Brambletye School Trust   Brambletye School Trust Brambletye

Brambletye is an extremely happy school where every individual counts, and the Christian ethos quietly influences all that we do. Lucy and I very much look forward to meeting you so that you can meet our children and staff who make Brambletye the special place that it is.The School was founded at Sidcup Place in Kent in 1919 by the Reverend John Blencowe. Despite steady building and development for thirteen years, the Blencowes decided that Sidcup was no place for a boarding preparatory school and, in 1933, they moved the School to Brambletye. The Blencowes brought the Chapel with them from Sidcup but elsewhere embarked upon an extensive building programme – the 100 foot long hall, with its double stage, nine form rooms and underground gym below, as well as changing rooms. With the building work still in progress, the Autumn Term in 1933 started with 100 workmen and 60 boys. The outdoor swimming pool and the art room were also added, playing fields provided and the Top Field converted from a kitchen garden. Extra dormitories came next as the pupil numbers rose to 100.With the arrival of the Second World War and the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, the School was requisitioned by the Army, and everything was moved in trucks to Lee Abbey, a hotel that had gone into liquidation, at Lynton in North Devon. The School remained at Lee Abbey for the duration of the war with only older teaching staff and virtually no domestic staff. On returning to Brambletye after the war, the Blencowes found the School in a dreadful state. They discovered shelves and flooring burnt, no heating or lighting, and tank tracks over the playing fields. With compensation, they managed to get the School back in operation by the end of 1945. In 1947, the Blencowes felt ready to retire and appointed Bob Jones as one of the first salaried headmasters. Bob and Sybil Jones ran the School under difficult circumstances, during which time their commitment saw a steady expansion of the School, as they tried to repair the ravages of military occupation.