When Kempsey was the centre of the school universe

Yahoo

09-03-2025

DAVID Chapman, one of my former colleagues long decamped to the West Country, used to describe the village of Kempsey, about three miles south of Worcester Cross but rapidly getting nearer, as the 'Centre of the Universe'. Mainly because he lived there.
But there was a time when it could lay some claim to being the centre of the local education universe – almost.
Because it contained Kempsey House School, a boarding establishment for boys that educated its young students in some style.
Pitched at the eight to 16 year age group, it operated under the charge of principal Henry Whittaker FRGS and offered a curriculum that included engineering, chemistry, woodwork, mathematics, English, French, geography, general science and something called land culture.
There was also swimming, boating and fishing, possibly in and on the nearby River Severn, plus hockey, cricket and tennis.
'The Kempsey district is notably healthy for young people,' ran its publicity.
The school stood in 22 acres and its phone number was Kempsey 13.
Which proved rather unlucky because virtually all trace of Kempsey House School has disappeared now.
It stood side-on to present day Squires Walk and the houses in Squires Close are in what were its grounds where there were three fountains all worked by a hydraulic pump with water from Hatfield Brook.
I came across an advertisement for the school in a battered little book in our bottom drawer.
This was apparently an old Worcester city guide and although the cover has long gone the pages, most of which are still bound together, have been protected in a plastic bag.
Possibly the date appeared on the missing cover because frustratingly it is nowhere to be found inside and I have trawled virtually every word.
However, by dint of information within, I would make an educated guess it was published in the early to mid-1930s.
Because it mentions projects completed at both the Royal Grammar and King's School in 1928, so it obviously dated after that, and also says the Silver Cinema in Foregate Street has 'one of the most comfortable halls in the county'.
The cinema was knocked down in the late 1930s to make way for the Odeon so the guide predated that event.
According to the preface, it was the 21st edition of 'The Official Guide to the City of Worcester' and was 'arranged with the view of assisting the visitor in a tour throughout the city'.
Ancient buildings were covered as were leading industries, places of entertainment, sporting events and, of course, Worcester's long and intriguing history.
For any visitor who fancied a trip out of town, there was a useful list of 'RAC Circular Tours from Worcester for motorists' to places like Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Stow-on-the-Wold, Malvern and Hereford.
One to Symonds Yat, Chepstow and Monmouth covered 141 miles which was a good day out in the vehicles of the time.
Among the advertisements there are many which will be familiar to anyone who can remember the city in the 1950s and 60s.
For example there is one for the Crown Hotel in Broad Street with special notice that it is centrally heated.
Jewellers JW Cassidy & Son Ltd at 64 High Street sold 'souvenir spoons (presumably of Worcester) in several varieties'.
While WH Aston (Worcester) Ltd at the Reliance Works in Diglis Dock were English and foreign timber merchants from whom you could buy everything from coffin boards to pit props.
Then there was Park's Baths and Hydro Hotel in Sansome Walk with its Turkish and Slipper baths and The Shakespeare Cafe at 77-78 High Street which boasted 'a first-class orchestra'. Not bad for a caff!
Lost in the mists of time have been establishments like the Savoy Billiards Room at 95 High Street, Chas F Brown's marble, stone and granite works in Sansome Street and the Severn Salmon Warehouse of JG Hunt which sold fish, game and poultry and had ice stores at 37 High Street.
All in all it's a fascinating little book and here are just a few of the images in it, including Kempsey House School.