History of the School

In 1865 the ‘National School’ was built by the Rector and although still visible on the site adjacent to the garage, is now used by ARTS (Anglia Regional Theatre School).

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The picture above was taken in about 1895 and shows Inez Trollope at the front door with one of the pupils in the porch, the other lady is Inez’s sister Edith. You can just make out the heads of some pupils at the windows in the extension on the right. Inex was head teacher and lived at the school between 1894-1904 occupying three rooms, maybe the room on the left and the one in the eves, which have curtains up, were two of the three rooms she occupied.

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Norfolk Heritage Explorer, mentions the school being built in 1865 (main building) and the extension to the right hand side being added in 1886.

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White’s directory of 1883 quotes ‘average attendance of 60 mixed children’.

Kelly’s P.O directory 1865 On page 306 it quotes ‘Here is a village school, supported by the patron and the rector and small weekly payments by the scholars’. On page 388 it quotes ‘In the gift of R.K.Long Esq. and held by the rev. Henry Churchman Long B.A. There is a school supported chiefly by the rector and R.K. Long Esq. with a small weekly payment by the children.

White’s directory of 1883 also lists under Newton Flotman the jobs of some residents in the village at the time, baker, shop keeper+coal deliverer, thatcher and parish clerk.

The picture above and much of the text  was kindly supplied by Pauline Peacey a decendent of Inex Trollope