Website produced and maintained for the Hungerford Historical Association
by Hugh Pihlens

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Another large voluntary school was the Wesleyan School in Church Street. This building had been built as an Ebenezer Chapel in 1807. The Victorian County History states that the "Wesleyan Chapel, erected in Church Street in the early 19th century, was enlarged 1807, and replaced in 1869 by a handsomer building in Charnham Street. The Church Street premises were then used for a Day and Sunday School".

For a first-hand account, we have notes of a conversation with Alfred "Sonner" North, who was born 1898, and who attended the Wesleyan School from the age of 3-4 years until 1910. He lived in Eddington and walked to school for 9am, back home for lunch at mid-day, and returned to school for the afternoon from 1 until 4pm. He recalls there being about 150 children, with 4-5 teachers. These included the Master, Mr Caleb Camburn (very strict and austere, and caned a child for bad manners in front of the class), and two assistant teachers, Mr Hall and his sister Miss Hall. They all taught in the one large main room. The infants were in a room where the flats are today, and he recalls his first infant teacher, Miss Lovelock (who later married Bert Withall and worked at TW Alexander, grocer). Alfred North was awarded a Bronze medal for "Never Late, Never Absent". When he was twelve in 1910 he went to the All-Age Council School in Fairview Road. He left school at the age of 14 years.

In fact, when the Council School opened in 1910, the Wesleyan and all the other voluntary schools closed, all children moving to the new school for the start of the September term.

The building was used as A W Neates sale room, then...

1988 Bibi Harris Antiques "Warehouse of Continental and decorative furniture and accessories".

The building was later converted to several residential flats.

Updated: 18.7.2010

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