Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School, is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school for girls aged 11–18 located in Upper Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon, England.
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School | |
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Address | |
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147 Central Hill, Upper Norwood , SE19 1RS | |
Coordinates | 51°25′17″N 0°05′40″W |
Information | |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1848 |
Local authority | Croydon |
Department for Education URN | 131280 Tables |
Ofsted | Reports |
Executive Headteacher | Grainne Grabowski |
Gender | Girls |
Age | 11 to 18 |
Enrolment | 642 |
Website | www |
The school is due to close at the end of the 2021 Summer term.[1][2]
History
The original building on the site was a hunting lodge (of unknown age). In the late 1700s, the building was owned by the Earls of Bristol, and was known as Norwood House, the residence of the notable socialite Mary Nesbitt.[3] In the early 1800s the lodge was sold and became known as the "Old Park Hotel".[4]
Mother Saint Mary (Henriette le Forestier d'Osseville; 1803–1858), who had arrived in the United Kingdom in September 1848 with the intention of establishing a school under the patronage of Cardinal Wiseman, acquired the site with funds provided by her father, Count Theodose le Forestier d'Osseville in 1857.[4] The current building was designed by William Wardell and built in phases in the gothic style to accommodate Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School commencing at that time.[4] The convent is part of the Sisters of Our Lady of Fidelity, an international Roman Catholic religious organisation, founded in France in 1831.[4]
Notable former pupils
- Maura McGowan, High Court judge
- Su-Elise Nash, Member of the UK girl group Mis-Teeq
References
- Porter, Toby (5 February 2021). "Doomed Virgo Fidelis School will revive as two single-gender Catholic private schools thanks to mystery benefactor".
- "Virgo Fidelis Convent School in Croydon facing closure from financial problems and buildings "not fit for purpose"". London News Online. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- Stevenson, Janet H. (2004). "Nesbitt (née Davis), Mary". Oxford Biography Index. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- "A short history of the Convent and Church of the Faithful Virgin at Upper Norwood". The Norwood Society. Retrieved 25 July 2017.