Dorset
I am in Thomas Hardy country and I have writers block. What a cruel twist. How do I tell you about the charming, old world village of Langton Matravers? It is tucked away in a corner of the Isle of Purbeck. I am surrounded by stone cottages wearing thatched roofs and their finest flower baskets hanging from the walls; old castle ruins and prehistoric rocks. we can hardly believe that we are only 2.5 hours from London.
The Isle of Purbeck is surrounded on 3 sides by water and almost feels like an island. Especially so, since we came across the water on a ferry boat from Sandbanks to Poole Harbour. Driving past old world villages, miles of peaceful farmland and the greenest hills you have ever seen, we finally arrived at Langton Matravers. We drove up the road to Langton House which sits practically on top of Dancing Ledge.
Durnford Manor House used to be a Preparatory School for Eton and was in its day (1893) known as 'progressive'. Thomas Pellatt, an ex-Eton School Master married an heiress named Ellinor Thomas, bought the manor called Durnford and converted the outbuildings into a school. T.P. as he was known, was a violent bully and could not abide sensitive boys or those who were homesick or did not excel in sports. Prior to World War 1, and between wars Sons of German Counts and Barons as well as members of foreign royalty, such as the king of Siam and Hashemite princes attended school here.
T.P. got a quarry man to blast the swimming bath out of the rock of Dancing Ledge, near the water line, so that it could be filled up by the sea. The boys of the school (who included Ian Fleming) had to bathe in the nude.
Thomas Pellatt had two daughter, one who adored her father and wanted to run a school herself but was forbidden by unwritten laws about what the daughters of the upper middle class might do. When she married one of her fathers ex-pupils she asked her father to build her a boy's boarding school of which her husband, Nigel Chapman, would be the titular head, but which she would actually run. He built her Spyway house (now Langton House) in 1927. The school was to be small and intimate and totally dependent upon her. Hence its rather strange layout.
The Isle of Purbeck is surrounded on 3 sides by water and almost feels like an island. Especially so, since we came across the water on a ferry boat from Sandbanks to Poole Harbour. Driving past old world villages, miles of peaceful farmland and the greenest hills you have ever seen, we finally arrived at Langton Matravers. We drove up the road to Langton House which sits practically on top of Dancing Ledge.
Durnford Manor House used to be a Preparatory School for Eton and was in its day (1893) known as 'progressive'. Thomas Pellatt, an ex-Eton School Master married an heiress named Ellinor Thomas, bought the manor called Durnford and converted the outbuildings into a school. T.P. as he was known, was a violent bully and could not abide sensitive boys or those who were homesick or did not excel in sports. Prior to World War 1, and between wars Sons of German Counts and Barons as well as members of foreign royalty, such as the king of Siam and Hashemite princes attended school here.
T.P. got a quarry man to blast the swimming bath out of the rock of Dancing Ledge, near the water line, so that it could be filled up by the sea. The boys of the school (who included Ian Fleming) had to bathe in the nude.
Thomas Pellatt had two daughter, one who adored her father and wanted to run a school herself but was forbidden by unwritten laws about what the daughters of the upper middle class might do. When she married one of her fathers ex-pupils she asked her father to build her a boy's boarding school of which her husband, Nigel Chapman, would be the titular head, but which she would actually run. He built her Spyway house (now Langton House) in 1927. The school was to be small and intimate and totally dependent upon her. Hence its rather strange layout.
Comments
I've read his Boys in the Making book (recommended) and found the issues he addresses amazingly current;
T.P. was a violent bully and could not abide sensitive boys.
Is this from a different source or your opinion?
I'm genuinely interested not just contesting it.
TPs daughter Biddy briefly married Tom Harrisson, now there's someone with social interactivity problems!
kind regards
Chris
That T.P. was a violent bully came from a source. It was written in the brief history of Langton House.
Did you study TPs daughter, because she was very interesting for her time. She couldn't run the school so Daddy gave it to her husband and she ran the school through him.