Carmel College (Main House) - June 2010

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D-Kay

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Location
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History From Wiki

The school was founded in 1948 by the late Kopul Rosen and closed in June 1997 due to bad management, diminishing pupil numbers and financial difficulties. The school grounds were sold to property developers for an undisclosed fee in 1997, however, the sale was overturned by the Charity Commission following significant pressure from parents and former students who claimed the land was undersold. The distinctive concrete synagogue, dining hall, and amphitheatre, designed by local architect Thomas Hancock, are Grade II listed buildings; the Julius Gottlieb gallery and boathouse, designed by Sir Basil Spence, is Grade II* listed.

The Mansion House was an old manor house with particular significance. Agatha Christie (who lived nearby in Wallingford) used it as the basis for the mansion in "Mouse Trap". It was also the site for the briefing for the "bouncing bombs" raids of Operation Chastise, which left from nearby RAF Benson.

Location

The school grounds in Mongewell Park had the straightest run of the River Thames flowing through it, and Oxford University made full use of this during their preparation for the annual varsity boat race.

Structure

It was attended by children from the age of 11 until 18 - although earlier on there was a preparatory school which took children from around the age of 8. Later a girls school was built - about a mile from the main campus, although the buildings were never actually used for this purpose. Instead, it was turned into a junior school in the late 1960s for children up to the age of 13, when they then moved to the main school. Girls were later admitted into the main school, starting at the sixth form in the early 1970s. However there were daughters of teachers at the school even before this, including the youngest daughter of Carmel's founder Rabbi Kopul Rosen, who was a pupil in the late 1960s. The Junior school was closed down several years before Carmel closed, and the buildings sold.


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Thanks for looking:)
 
You have been getting around Oxfordshire, well impressed by the photo's. Been round the place a few times but never entered. Interesting bit about the bouncing bombs bit. Just one thing, Agatha Christie lived in Winterbrook which is part of Cholsey NOT Wallingford (us locals get touchy about that) she is buried in Cholsey Churchyard. Great set of photos.
 
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