St Winifred's School
Encyclopedia
St Winifred's School was a school for girls based in Llanfairfechan
, Conwy county borough, North-West Wales
.
St. Winifred's was founded on 3 May 1887 and named after the Welsh
7th century Saint Winefride
. Its driving force and primary sponsor was the Honourable Eleanor Douglas Pennant, one of the daughters of Lord Penrhyn. Initially based in Bangor
, north-west Wales, the school later moved to the small coastal town of Llanfairfechan
, eight miles east of Bangor. The school was founded to fill the void of quality female education available at the time, and it primarily accepted boarders with a small number of day girls, all mostly from a middle-class background.
Tuition was holistic: 'to provide, upon a sound and accurate system, a religious and useful education for the daughters of clergymen and professional men of limited means, and the agricultural and commercial classes generally' (taken from the first prospectus).
The school was a member of the Midland Division of Woodard Schools
, part of a UK body established by Canon Woodard to support teaching within an Anglican context.
's).
Further increasing numbers resulted in a move to a purpose-built site in Llanfairfechan in September 1922, which consisted of separate accommodation, teaching facilities and chapel. The site of the school near the centre of the town is now occupied by modern housing, but is preserved in the name St Winifred's Close.
Llanfairfechan
Llanfairfechan is a town and community in the Conwy County Borough, Wales. It lies on the coast of north Wales on the route of the A55 road, between Penmaenmawr and Bangor. It previously was in Gwynedd and prior to that was in Caernarfonshire. For ceremonial and electoral boundary purposes it was...
, Conwy county borough, North-West Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
7th century Saint Winefride
Winefride
thumb|right|300px|St Winifred's Well, [[Woolston, north Shropshire|Woolston]], ShropshireSaint Winefride was a legendary 7th-century Welsh noblewoman who was canonized after dying for the sake of her chastity...
. Its driving force and primary sponsor was the Honourable Eleanor Douglas Pennant, one of the daughters of Lord Penrhyn. Initially based in Bangor
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, north-west Wales, the school later moved to the small coastal town of Llanfairfechan
Llanfairfechan
Llanfairfechan is a town and community in the Conwy County Borough, Wales. It lies on the coast of north Wales on the route of the A55 road, between Penmaenmawr and Bangor. It previously was in Gwynedd and prior to that was in Caernarfonshire. For ceremonial and electoral boundary purposes it was...
, eight miles east of Bangor. The school was founded to fill the void of quality female education available at the time, and it primarily accepted boarders with a small number of day girls, all mostly from a middle-class background.
Tuition was holistic: 'to provide, upon a sound and accurate system, a religious and useful education for the daughters of clergymen and professional men of limited means, and the agricultural and commercial classes generally' (taken from the first prospectus).
The school was a member of the Midland Division of Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools is a group of Anglican schools affiliated to the Woodard Corporation which has its origin in the work of Nathaniel Woodard, an Anglo-Catholic clergyman....
, part of a UK body established by Canon Woodard to support teaching within an Anglican context.
Location
The school was initially situated in three houses known as Garfield Terrace along Garth Road, expanding to five as pupil numbers rose. The houses were not designed as or suited to being school accommodation, so the school subsequently moved to the grander 'Bron Castell' on the High Street. The continued success of the school resulted in the purchase of two houses opposite the site (known as Saint Cybi's and Saint BeunoBeuno
Saint Beuno was a 7th-century Welsh holy man and Abbot of Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd, on the Llŷn peninsula.-Life:Beuno was born in Powys, supposedly at Berriew, the grandson of a prince of that realm. After education and ordination in the monastery of Bangor-on-Dee in north-east Wales, he became an...
's).
Further increasing numbers resulted in a move to a purpose-built site in Llanfairfechan in September 1922, which consisted of separate accommodation, teaching facilities and chapel. The site of the school near the centre of the town is now occupied by modern housing, but is preserved in the name St Winifred's Close.