a brief History of the school room

LOCATION

Penryn is a historic town in Cornwall, at the head of the Penryn River. It was founded in 1216 by the Bishop of Exeter.

The School Room is a Grade II listed, two-storey granite building located behind the Penryn Methodist Church in Penryn Town Centre, built at the same time as the church in 1891. There had been a smaller chapel, built 1789, on or near Chapel Lane to the west of the current site.

The map below from 1878 shows the future location of the chapel (marked with a red line). We can see how much the street scape has changed from it being a continuous row of shops and houses.

These aerial photos show the chapel and the school room cut into The Terrace, which used to be continuous to Higher Market Street. Further buildings were removed when Saracen Place was created and the former Town Council offices built in the mid-20th Century.

BUILDING THE SCHOOL ROOM

Construction on the School Room began in 1891, with the Foundation Stones laid on 18th May 1891. The building is constructed of granite masony with slate roof and sash windows.

Architect: Mr. J. W. Trounson, P.K.I. B.A..F S.I., of Penzance
Contractor: Mr. Carkeek, of Redruth
Granite, including the dressed granite foundation stones: John Freeman & Sons of Penryn

THE OFFICIAL OPENING

The buildings were officially opened on 14 February 1893. The following report mentioning the School Room appeared in the Royal Cornwall Gazette a few days later:

“At the rear we find a convenient two-storey building which comprises on the ground floor an institute room and four large classrooms and a schoolroom, 63 feet by 24 feet, over, with every convenience for teas and similar gatherings. The foundation stones were laid about twelve months since, and the contractor, Mr. Carkeek, of Redruth, deserves praise not only for the promptness, but also for the care he has exercised in carrying out the excellent designs of the architect, Mr. J. W. Trounson, P.K.I. B.A..F S.I., of Penzance.”

- Royal Cornwall Gazette – Thursday 23 February 1893

ACTIVITY AT the school ROOM over the years

Sunday School

In 1893, the building opened as a Sunday School for the new Methodist Chapel. The Sunday School had a Primary department and a girls and boys Senior School.

In minutes from a 1949 meeting, there was a mention of “the excellent tone of the School during the year which on the whole was an excellent one, the speaker was also grateful to officers & teachers for the support given him. The children were well behaved and attended good.”

Scholars were rewarded with an annual tea treat, which was a celebratory outing and parade to nearby gardens, such as Enys Garden, for entertainment and tea treat buns.

The following documents were all found in the archives at Kresen Kernow on 31 October 2024 and photographed by Lottie Matthews.

Government Evacuation during WWII

In 1941, Cornwall County Council leased part of the School Room at a cost of £44 p/year to accommodate school children during WWII as part of the Government Evacuation Scheme. During this time, two new doorways were cut into the rear of the building to allow access to Anderson air raid shelters, which had been placed in the garden.

Penryn Infant school

The Penryn Infant School, previously based on The Terrace until those premises became unusable, moved to the School Room from 1944 -1961. In 1956, the cost of using the building for one class was £30 p/year plus utilities and rates (from the school Minutes, Kresen Kernow, ref [CC/ED/6/371] During this time, Cornwall County Council improved the sanitation at the building and re-surfaced the playground. The Headteacher for a time was called Ms Friendship.

Performances

The large, first floor room in the School Room had a stage at the far end. Plays, productions and songs were performed by members of the church, especially on occasions such as Easter. There were also a number of pantomimes, including Goldilocks and nativity performances by Sunday School children. There was a drama group and a singing group, the Penmeth Singers, who also used the stage.

Celebration festivals, suppers and fundraising

The School Room hosted celebrations for occasions such as Harvest Festival and Harvest Supper, Children in Need events and other charity fundraisers. These occasions often included performances on the stage. Donations and gifts of fruit were given to places such as the Royal Cornwall Home for Children, Burdock House and Falmouth Hospital. A Spring and Autumn Fair would take place in the upstairs hall, with a range of stalls, including bric and brac, local produce from allotments and cakes.

Boys’ Brigade

Boys’ Brigade at the School Room was instigated by Captain Cock and Rev Cory in 1944. The Company initially consisted of three Non-Comissioned Officers and 25 boys. Boys’ Brigade continued at the School Room into the 1990’s and led to a social group for young people connected to the church.

Mabe Ladies Choir

The award-winning Mabe Ladies Choir, the oldest ladies choir in Cornwall, used the upstairs hall of the School Room as their rehearsal space for over 50 years until 2020. The space was also regularly used for rehearsals by Liz Chivers, Mabe Ladies Choir’s Musical Group, alongside her Ensemble group. As the members of the choir got older, it became harder and harder to access the building and the first floor room, until eventually the decision was made to move to a more accessible building.


St John’s Ambulance

The Badgers and Cadets, as well as Adult Groups, met weekly to learn skills and first aid until 2007, with members going on to become regular volunteers with the St John’s Ambulance. This was run by Mr Coombes, and later Alison Williams MBE.

Penryn 4th Guides and Brownies

Started by Jo Kennedy and Jenny Aikenhead, the Penyrn Fourth Wesleyan Guides were held upstairs, with members earning Badges and many becoming Young Leaders. They hosted many talent shows and pantomimes from the stage.

Pop-In Knitting Group

Pop-In was a knit and natter group, organised by former church caretaker Rose Webber and her best fried Jo Kennedy. They would knit blankets, teddies, jumpers and other items for charities, hospitals and to send to abroad to people in need.

Holiday club, ‘Messy Church’ and the ‘Cool Christian Cats’

Every school holiday, every child in the community was invited to the School Room for activities based on a Christian theme for a week-long club. There would be crafts, games, signing, videos and refreshments. The holiday club ended due to the Covid 19 pandemic. ‘Messy Church’ was a group for families, offering different crafts and including informal worship and a shared lunch. The ‘Cool Christian Cats’ was a group for teenagers, meeting once a fortnight. The sessions alternated between Christian-led and social-led. Activities included designing and painting a space in the School Room, barbecues on the beach and watching DVDs. These groups for children and families were jointly-led by Sharon Bawden for 22 years. Sharon recounts her memories of running various groups in her audio interview which you can listen to here.

Yoga

A class called Lucinda Yoga took place regularly in the upstairs room until 2023. In their interviews, Lynsey Robinson and Lou Brett recount their time doing yoga with Lucinda in the large first floor room which felt like ‘being up in the sky’.

Penryn Memory Café

Penryn Memory Cafe met twice a month downstairs in the School Room until the redevelopment of the building started in 2024. The Memory Cafe set up in September 2015 by Ellie Robinson-Carter to provide support to people living with dementia in the local community, including their families and carers. The group is run by an amazing group of volunteers led by Gill Grant and Jim Henderson. The Memory Cafe moved to the Temperence Hall in Penryn and more and more people joined, making the group too large to return to the School Room.