House and Homestead later known as Orwell House

This fine country house was built about 1865 with the additional wing facing the road built to house male scholars aged 8 to 14 destined for "public" schools. This photograph shows it about 1920. Much of this building has now been demolished and the extensive gardens used for new housing.

The old house that stood on this site in 1851 had been in the Barford family for over a hundred years. It was owned and lived in by Joseph Jenaway, a widower. His wife Sarah, who was a Barford, died aged 62 in March 1845. The census shows that Joseph had employed his sister-in-law Sarah Tew as housekeeper for himself, his son George and two young grandchildren.

Joseph had been a farmer of some 200 acres and was probably in failing health, the farm being worked by his son. He died in August 1852.

The 1871 census shows that the private school was well established by that time. In 1888 the fees for a year's tuition was 100 guineas, (about £15,000 in present money and average for private boarding education). Two of the school's more famous old boys are Earl Douglas Haig C-in-C of the army during WW1, (reported in 1873, aged 12, to be a poor scholar), and Neville Chamberlain who became Prime Minister.

The school ceased its work in 1891 and was bought by Dr. T. S. Townsend for the Clifton Manor Estate.