The Old Malthouse

The Old Malthouse School (The OMH) was a preparatory school in the village of Langton Matravers near Swanage in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, United Kingdom.

The School was founded in 1906 by Rex Corbett, an ex-England football player. It started with 10 pupils, in a building that was formerly, as its name implies, a brewery. Tom Pellatt, his brother-in-law who ran a school at Durnford Court in the same village had, in an enlightened moment, blasted out a swimming bath in the rocks at Dancing Ledge, a mile and a half away on the coast and the pupils of both schools used this daily in the summer term. Durnford's most famous former pupil was Ian Fleming author of James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

In 1939 the school was sold by Rex Corbett to Victor Haggard (H) and Evan Hope-Gill (Hopper) who inherited 37 boys. Durnford was requisitioned by the army later that year and was acquired by the owners of the Old Malthouse when the army gave it up in 1948. The main buildings were either pulled down or sold, leaving the OMH with the grounds, which were levelled for playing fields. A third joint headmaster Peter Mattinson (Mr Matt) joined after World War II and the triumvirate ruled until 1974 when the school, then with about 80 boys, was sold to a Trust under the headmastership of Quintin Ambler. Sadly ill-health led to Mr Ambler's early departure to be replaced as Headmaster by Patrick Jordan in 1975. Through the 1970s and early 80s the school expanded to about 100 pupils but declining enrolment and increasing losses led to the decision to close the school in 2007. In 1988 Jon Phillips took over as Headmaster, remaining for 15 years. During this time the school added a pre-prep department and became fully co-educational. Richard Keeble became Headmaster in January 2004 and left the school in July 2006 handing over the reins to longtime deputy Dr Moira Laffey.

In April 2007, the local press reported that the school would close at the end of the 2007 summer term [cite web
url = http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/latestnews/display.var.1349365.0.100yearold_school_to_shut.php
title = 100-year-old school to shut
accessdate = 2007-04-23
last = Jackson
first = Lynn
date = 2007-04-23
format = HTML
publisher = Newsquest Media Group
quote = A letter has gone out from governors at the Old Malthouse School in Langton Matravers saying that both the main school and pre-prep will close its doors at the end of the summer term.] and the school subsequently closed its doors at the end of the summer.

External links

* [http://www.oldmalthouseschool.co.uk/ Official site]

References