Chapter 8: Miss Hayhurst and Exmouth House School

As for the other members of staff, two were Miss Hayhurst’s sisters: her younger sister, Elsie, described by Mrs Fearnside as L.R.A.M. (Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music), who was teacher of the pianoforte (she lived at 3 Turkey Road, Sidley), and her elder sister, Ellen, who by Mrs Fearnside’s time was a retired hospital matron who taught physiology and housewifery part-time. Her classes took place in the same upstairs front room as Miss Hayhurst’s. Mrs Fearnside added that she was not like Miss Hayhurst in appearance, and had retired from her nursing career, though she had not reached the normal retirement age, and had come home to live (she was presumably away carrying out hospital duties at the time of the 1911 census).

The other teachers are listed by Mrs Fearnside as follows:

Miss Love, Kindergarten

Miss Frances Haffield, Seniors, and Arithmetic all classes. Mrs Fearnside remembers that she was a graduate.

Mrs. Ivy Hollindale, Juniors (also, she was a qualified teacher of voice production and had her own ‘School of Elocution’ in Linden Road, Bexhill). She was a widow who used to bring her small son, Jack, to the school. He was about 6 or 7 years old.

Miss Daysie Elliott, part time in Kindergarten and Junior school

Miss Doris Campany, part time in Senior school

Visiting:

Miss Alice Borton, A.R.C.M., L.R.A.M., Class Singing

Miss Gwen Lloyd, A.R.C.M,, L.R.A.M., Optional Piano

Mademoiselle J. LaMaire, French

Miss A. Eldridge, Optional Dancing.

A few clues are available as to their classes and where in the house they took place. The Kindergarten was held in what is now the sitting room. This was furnished with small desks and tiny chairs. Opposite the Kindergarten was the main classroom for Senior classes. Then as now, it comprised two rooms knocked into one, with two entrance doors and two fireplaces -- though only the front one ever had a coal fire -- and windows front and back. Mrs Fearnside specifically records doing a piece of embroidery (which she gave me) in the rear room; this was in Class 3B, during needlework lessons over two terms in 1921-2. Above it upstairs was another large room which had been two rooms and was used for Junior classes. The Seniors used to go up to this room for Botany and Zoology lessons from Mrs. Hollindale. A relic of these survives in the form of an exercise book in green manilla wrappers with the title ‘Exmouth House School, Hastings’ printed on the front cover, inscribed with the name ‘A. Ward [Mrs Fearnside’s maiden name] 25 February 1930’. Inside are neatly written notes and pictures of flowers and birds, many of which have been ticked, marked ‘Exc[ellent]’ and awarded a mark of 5 out of 5. View image. Mademoiselle taught French once a week in Miss Hayhurst’s room upstairs. Mrs Stephens recalls that she was not much good because she could not speak English properly; she kept saying: ‘could we have some ‘ush?’ Behind this, the middle bedroom was used for singing classes, private dancing lessons and private piano lessons. Mrs Fearnside adds: ‘There was a nice piano and a black-board there, and the room faced the side looking over the wall and the path going up the hill.’