Oundle Primary School

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The original school dates back to the early 1800s. The first primary children were educated in a barn loft at the Talbot Hotel rented from the town's famous brewer John Smith who also owned the Talbot. It cost about £170 to convert the loft and learning began in 1811. Thirty-one years later, the current building in Milton Road opened its doors to 120 children after a local curate Revd Charles Hume won a government grant to construct it.

In the school's archives there is a list of "rules for teachers" 1872. Would today's professionals consider "filling lamps and cleaning chimneys" or perhaps "whittling the nibs to the individual taste of the pupils"?

The orginal plans for the current building in Milton Road. The central section housed the first headmaster and his wife with the two classrooms on either side.
(image Northants Record Office)

The Talbot Hotel barn - the top floor of which housed the
Primary School children between 1811 and 1841.
The buildings, situated at the end of Drummingwell Lane,
are now used by the hotel as conference suites.

The Primary School began its life as one of a number of "National Schools for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church".

In 1876, the mixed school was separated. The girls stayed at Milton Road while the boys went to join the Bluecoat Boys of Latham's School in North Street. In 1903, the boys returned to Milton Road.

You are warmly recommended to read "A History of Oundle Primary School, 1842 - present day" written by Mrs Cathy Wyles; a fascinating account of the changes to the school over the decades with much material sourced from the school's precious log books!

An outline plan for educating Oundle's
primary school children in 1947.

Do you have any information about the history of Oundle Church of England Primary School? We would love to see any old photographs and hear any anecdotes.

If you have anything that might be of interest to our website visitors, then please contact us.