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free of charge, to accommodate sixteen
boys (The ‘Dorians’) at ‘Bishopstone’ in
the Woodstock Road when space was
extremely limited at the School. The
‘Dorians’ considered themselves something
of an elite’. This arrangement lasted until
1924 when she sold the property. Mrs
Dore was given honorary membership of
the Society and presented with a silver
bowl on her departure.
Other female faces seen regularly by
the early pupils were the various ladies
who ran the ‘School Shop’ which consisted
of a window of a rather dark temporary
building on the northern perimeter where
the western end of the indoor swimming
pool later stood, now The North Wall. It
was first manned by a ‘Mother’ Blencowe, ‘a
maiden lady from Plantation Road’, followed
by a Miss Boffin and a Miss Long about
whom we know little.
Lizzie Johnson served both as Shop
Manager and later oversaw the transition
to the purpose-built Tuck Shop (today’s
Bursary) in 1924. She had come to St
Edward’s in 1887 with her parents who had
been appointed to look after the Lodge,
and was asked in 1910 to look after the
School Shop. In all, she served the School
for 46 years and became a well-known and
well-loved figure at the School. She ran the
finances of the Shop so well (with the close
cooperation of Bursars Walter Stanton and
Walter Dingwall) that it paid for itself and
even was able to donate funds for other
School building projects. ‘She knew how
to buy, where to buy and when to buy’
(an OSE). Her impact on the School was
rewarded by the presentation from OSE of
over £500 (£22,000 today) in 1943 on her
retirement, which enabled her to purchase
her home on the Iffley Road, which she then
promptly exchanged with 45 Oakthorpe
Road to ‘be nearer the School’. The Shop
was later taken on, very successfully, by
Mr and Mrs Cherry in 1947. They built on
all Lizzie Johnson’s hard work starting with
all the problems of post war rationing and
worked until 1972. Many OSE will recall Mrs
Cherry’s kindness linked to a lack of patience
ST EDWARD’S
r
h
u
b
a
r
b
with the ‘ditherers’ who blocked the queue!
She was succeeded by Maureen Cox who
laboured in the School Shop for another
29 years until 2001, working her way up to
Manager. Another well-known female face
from the 1926-1954 was Warden Henry
Kendall’s sister Katie who, in the absence of
a Mrs Kendall, ran the Warden’s residence
in ‘a manner particularly her own, and had
A R C H I V E S
at times appeared to have the Warden very
nearly under control’ (R. D. Hill). She was
much appreciated by the OSE of that era
who presented her with a gold watch and
refrigerator on her retirement.
Naida Christie, was not only the wife
of the School’s ninth Warden but also
‘an enthusiastic and talented teacher of
English’ at a time when there were relatively
Lizzie Johnson in retirement
c
. 1950
Sister Grimwade in 1964
Miss Bishop, School Matron
c
. 1900