The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Not the Front Stairs!

£9.95Price

Not the Front Stairs: A History of Douglas House School, Malvern, from 1948–1970

By Rose Arno

ISBN 9781912078066

 

‘Sometimes in assembly (the head) would pretend that a girl had been seen eating a sweet in the street in school uniform . . . and who was it?’ 
 
‘The walk to the Priory for Foundation Day. We were arranged in height order, not age or forms and instructed to take our places and never turn around. Years later, at her memorial service and now grown women, we sat exactly like that, so indoctrinated.’
(Paula Phillips, Douglas House student, 1952–57.)


Rose Arno grew up in Welland, near Malvern and attended Douglas House, from 1955 to 1957. This book is not only her recollections of the school, but also anecdotes and comments (some good, some bad) from a whole range of students from 1948 when the school opened, until its demise in 1970. It is also the story of a remarkable woman, the school’s founder and head, Madeleine Owen-Williams (O’dub).

Madeline Clemence Ogilvie Douglas b. 21 Mar 1907, married LLewellyn Owen-Williams, a wartime padre in the Canadian airforce.  She was 'Aunty Susan' for BBC children's services in Bristol and then established Douglas House School, in Malvern.

Madeline was the daughter of John William Edward James Douglas, 16th of Tilquhillie, himself the son of John Sholto Douglas, 15th of Tilquhillie and Vanda Marie von Poellnitz. He married Olga Edith de Reuter, daughter of August Julius, 2nd Baron de Reuter, on 17 November 1901. 


Not the Front Stairs!  is available from the publishers, Aspect design.

Views: 197

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of The Douglas Archives to add comments!

Join The Douglas Archives

Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


© 2024   Created by William Douglas.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service