Crackley Hall School, formerly known as St Josephs Convent School, Kenilworth
St Joseph's Convent School. The building, dating to the Imperial period, was originally called Crackley Hall, and was marked on the Ordnance Survey maps of 1886 and 1923. It became a school in 1945, and has since added a chapel. It is located east of Littleton Close.
1 The main part of the convent was known as Crackley Hall – it appears as such on the 1886 and 1923 OS maps and its ground plans are in Warwick Record Office. However, nothing about its history or architecture seems to be known. In 1944 it was bought by the convent school which up until then had been housed in Stoneleigh Abbey and turned into a convent shcool for young ladies (opened in 1945).
2 Since then a new chapel has been built with various educational buildings and playing fields to accommodate 420 pupils.
3 Article gives a short history of St Joseph’s Convent School from the previous existence of the school from 1862 in Coventry to its change to Crackley Hall School in 2004. It covers the early period in Coventry, the move to Stoneleigh Abbey at the start of WWII, the purchase of Crackley Hall from Lord Kenilworth in 1944 to house the school, the transfer of the school from the Sisters of Mercy to lay trustees in 1991, and in 2001 the merger with Princethorpe College of which it became the Junior School. After WWII a house in the grounds called “The Gables” was bought for extra accommodation and a further building programme followed.
- For the sources of these notes, see the
- Timetrail record
- produced by the Historic Environment Record.
Comments
I attended St Josephs Convent in Kenilworth in the 70’s. Sister Patrick was Head Mistress. Sister Philomena took us for Mathematics.Miss Stansbury for History.Sister Osburga Was for English .Mrs Flynn for Religion.We had great sports days! The ethos at the school was strong. During Art in the summer we would paint in the Rose gardens they were beautiful.Such a shame they had to sell off the land for houses.And Get rid of the senior school.I remember the boiler room fire which caused alot of damage.They always wanted a swimming pool but it never materialised in my time there.
I attended st Joseph’s along with three of my cousins I was the youngest and I left the Gables in 53 .I do remember sister Patrick well.
I attended St. Joseph’s Convent School 1969-1971. As an American attending the school, these were the finest years of my life, with Sr. Mary Patrick, Miss Sidley for Biology, and many mates! i have many wonderful memories of everyone’s kindness to me.
Ann Megargle, Michigan, USA
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