Charlton School Roll of Honour by Julie Mabberley of Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Charlton Church Hall was built as the Charlton village school in 1858. It remained in use until 1921. It is a key part of Charlton Conservation area.

The main items of interest are the two rolls of honour painted on the wall in the school room. These show prize winners from 1881 to 1898. At the time, these prizes were so important that the names of the boys and girls who gained the Dearly Prize of the Diocesan School Inspector were painted on the wall of the school in the same way that vicars of the Church have their names and dates listed in Churches today. The names are:

1881 Eveline Emily Boulter

1882 Ruth Kent

1883 Mary Elizabeth Lee

1884 Mary Ann Hearness

1885 Alice White

1886 Eli Hales

1887 Edwin George Hearness

1888 Elizabeth Collins

1889 Alfred Kent & Beatrice Rixon

1890 Arthur Seymour

1891 Flora Mansbridge

1892 Mary Jane White

1893 Alfred Eustace

1894 Alfred Eustace

1895 Martha P White

1896 Arthur Bolter & Ellen Beesley

1897 Fredrick Giles Jarvis

1898 Julia Pinnell

I have no idea why the awards stopped, but this record is part of our heritage.

There is now a planning application to turn this hall into a residential home, so will these rolls of honour be preserved?

Although the hall has not been used for the purposes of full-time education for almost a hundred years, the old school still echoes to the voices of the younger generation. It has been used for Brownies, nursery groups and in recent years it has been used by a toddler group who hope to move into the church when the hall is sold for development.

According to my records, from the time that Charlton School closed in 1921, Wantage Primary School in Garston Lane was the nearest primary school until the new Charlton School opened in 1964 to hold the children from the new estates which were built for those working at Harwell. This school has recently been expanded with extra classrooms, an extension to the playground, a new administration block and new toilets. It is now a two-form entry school with two classes per year.

Charlton Church Hall has been outgrown by the church and community around it. A small hall that echoes with memories in the Charlton Conservation area is no longer required.