Old Eastbournian
Nevill House and Knockmaroon Prep school memories: Paul Jordan
Nevill House A number of OEs attended Nevill House prep school which was situ- ated in St Anne’s Road, Eastbourne. The school opened in 1897 and by the 1900s was under the headmastership of W C Laming. Following his death in 1933, his son Eric succeeded him as headmaster. Eric left the school in 1961 and went to teach part time at St Bede’s and St Andrew’s. Nevill House School closed in 1968 and was subsequently demolished. Eric encouraged pupils to take part in musical and dramatic productions and several past pupils went on to perform at the Hastings and Eastbourne music festivals. The Nevill House shows were held in the Winter Garden, Eastbourne. Chris Ennals (Powell 1956–60) appeared in the 1954 production of The Mikado as Yum Yum and Anthony Mills (Reeves 1956–60), later known as film and TV actor Royce Mills, played Poo-Bah. Chris remembers: ‘I attended Nevill House from May 1948 to June 1956. Mr Laming was headmaster and related to the Matthews family who ran the fairly small number of boarders the other side of the road. My family lived at 51 Prideaux Road, Ocklynge, so I could bicycle to school eventually. Mr Laming had a good way with the
the Winter Garden for parents and friends of the school. However, Nevill House never did well at sporting matches with other prep schools. I was always in the losing team! We played soccer and cricket against St Bede’s, St Andrew’s and Chelmsford Hall, funnily enough never against Ascham. Finally, I was head boy there and won an exhibition to the College in the early summer of 1956.’ Michael Matthews, Eric’s nephew, was in Powell from 1947 to 1950. Another past pupil was Roger Stepney (Powell 1954–58), Methodist minister, organist and choirmaster in Eastbourne. He was also an accountant for the Eastbourne Pier Company and witnessed the partial destruction by fire of the pierhead pavilion in 1970. He joined the College as Bursar in the same year on a temporary basis, leaving in 1977 to work at St Andrew’s.
Nevill House in 1968, shortly before closure
boys, and took a personal interest in my development, teaching me Latin and Greek. Capt Matthews [Eric’s brother-in-law] had survived the First World War, and taught Maths. There were several women teach - ers, including Mrs Pertwee in the early 1950s, the mother of now Professor Emeri - tus Roger Pertwee (Powell 1956–60) who was with me at Nevill House and my ‘nurse’ the first term at the College. Two other contemporaries I knew well were David Minords (Powell 1957–61) of military acclaim later in the Falklands War, and Stephen Cooke (Reeves 1956–60). And I also knew Royce Mills and the late Clifford Mould (Reeves 1956–60). Mr Laming was very keen on Gilbert and Sullivan and put on these light operas five years running at
The Mikado production at the Winter Garden
Knockmaroon Simon Wood (Powell 1950–54) remembers attending Knock- maroon prep school and kindergarten in the 1940s. The school was originally sited in Enys Road, Eastbourne, but moved to Moatcroft Road in 1940. He recalls the smell of hops and oats coming from the neighbouring Star Brewery (now the site of Waitrose) and
‘Can you imagine Toad without music? I confess I cannot. It is impossible to say how much the performance was trans- formed by the brilliancy – no less – of Mr Tranchell, whether playing himself, conducting his admirable little orchestra, or doing both, as he generally did, together.’ Other pupils who attended Knockmaroon included Susan Craig (daughter of Powell housemaster Teddy Craig), Hugo Bagnall-Oakeley (son of Wargrave housemaster Henry Bagnall-Oakeley) and Henry Underhill (Pennell 1953–58), son of Powell and Blackwater housemaster John Underhill
sheltering under the stairs when German bombers flew over. British composer Peter Tranchell was also a pupil at this school and from 1949 to 1950 was music master at the College. Coincidently he was involved with the Ascham pro- duction of Toad of Toad Hall in which Simon appeared as Ratty. The Eastbournian reported on the play:
ter of the College Prep School at the time, had a car and she used to take me and her daugh- ter Rozanne there every day and collect us afterwards.’ He also played the triangle in the school’s band and took part in a production of Aesop’s fable The North Wind and the Sun which took place on the lawn of Knockmaroon. Some readers may wonder where the name ‘Knockmaroon’ comes from. It was most likely named after Knockmaroon House in Castleknock, an afflu - ent suburb on the outskirts of Dublin. The house has been for many years owned by the Guinness brewing family, but why a more modest building in Eastbourne adopted the name, we do not know. Do any readers remember Knockmaroon, or know why it is so named? If so, do please get in touch.
(School 1919–25). Henry remembers:
‘In January 1946, the day before my sixth birthday, I went to Knockmaroon, Mrs Skinner’s school in a red-brick semi. Vera Ross, the wife of the headmas-
An early photo of the house in Moatcroft Road, prior to Knockmaroon school moving there, with St Mary the Virgin church in Old Town just visible in the left background
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