Normanhurst School, Ashfield

The Normanhurst School was an independent, non-denominational , day and boarding school for girls that operated in Ashfield, in the Inner Western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1]

Normanhurst School
Location
Ashfield
,
New South Wales

Australia
Coordinates33°53′11″S 151°07′45″E
Information
TypeIndependent, girls'
DenominationNon-denominational
Established1882 (1882)
FounderEllen Clarke
StatusClosed
Closed1941

Despite being non-denominational, the Normanhurst school maintained close links with St John's Anglican Parish, which was situated in the vicinity of the school.[2]

History
The former main building of the Normanhurst School in 2018.

The Normanhurst School was established in 1882 by Ellen Clarke, who was an English national.[2] Clarke was principal of the school from its founding in 1882 to 1893.[2]

At its foundation, the school operated out of a cottage located on Bland Street, Ashfield.[2] Later as the school expanded, it moved to another larger campus in Ashfield at the intersection of Orpington and Chandos streets (pictured right).[2]

Through the initiative of the then headmistress, Evelyn Tildesley, the Normanhurst School became a founding member of the Headmistresses’ Association of NSW (which has since become the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools) in 1916.[3]

The school ceased operations in 1941.[1]

Notable alumnae
  • Daphne Akhurst (1903–1933) – five times Australian Open tennis champion[4]
  • Margaret Slattery AM, DCSG (1922–2015) – National Secretary of the Australian Parents Council during the 1970s, an advocacy organisation for non-government schools[5]
  • P. L. Travers AO (1899–1996) – author of the Mary Poppins series of children's books, later adapted into the musical film of the same name[6]

References
  1. "Normanhurst Girls School Ashfield". The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. "Normanhurst School, pictorial collection, ca. 1890–1920". The State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. "About AHIGS". AHIGS – Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  4. "Akhurst, Daphne Jessie (1903–1933)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  5. https://www.smh.com.au/national/john-and-margaret-slattery-the-very-public-couple-20151228-glvll0.html
  6. Lawson, V., 1999, Out of the sky she came: The life of P. L. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, published in association with Belladonna Books. ISBN 0-7336-1072-2
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