The Hall 1895, Gatton
The Hall 1895, Gatton Ref: 35232
Memories of The Hall 1895, Gatton
The Royal Alexandra & Albert School
I came here at almost 5 years of age, in September 1949, to commence my schooling with the then newly amalgamated Royal Alexandra and Royal Albert Schools - both being of London orphanage origins from the mid-eighteenth century. The beautiful 250 acre estate, formerly belonging to the late Sir Jeremiah Colman ("The Mustard King") was acquired by the newly-formed RAAS shortly after Sir Jeremiah's demise in 1948, and I was among the very first juvenile occupants in Gatton Hall's new guise as a boarding school. In the 62 years since then, there have been significant developments and additional school buildings; most were completed by 1953, but as the school and it's requirements have expanded, so too have the considerable number of additional buildings and facilities - all sympathetically in keeping with the ambience of the estate, which has much history. In 1086 it was mentioned in the Domesday Book, given parliamentary borough status in 1450 with it's own rudimentary 'Town Hall' (still standing), and was landscaped into parkland in 1766... Read more
Gatton & local memories
Read and share memories of Gatton and Surrey inspired by Frith photos.
Leonard Douglas Martin Born 1892 Gatton Park
My grandfather Leonard Martin was born on the Gatton Park Estate in 1892, where his father George Martin was the 'Head Coachman Domestic'. The family actually occupied four rooms over the stables. He went to school on the estate, and I have a couple of photographs of him there, when he was five years old.
I would love to discover more information about the Gatton Park Estate at that time and whether anyone else has family connections to this place.
