Prior's Field School

Prior's Field School opened on 23 January 1902, with only seven pupils. It was founded by Julia Huxley, the mother of Julian Huxley and Aldous Huxley. Starting with a five-acre (2 ha) plot and a house designed by C.F.A. Voysey, Julia Huxley opened her school with one boarder, five day girls, a wire-haired terrier and her -year-old son, Aldous. From its earliest days, the school encouraged a commitment to the suffragist cause. By the time of Julia Huxley's death in 1908, Prior's Field was a thriving and successful school and one which was already taking the subject of women's suffrage very seriously. The school magazines show that the girls were passionately involved in what was happening…

Prior's Field, originally called Prior's Garth, was designed by prominent English Arts and Crafts movement architect C.F.A. Voysey. The house has been Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England since May 1985. Many of Voysey's original features – stylised keyholes, door handles, air vents, and fireplaces – can still be seen in the school today, for instance in the Oak Hall, the Senior Common Room and the Bursary offices. The additions to the original house – formerly known as Private Side – were designed by Voysey's pupil, Thomas Müntzer.