With the local elections almost upon us, it might be fitting to have a look at politics in the village 130 or so years ago.
All of the reported activity seems to have been around the Conservative Party. If the Liberals were active, there is no trace of it in the newspaper cuttings from that time. A Conservative Association was planned in the barn of Willow Farm in November 1885. Read more
After a gap of 28 years, the Village Society has reprinted The Haslingfield Chronicle. This book contains all the newsworthy items relating to the village that were printed in the Cambridge Chronicle between 1776 and 1900. Fires, murders, accidents, parties – they’re all there. Read more
A number of former pupils and other people connected with the local school have enjoyed local celebrity, but a number of people who have passed through the school gates have enjoyed national, indeed, international fame. Read more
The years after World War II saw a frenzy of local Authority activity to improve the school buildings:
24th October 1946
At a Managers’ Meeting last night, the Correspondent was asked to write to the Education Office recommending the installation of an electric pump, so that a sufficient supply of water may be available. Read more
The Blitz of London started, leading to a new wave of
evacuees in the autumn of 1940, and necessitating the transfer of
a teacher from Surrey to meet the new demands. But by the end of
the year the local authorities had obviously got fed up with the
disruption: Read more
World War II understandably upset routine in Haslingfield School as
much as it did elsewhere. Hitler’s movements in Europe prompted early
action: Read more
The Admissions Registers for the local school give an interesting insight into the changing face of the village between 1873 and 1980. Up until 1916, just 35 families (as indicated by family names) contributed 57.9% of the school’s intake. Each of these families contributed at least 10 pupils to the school between 1873 and 1916. Read more
Haslingfield School seems to have accommodated its fair share of evacuees, receiving some 160 in the course of World War II. They seem to have come in three main waves: shortly after the start of the war, when the Luftwaffe were threatening to drop all sorts on London, including poison gas; in 1940-41, when they did start bombing the capital, and in 1944 when the V1 and V2 rockets were launched by a retreating German Army. Read more
Registration at Haslingfield School prior to 1900 seems to have been a somewhat haphazard arrangement. Firstly, the Head was required to record the date of registration. Read more
Haslingfield School has been involved in the training of teacher students since at least 1931, but there was a period after the Second World War when these students came from a teacher training establishment based in Wimpole Hall. Read more
Given the current stress on sporting activity as an antidote to childhood obesity, it’s perhaps surprising that there is hardly any mention of organised games at Haslingfield School before 1920. The Head in 1923, Mr. Herbert Saunders, decided such activities were important, but for moral rather than physical reasons:
“Through games I hope to effect an honourable attitude in & out of class”. Read more
Below is a list of Head Teachers at the local school between 1875 and 1975.The list is interesting in a number of ways:
*There was a woman head for barely five years of the 100 covered;
*There was clearly a difficulty at the end of the First World War in filling the post. Between Messrs. Royston and Laxton there were ten heads.This must have been something to do with the lack of male recruits into the teaching profession during wartime; *Miss Ling, who is the subject of a dramatic reading at the Village society in February 2012, served under fourteen different heads in her school career, which stretched from 1917 to 1963. Read more
Royal occasions are invariably welcomed by schoolchildren, as they often mean time off. Even the sad ones often bring respite from normal lessons. The Haslingfield School Log Book provides plenty of examples of both.
Queen Victoria must have been particularly popular, with her large number of children and her longevity. The 21st of June 1887 was a public holiday, to celebrate her Golden Jubilee, and school finished early on the next day, so that children could attend the village celebration. Her achievement of a Diamond Jubilee ten years later brought three days’ holiday. In between, in July 1893, the future George V’s wedding was celebrated with a “school-treat”. His coronation in June 1911 merited a week’s holiday. Read more
Holidays have always been popular with school pupils, and Haslingfield School has had its share of them. Apart from statutory breaks, pupils over the years have enjoyed many others, coming from a number of sources. Read more