Our History

The lack of schools throughout the town concerned affluent families and the expanding business class. At this time, children from such families were usually taught the ‘Three R’s’, French, piano and painting by a governess until they entered school at 8 or 11.

Since 1885, Alice Southam had been a governess for the family of Richard Charker, an eminent local chemist. Her sisters Mabel and Mary taught the Charker children and the sisters’ popularity meant their services were widely sought. Uniquely, as home education was the norm for everyone else, the Southam sisters, backed by their father and Richard Charker, opened a kindergarten in February 1889 next door to the Charker’s home at King’s House in King Street, next door to the church. As its’ reputation spread, the Southam sisters took more rooms within the building to cater for the growing demand.

By 1891, with the older children in the kindergarten approaching the age of 5, talk began of the kindergarten developing into a fully-fledged school. The Elementary Education Act passed in that same year meant a small grant towards elementary school fees became available to parents. To develop into a school educating children to age 11, qualified teachers were needed. Through the King Street Church, David Southam knew the Costin family whose daughter Elizabeth was a teacher and who, with a Miss Amy Eustace, tutored children in nearby Liverpool Road. It was agreed that Mabel Southam would run the kindergarten, Elizabeth Costin would become the school Principal with Alice Southam and Amy Eustace joining as teachers.

King’s House School was founded in September 1891 at 35 King Street with the kindergarten at number 37. The school flourished during and after World War 1. In 1926, the school moved to a large detached property in Dunstable Road called “Moorlands” and as a result, the name of the school was changed to Moorlands.