Homefield School Southbourne Hants

I was a pupil at Homefield School, Southbourne, Bournemouth, from 1967 to 73, and its senior branch at Winkton, 73 to 1978.
I can find nothing online about Homefield's establishment and heyday, but only about Winkton's demise.
I wanted to find photos of the junior school at Iford Lane and of the buildings within. I have many memories.

By Ed Williams again: - Roger and I were only at Homefield as Day students for the summer term of 1955 - Mr Taggart was HM - Mr Cameron was our class teacher - some boys were: Christopher Bennet, Michael Start, ?? Stephens, Robert Webster, ......... I remember the teacher reading some youthful book about adventures on Lake Windermere? - I was not happy or settled at that school and found it hard to find friends in my brief episode there - Taggart tried to offer advice a couple of times. while authorities tried to resolve my future. My twin and younger brother had no such problems. We were bused to and from Barton every day. I tried to learn more of the location change of later years - was is over ambitious intentions???

I remember Mr Cameron and was in his form, 3A, in 1973. He was a superb English teacher. Homefield and Winkton had excellent libraries.
I wish I had kept something as a souvenir, even if only my school cap.
I found out online that the owl is in fact the family crest of the Scottish Taggarts.

Who remembers Mr King the PT teacher, who was a famous footballer? As I did not like sports, I was grateful to him, because he was a kind man - not what one expects of a PT teacher.
My first form was Transition with Mrs Bauer-Gunther, then P1 with Mrs Stefans. These were in the tall building with the wooden stairs by the Saxonbury Rd entrance. The Tuck Shop was Major Broach's office outside P1. The stairs continued higher. Does anyone know what the floor above was?

Homefield school

I attended the school in the 1940s, leaving to go to school at the City of London School, in 1951. I was the first “boarder” taken on at Homefield, by the Taggarts, when my parents moved to London in 1947, from where we lived in New Milton. I lived in the front bedroom of the house, overlooking the Stour, and open fields, towards the road beyond Tucton Bridge.
It was lonely, but other boys soon joined the school. Early names I remember were the Partridge brothers, Neil, Ian, and Tony, later to become headmaster I believe. There was David Jose, John Melhuish, Chris Horsford, all of us travelling from New Milton by train, each day, to Christchurch, and then by yellow trolly bus to just over Tucton Bridge, walking to the school in Iford Lane from there.
Other names were Watts, son of one of the masters, John Ludlum, and Aslet. Mr Amos was a master then, Colonel Kennedy, and Mr Harth, keen on Gilbert and Sullivan’s, an early housemaster, when the boarding house was moved to a property, bought in Saxonbury Road, which backed onto the Taggarts house in Iford Lane. There was then direct access then between the two properties. There was a small playground then, with another access out to Saxonbury Road, but all that has now been built on I suspect. There was an original classroom building when I joined, which also housed the dining room. A second new classroom building was added later before I left.
Early boarders were, in addition to myself, the Bull brothers, Charlie and David, Douglas Peffers, and Malcolm Whiffen. When I was there the number increased to about 8 I think, by the time I left. We had matches against St Peter’s School, and other schools whose names I cannot remember! Sports day was held in Kings Park, and we sometimes were taken to Dean Court to watch Bournemouth and Boscombe FC, although I don’t remember which League Division they were in, but the Goalie, Ken Bird, was a great hero.
We went to Church, walking to The Priory, and rambles up to Hengistbury head on a Sunday.
I think, on the whole, I enjoyed the school, once I became adjusted to boarding school life. I was taken to the West Hants Tennis Club, by Taggart, with other small local Bournemouth boys, to be introduced to Tennis, where we were initially coached by Dan Maskell, who taught us how to hold the racket, and hit balls back and forth across the net to a tall slightly balding man - Fred Perry no less, and over the years that experience helped me play the game with some minor success!
I have one old photo of the football team, in which I was the goalkeeper!
Anyone else remember any of this?

Dear Barry Edwards: My brothers and I lived in Barton-on-Sea (24 Barton Court Avenue) and my mother ran a Hair Salon on Whitefield Road New Milton. In 1955 we were withdrawn from Rope Hill School in Boldre (near Lymington) and joined Homefield School in Tuckton/Southbourne. Our older sister Kathy caught the eye of Neil Partridge, and he was a frequent visitor to our house. I didn't know that he went to Homefield. His brother Tony was a keen tennis player I believe - they lived on Whitefield Road a few houses down from my mother's Salon. It's a small world Barry - they say that everyone in the world is related within seven degrees of separation...... Ed Williams (Edward.L.Williams100@gmail.com)

I failed my 11plus for grammar school and instead went to Homefield in 1957 I think it was, for 3 or 4 years, as a boarder. The boarding house at that time was in Church Rd on a corner, big old rambling three-storey affair, someone said it was named Cherry Garth. Mr Amos was the house master, something of a religious fanatic, converted our bike shed into a chapel and made us attend nightly as I recall. The only other name I can remember is the head mr. Taggart. Our class made the french teacher’s life hell as we were all bored stiff. He used to throw chalk at us for misbehaving. Some of us boarders would sneak out at night and roam the local streets. Mr Amos wanted to promote the boarding house at one point and I had to pose in the “library” (hah!) pretending to be reading a book for the photo.
Haven’t lived in this country for over 45 years now so while visiting old blighty I made a nostalgic pilgrimage to see the old school, now all gone and even the boarding house is no longer, everything redeveloped. Interesting memories. As I understand it the school went bankrupt in the early 2000s. Anyone else attend as a boarder during my time?

I was a boarder at Homefield - 1960 - 1964. Main school was on Ilford (SP?) Road in Tuckton. The two boarding houses was Cherry Garth and Channel View. were on Church Road, approx. one mile from the main school. Mr Amos Junior and wife ran Cherry Garth and Mr Amos Sr. and wife Lilly(maybe) ran Channel View. Mrs Dean was the Matron (very nice woman)! Mr Taggert was the headmaster. and was very liberal with the caning of the boys. Not a bad experience all in all. I remember being constantly hungry and cold - quite Dickensian! A few names of boys I remember are Collingwood, Buckland, Wilkinson, Jeremy Mitchell, Clive Russell. Is there anyone else around at that time that can share experiences??