1990
In 1990 a very glossy brochure was produced in order to appeal for £550,000 of which £200,00 had already been provided by the Governors and Friends, leaving a balance of £350,000 still to be raised. The appeal was for demolition and buildings works to be carried out in the following areas. (Please click on image below to view the brochure in full.)

1. Demolition
Willowdene (Junior School) and all 'huts' will be demolished and the area landscaped with additional car parking provision. The plan in the brochure shows how this development will affect a large area of the School and how it will improve the aspect of the adjoining new development of the Nursery, Infants and Junior School Building.

2. A New Nursery, Infants and Junior School
The present Pigot and Kennedy House areas, shown as a new development at the top of the plan in the brochure, will be converted into a new Nursery, Infants and Junior School. This is an exciting and innovatory scheme which will include new roofing for the building as a whole to replace unsatisfactory flat roofs. Eight classrooms, a libary, music room and space for art and technology willl be provided and junior boarders will be housed in this building.

3. Devonshire Extension
Lower and Upper Sixth Form boarders will be given comfortable study bedrooms with improved recreational facilities in the new Devonshire building extension. Additional staff accommodation will also be provided.

4. Orchards Refurbishment
This work will create a new and comfortable boarding unit for girls in the age range eleven to sixteen.

5. Heating and Safety Precautions
The school will be re-equipped with the most modern heating systems, whilst fire and safety precaution equipment will be entirely up-graded to ensure maximum safety and security.

1977: Appeal for a new Arts Centre

Please click on image (left) to view the full booklet which was kindly supplied by Helen Simpson-Miller

This appeal was made in 1977

1960: Appeal for Assembly Hall, Dormitory and Kitchen
Many thanks to Janet Moorhouse(1961-1970, Wilson House) who, in February 2020, kindly sent me an Appeal Booklet from 1960, together with two Appeal leaflets from the 1960s. Janet had been looking for something, totally unrelated to St Elphin's, and came across these documents which will be added to the Archives / Memorabilia currently held by Deborah Hall.

Below: Appeal for £150,000 "To maintain St Elphin's at modern standards and to guarantee its future status and efficiency, the following are needed urgently:

1.  A fund to augment the financial resources of the School. The policy of the Governors has been
     – and will remain – to keep the fees to the clergy at such a figure as will maintain the
     original purpose for which the School was founded, namely, to provide their
     daughters with a sound education.

Never in the long history of the School was this matter of more importance or greater urgency than to-day.

2.  An Assembly Hall.

3.  The modernisation of the Science Laboratories."

Please click on image below to view the complete booklet.
 
  

Right: Appeal for the remaining £12,000 for the Assembly Hall, Dormitory and Kitchen "to be built this year". The leaflet itself is undated but we are assuming it's from the early 1960s.

The most interesting factor in this leaflet is the mention of a dormitory and the layout of a first floor plan on top of the Assembly Hall (Stopford Hall). As most of you know, the hall was always a single storey building so it would be interesting to know why the first floor wasn't built – we can only assume that it was due to lack of funds. Please email me (lizbailey@stelphins.co.uk) if you know why the first floor wasn't built.

Please click on image (right) to view the leaflet in full.

Left: A final Appeal leaflet, titled "The Next Step", which, again, we are assuming is from the early 1960s. This appears to be an appeal for general funds being raised by The Society of the Friends of St Elphin's School.

Please click on the image (left) to view the leaflet in full

1954: Appeal for funds to reduce the bank overdraft
Circa 1954 St Elphin's School had an overdraft of £17,000 and the bank were pressing for the amount to be reduced. An appeal was therefore put out for donations to help reduce this overdraft.

A leaflet was published but, unfortunately, it is undated. As there is a photo of the school in 1954 within the leaflet I have assumed that the appeal was circa this time.

Please click on image (right) to view the leaflet in full.

1952: Formation of The Society of Friends
The Association of the Friends of St Elphin's was formed in 1952 and its first project was the provision of an assembly hall – the future Stopford Hall. "The Committee of the Friends wish to place on record their appreciative thanks to Mr. Stanford, Rector of Darley and father of an Old Girl, for his beautiful photographs reproduced in this booklet which is being sold for the funds of the Association."

Please click on image (left) to see the full booklet which was kindly supplied by Mary Goodman

"The Society was formed in 1952: with the aim of helping the Governors in every way to improve the amenities of the School. Working together in close co-operation, a considerable programme expansion was undertaken, with the following buildings being completed:

1963: An Assembly Hall - The Stopford Hall

1966: Additional Hard Tennis Courts

1968: A modern Gymnasium

1969: A Teaching Block - the Isobel Burgis Block

1971: A Sixth Form House - Devonshire House

1975: A Teaching Block - the Thornton Building

1976: An all-weather Playing Area

Back to top