The Free Grammar School at Woodhouse
An image of the school made in 1793.
The Free Grammar School at Woodhouse was built by Thomas Rawlins in 1691 with money provided by a charity that he set up for the purpose. The master of the school had to teach 34 boys, reading, writing and arithmetic. He also had to teach them Latin if they required it. The free scholars could include 6 pupils from Quorn and 4 from Barrow upon Soar. He had a house and ten acres of land as well as his income of £14 per year. The master of the school in 1846 was Henry Lester and he remained there until the school closed between 1881 and 1884. When it closed, the buildings were used by the infant school set up by Mrs Perry Herrick. Miss Cross was the mistress at the infant school and the older children had to go to school in nearby Woodhouse Eaves. Eventually under a scheme approved by the High Court of Chancery, Thomas Rawlins’ School was rebuilt in 1892 at Quorn, about a mile from the railway station. It was built on a six acre site with buildings that included a house for the master who took a small number of boarders. The classrooms themselves were built to very modern standards and included a separate technical building for had a manual instruction room and laboratories for chemistry and physics. There was room for 70 pupils. Still known as Thomas Rawlins School, the school continues to provide a modern education for children over the age of fourteen from the surrounding area.
Source: Trade Directories
