Sevington Victorian School

Sevington School, near the village of Grittleton, Wiltshire, England, was built in 1848 by Joseph Neeld, a landowner, for the children of his estate workers.

The curriculum of the private school was narrow and designed to fit pupils for their station in life, either in service or as farm labourers on the Neeld estates.

"[2] More than a century later, Nikolaus Pevsner endorsed this judgment, describing the schoolroom as "an outstanding example of a very small village school of the mid C19 with original furnishing, edge-grain and wood-block floor and fireplace" in his series The Buildings of England.

Thomson had rebuilt the derelict Church of St Margaret of Antioch at nearby Leigh Delamere in 1846, also at Joseph Neeld's expense.

[4] Today both the schoolroom and schoolhouse are Grade II* listed buildings for their architectural and historical significance, and the unusual floor in the school room continues to attract the interest of visitors.

[10] Former pupils remembered Miss Squire as a tall, vigorous woman who loved her garden and maintained excellent discipline without the need for corporal punishment.

Many of the schoolbooks, maps and charts used by Miss Squire still survive and demonstrate a strong emphasis on the Victorian virtues of piety, thrift, hard work and patriotism.

A small collection of samplers showing both functional and decorative work suggests that needlework was an important part of the curriculum for the girls.

Miss Squire’s reading books, Bibles and sets of psalters were still in the cupboard and the desks and benches, blackboard and pointer remained just where she had left them.

Two of the girls’ straw bonnets, donated by the Neeld family, hung on a peg by the door and the inkwells were arranged on the side, awaiting the attention of the ink monitor.

In 1987, the owner, Mr Ralph Neeld approached the local education authority to discuss the possibility of renting the property for use as a history resource.