Donnison School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 54°54′29″N 1°22′04″W / 54.908054°N 1.367701°W / 54.908054; -1.367701 Donnison School (initially known as The Girls' Free School) is an English former school in the East End neighbourhood of Sunderland. It opened in 1798 to provide a free education to girls, funded by a bequest from . In the early 21st century it became a media and heritage centre.

Early history and curriculum[]

Founder Elizabeth Donnison was married to Sunderland businessman , who died in 1777. This was her second marriage, having previously been married to Charles Guy. When she died in 1764, Elizabeth Donnison left £1500 in her will to fund a school which would provide a free education for female pupils from poor families.[1][2][3] (Elizabeth Donnison was featured in the 'Rebel Women of Sunderland Project', an exhibit commissioned by Sunderland Culture and created by novelist Jessica Andrews and illustrator Kathryn Robertson in 2020.)[4]

The school opened in 1798 and was also known as The Girls' Free School. Students were taught needlework, spinning, sewing and knitting in addition to reading and writing.[5] Pupils were also provided with clothes and shoes.[2] This type of charity school for deprived girls was part of a wider movement to educate girls and women in Britain,[6] but the Donnison School was the first of its kind in Sunderland. The school was located next to the Sunderland workhouse,[7] constructed in 1740.[3]

In 1827, Elizabeth Woodcock funded the construction of a schoolmistress' cottage on the site.[8][9]

The school closed at some point between 1905-1910[8] and the buildings became the caretaker's cottage to the Church of the Holy Trinity. They were Grade II listed in 1978.[9]

Current usage[]

During the 20th century, Donnison School fell into disrepair. In 2001 it was purchased by the charity Living History North East from the Church of England.[10][11] Five years later, the charity received a grant of £287,000 from Sunderland City Council and the National Heritage Lottery Fund to repair and refurbish the school.[12] It became known as the Donnison School Heritage and Education Centre in 2007,[8] hosting lectures, school visits, and a regional oral history centre.[13][14]

The school building and schoolmistress' cottage is in the East End neighbourhood of Sunderland, an area also referred to as 'Old Sunderland'.[15] The buildings are located on Church Walk near the Trafalgar Memorial and the Holy Trinity Church, near to Sunderland Town Moor and the Sunderland Docks.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ Gillan, Tony (September 3, 2019). "Sunderland's historical gems which are baring their secrets for Heritage Open Days". The Sunderland Echo. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Parson, William; White, William (1827). History, Directory, and Gazetteer, of the Counties of Durham and Northumberland: And the Towns and Counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Together with Richmond, Yarn, and Detached Places Appertaining to the Bishopric and Palatinate of Durham; Including Copious Lists of the Seats of Nobility and Gentry, and a Variety of Commercial, Agricultural, & Statistical Information. Durham, England: W. White & Company. p. 338.
  3. ^ a b Johnson, Dr Michael (2013). The Architecture of Sunderland, 1700-1914. Graham Potts. New York: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5303-0. OCLC 858762027.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Katy (March 9, 2020). "Four more pioneering women are celebrated". The Sunderland Echo. p. 9. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Public Charities: Analytical digest of the Reports made by the Commissioners of inquiry into charities. Digest of schools and charities for education. London: William Clowes and Sons. 1842. p. 74.
  6. ^ Miller, P. J. (1972). "Women's Education, 'Self-Improvement' and Social Mobility-A Late Eighteenth Century Debate". British Journal of Educational Studies. 20 (3): 302–314. doi:10.2307/3120775. ISSN 0007-1005. JSTOR 3120775.
  7. ^ "The Workhouse in Sunderland, County Durham". www.workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  8. ^ a b c "Donnison School Heritage Centre". Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Caretaker's Cottage to Church of Holy Trinity and Attached Wall, Church Walk". Historic England. Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Saving Sunderland's historic Donnison School". Sunderland Echo. January 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historic role for fire-hit old school". The Sunderland Echo. October 7, 2006.
  12. ^ "Building saved". Evening Chronicle. April 22, 2006. p. 11. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Current British Work". Oral History. 43 (2): 7–25. 2015. ISSN 0143-0955. JSTOR 24625374.
  14. ^ "Little gem of a Victorian school' nominated for What's On Where award". The Sunderland Echo. January 15, 2015.
  15. ^ "East End and Old Sunderland – Seagull City". wp.sunderland.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  16. ^ "Sunderland's Historic High Streets Heritage Walk - stop 11: Donnison School". Historic England. Retrieved 2 January 2022.


Retrieved from ""