A brief history (According to Rob)
Education
In 1663, Thomas Leeke founded a Grammar School, which remained open till
1887, by which time the National School had come into existence. This
Grammar School was for boys only and all were expected to be able to read
from the Bible before being admitted. The location of the school can be
seen on the 1839
High Ercall map, as to whether this is the same location since
1663 I don't know.
When it closed John Beard in "My Shropshire Days on Common Ways"
says that the Leeke funds were largely used for a time to pay a pension
to the retired master.
The National School has a date of 1877 on the chimney, although according to the 1891 Kellys Directory it apparently started its educational use in 1860, (its currently my believe that the author of this has the date with Crudgington school confused), unlike the Grammar School this took both boys and girls, this is now the High Ercall Primary school and although the original building probably hasn't changed much, except for the School house being privately owned, the grounds have been extended with a modern extension put up in the early 1970s and further changes more recently to incorporate pre-school facilities. I noted when I took the photos that the gardens at the front have been altered/removed to make way for vehicular access to the playground, the access I remember being now used solely by the School house and that the outside toilets have also been done away with, this building now appears to be a storage shed.
On the site that the Talbot Fields housing estate now stands used to be the war time WAAF Communal and Quarters site No 10, some of these buildings were used as the High Ercall Modern School, this closed shortly after 1962 when Dothill Girls School opened and Wellington Modern School became boys only, with the girls moving to Dothill, taking in all the students.