EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS History
On the site of the present Wycombe Abbey was a large manor house known as ‘Loakes House’ which was the seat of the Archdale family, until 1700, when Thomas Archdale sold it to Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne. The earl in turn bequeathed the estate to his grandnephew, William Petty, (who inherited a different Earldom of Shelburne in 1761 and became Prime Minister in 1782). The Shelburnes, though, had a far larger and grander residence at Bowood House in the Savernake Forest and spent little time at Loakes House.
In 1896, the first cohort of girls numbered only 40 but, in just three years, the school was full with 210 pupils. The underlying principle of Dame Frances’ educational thinking was education for citizenship. She argued that women should be taught corporate virtues, and that to be good citizens it was essential to have wide interests and a sense of discipline, as well as an esprit de corps.
The School continued to grow in strength through its early years. Girls increasingly won places at Oxford and Cambridge. In 1929, the School purchased the old Carrington family home, Daws Hill, and its 200 acres of land.
All activity was suspended with the arrival of the Second World War. For the next four years Wycombe Abbey became ‘Pinetree’, home to the US Army Eighth Air Force and the largest telephone switchboard in England. ‘Pinetree’ welcomed a number of high profile guests at this time. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill and Glen Miller and his band all visited the Abbey.
In May 1946, Wycombe Abbey re- opened with 170 arrivals. Of these girls only six were former pupils. After the School received a thorough cleaning it enjoyed a truly ‘fresh start’.
Further expansion took place in the 1950s with the addition of the Walpole Wing and the furbishing of the Dove Library. In the 1960s and 1970s, the School launched a number of building projects including the gymnasium, the art block and the front wall and gates, as well as a separate house for the UVI, Clarence House. Thanks to numerous generous donations in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, the Lancaster Arts Centre and Archer Recital Hall were built and The Davies Sports Centre opened in 2004. More recently, in 2017 the School opened an atrium café, named The Courtyard, and two new Boarding Houses for Pitt and Rubens.
The site has a variety of wildlife including deer, badgers, herons etc. but it’s birds (particularly crows and magpies) that give Dan the biggest problem. “At first, I was convinced that it was badgers causing the vast amount of damage, but soon realised that it was birds. Due to the lack of chemicals to hand now, I had to try and think outside the box and went as far as putting out scarecrows, fake birds of prey etc. Thankfully, they seem to have disappeared and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that’s the end of it.”
Whilst driving around the site on the Can Am, Dan showed me the many beehives. The school, and girls alike, place a great amount of emphasis on ecology and the hives and bug hotels etc. are something they want to develop further over the next few years.
Dan concluded by giving me his thoughts on the industry. “I think on the whole, we’re certainly undervalued, particularly in the
golf sector. A lot of time you tell people what you do, and they think you’re just a grass cutter - that’s going to take a lot of education to stop receiving that label. Wages are a big issue and I don’t know how we encourage youngsters into the industry, when it’s not an attractive salary and considering what’s involved. That said, I love my job and think it’s the best one in the world. I feel very valued in this position by the school, as do all my team and we appreciate how lucky we all are to be in this position, in this great environment.”
128 PC October/November 2019
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