The Manor’s History

For the past 100 years boys and girls, aged 2 to 11, have passed through The Manor Preparatory School and emerged happy and fully prepared for their future education.

To commemorate the centenary Dr Arthur Hearnden was commissioned to write a history of The Manor Preparatory School, its staff and its pupils. Copies of the book are available by emailing registrar@manorprep.org or by phoning the school.

First established as the preparatory department of the School of St Helen & St Katharine, under the auspices of the Community of St Mary the Virgin in Wantage, the school moved to its present site at Shippon Manor in 1947 when it was acquired by the Community.

The school kept going during the First World War. One ex-parent, whose nieces also came to The Manor can remember tales of his own father attending the school in 1916. During the Second World War it is rumoured The Manor grounds were used for convalescing soldiers.

The Manor survived the wars – and the attempts of 2 small boys in the early 80s who thought it would be fun to try and burn down a stone building with one match during playtime. The then Head found the whole escapade amusing in its futility and chuckled at such an absurd plot – much to the relief of the small boys who had been quaking in their boots.

Originally most of the staff were nuns from the Community, and the whole school fitted in to the original eighteenth century manor building and a few terrapins dotted around the site. There was one tarmac playground between the terrapins, the rest grass. There were no proper sports facilities and children would teeter precariously across a footbridge over the newly built A34 to reach the playing fields and sports hall at St Helen’s. “It is hilarious that we wore big, green woollen pants to play sport in. I remember the class filing across the A34 bridge in our big green pants and being hooted at by traffic below, and thinking how friendly people were to hoot hello to us.” (alumni early 70s)

Over the years the number of pupils has expanded and the staff and facilities with it.

Pupils have very happy memories of The Manor – “It was one of the happiest times of my life where I felt I learnt at my highest potential” – alumni from 1995 – and it has a fascinating and varied history with a succession of headmistresses to its current, very first, Headmaster.