A P RO U D H I S TO RY
Gidea Park College has recently celebrated its centenary, a hundred years of providing an outstanding primary education for the children in the town and surrounding areas. A family- owned school, it was originally created by James Edward Parkinson and his wife Jessie, grandparents of the current owners, sisters Niki Molyneux and Annie Parkinson-Curd. In 1917, with the Great War raging, James and his wife moved south from Scotland.With the ambition to provide the best possible education for the community, the School was opened initially in Hare Hall Lane but within just four years it outgrew this space and moved to its present location, Balgores House. Balgores House has a rich heritage. Originally housing the Ar tists Rifles, a volunteer regiment of the British Army, it was also home to the war poet Wilfred Owen – in fact, his former bedroom is now the Head’s office.
James Edward and Jessie Parkinson, the original owners of the School
The Ar tists Rifles
Wilfred Owen
5
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker