Explore the rich history of Pownall Hall School from 1297 to present day.
Our lovely school has a rich history that dates as far back as 1297 when one of the earliest mentions of it was in connection with a farmer Richard de Pounale. It’s unclear whether that family took its name from the estate or vice versa, but the name was well established in medieval times.
The house and estate then passed by marriage to the Newton family in 1496, when Ellen Fitton married Humphrey Newton, a well-known 16th century lawyer.
In 1663, the estate passed to the Worrall family, the most distinguished member of which was Captain John Worrall who fought with distinction alongside the Duke of Marlborough at the battle of Malplaquet in 1709. He was described as being “of Pownall, Gent” and survived until 1760. The house remained with the Worralls until the early 18th century and then it would seem that it was split with the Worralls living in one third and the Earl of Stamford and Warrington occupied the rest.
However, this is not the house that we know as school today. Our house dates from 1830, when James Pownall of Liverpool (a descendant of Richard de Pounale) purchased the Pownall estate. He had the old house demolished and the current one built as “a red sandstone Georgian house dressed up in the Tudor style”. After James Pownall, there were two short-term owners of Pownall Hall until Henry Boddington, of the Manchester brewing family, bought the estate in 1886 to enable his family to live outside the city and to benefit his wife’s health but also no doubt to reflect and enhance his own prestige.
Henry added “lots of pretty, small-scale bits of decoration” to the façade of the house but his most significant contribution was to the interior. His enduring interest in the arts, as well as his role on the City Council, took him to the Exhibition of Navigation and Manufacture in Liverpool in 1886. Here he came across the work of the Century Guild, who he then commissioned to transform the interior “into a showcase for the most up-to-date work of the Arts and Crafts Movement”. Today the house is one of the finest examples of the work of the Century Guild “Arts and Crafts” in the country and is Grade II* Listed Building.
Our school started off as a secondary school called Wilmslow College, founded by a Mr. Clarke in 1895. It was first situated in what is now the Kenmore Medical Centre, and then on what is now the junction of Alderley Road and Water Lane.
In 1925, Henry Boddington’s son inherited the estate and sold off most of the land in 1929 creating Pownall Park, a desirable residential area, which surrounds the school today.
When Mr. Clarke’s son, Alan P. Clarke, took over as Headmaster in 1932, he began to think about moving the school to where it is today. Once the move was complete, the school changed to “Pownall Hall School, a preparatory school for boys for entry to public schools”.
It was 1934 before the house and the eight acres that were left surrounding it became Pownall Hall School.
In 1995 the School opened its nursery, and then became fully co-educational in 1998.
In 2014, Pownall Hall School welcomed Mr David Goulbourn as Headmaster during a pivotal moment in the school’s history. With a student body of just 140 pupils at the time, the school was facing significant challenges and was in need of a strong leader to guide it through this transitional phase. Mr Goulbourn brought with him a wealth of experience, having previously served as Head of Fulneck Junior School and as Deputy Head and Head of Academics at Terra Nova School. His extensive background in education, encompassing roles as a History, English, and Games teacher in various prep schools, equipped him with the insights and vision necessary for revitalising Pownall Hall. Under his leadership, the school began to flourish, embracing innovation while staying true to its core values, ultimately creating a nurturing environment where our pupils could thrive academically and personally.
Pownall Hall School open their brand new Robin Room, providing provision for children from 6 months old.
Exceed 300 pupils at the start of the academic year, September 2023, for the first time in Pownall’s history, finishing the year with 340 children on roll from Robins to Form 6.
