Downham School

Downham School
Location
Information
TypePrivate boarding school
Established1932
Closedc. 1967
GenderGirls

Downham School was a private boarding school for girls based at Down Hall, a Victorian country house near Hatfield Heath, Essex.

The school was established in 1932. Eleanor Louisa Houison-Craufurd was the first principal from 1932 to 1950. The school focused less on education and more on preparing well-born young ladies for advantageous marriages.[1] In her 2007 memoir, alumna Clarissa Eden described the school as "a fashionable boarding school ... orientated to horses".[2] Down Hall was sold in the 1960s and the school closed circa 1967, the house becoming a conference centre.[3]

  1. ^ "History of Down Hall" (PDF). downhall.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. ^ A Memoir: From Churchill to Eden. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2007. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-297-85193-6.
  3. ^ Exton, Colin (25 May 2021). "Exploring the history of Down Hall Hotel & Spa". Absolutely Essex. Retrieved 5 February 2023.