As Bristol’s Red Maids’ School celebrates its 375th year Gerry Brooke takes a look back

This November, as they do every year, the girl’s from Red Maid’s school will march through Bristol centre to honour the memory of their school’s founder – Bristol merchant John Whitson.

But this year the ceremony, which is on Friday, will also celebrate the 375th anniversary of the school’s foundation.

Whitson’s tomb is in the medieval crypt of St Nicholas church, which luckily survived a wartime Blitz which gutted the rest of the Georgian building.

“Following a short service in the crypt, attended by about 50 girls – the upper sixth and the School Council – three wreaths will be laid on our founder’s tomb,” explained Alison Foster, the school’s publicity officer.

“There just isn’t the room for all 550 girls in the St Nicholas crypt.”

Twenty minutes later the whole school – led by head girl Hannah Willmott – will gather and walk from Welsh Back to College Green escorted by mounted police.

“Red Maids is the only school in Bristol with the privilege to close the roads of the city centre,” says Alison.

Then, along with the Lord Mayor and other civic dignitaries, they will attend a Cathedral service.

“All seven of my Founder’s days will represent treasured memories for me,” says Hannah.

“But having the amazing opportunity to lead the school as Head Girl in this special year means that the occasion will be absolutely unforgettable.”

Will the girls be wearing the school’s traditional Red apparel, I asked?

“Only a few of the Senior girls, who will he heading the procession, will be wearing the school’s traditional poke bonnets and red cloaks,” explained Alison.

“Now we no longer have any boarders eight girls are chosen (the names are drawn out of a hat) to wear the traditional uniform on Founder’s Day”

“The uniforms belong to the school, rather than the girls, and Founder’s Day is the only time in the year now when they are worn.”

“In 1920 it was decided that, except on special occasions, hats would be worn instead of bonnets.

“And tippets (a bit like a long scarf) and aprons were also no longer to be worn in school.”

With so many extra guests attending the ticket only service at the Cathedral (which can only accommodate 800) a special marquee with a large screen has been erected alongside.

“Some 1,300 people – which includes the Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress and City Sword – will be attending the service” says Alison.

“Former headmistresses and former students have been invited, as well as some of the current parents.”

Every year, during the service, John Whitson’s will is read out – a reminder to the congregation that Bristol was a pioneer in providing education for girls.

“At the end of the service” says Alison, “every pupil will receive a Founder’s Day coin.

“This year they will presented in a special commemorative pouch.”

The school’s 375th celebrations actually started back in September when pupils, parents, teachers and governors came together for a beginning of term service.

Among the guests were Bristol’s Lord Mayor, Chris Davies, and Mary Prior, the Lord-Lieutenant, both of who will also be at Friday’s Cathedral service.

To mark the special occasion every pupil was presented with a commemorative booklet and mug.

A barbecue and fireworks party for 500 pupils, ranging in age from six to eighteen, was held the next day in the school’s Westbury-on-Trym grounds.

A week later the school extended its welcome at a special Doors Open Day.

Among the archive items on show to the public were the recently re-discovered cuffs and mayoral ring belonging to Whitson himself.

Some of the school’s own paintings were also on show for the first time.

And just last month, at a reunion for all ex pupils and staff over the age of 55, there was lunch, a school tour and a talk by the head, Isabel Tobias.

Other special events over the next two terms will include a conference on women in science and engineering, music concerts, a fashion show and another old girls’ reunion in May.

And to bring the 375th celebratory year to a close there will be a big ball in July complete with marquee, band, cabaret and firework display.

As a permanent reminder of the year local artists Anne and Gerry Hicks have been commissioned to produce a painting of the school.

When John Whitson founded Red Maids’ in the 17th century his aim was to provide a home and education for orphaned or destitute daughters of the city’s freemen or burgesses.

By the terms of his bequest the girls had to be “apparelled in red” – a cloth that he himself manufactured.

The merchant outlived his three daughters and it’s been suggested that this may have been the motive behind his decision.

Initially the girls were taught to read and sew in a building off College Green.

These skills, it was hoped, would help save them from a life of poverty and distress.

The school’s four houses – Seabreake, Speedwell, Discoverer and Maryflowre – take their names from his merchant ships.

Founder’s Day, strangely, commemorates neither his official birth or death, but an attempt on his life in 1626 when a man called Christopher Callowhill stabbed him in the face with a dagger.

Whitson miraculously survived the vicious assault but then died after a fall from his horse some two years later.

In 1843 an ever expanding Red Maids’ moved into a new building in Denmark Street and then, in 1911, just before World War I, to its present site at Westbury-on-Trym.

During World War II the pupils moved to Manor House – now part of the University of Bristol – while the school buildings in Westbury were used as a Red Cross hospital.

The Denmark Street building was badly damaged in the big wartime Blitz of 1940 and demolished in the 1950s to be replaced by the present Gaunt’s House.

In 1925 the first fee paying girls arrived at Red Maids and boarding, a long tradition, was phased out in 2003.

As pupil numbers doubled throughout the 1960s and 70s so new accommodation and classrooms mushroomed on the Westbury site.

“Red Maids’ is still very much a local school with a large percentage of Bristol girls” explained Alison.

“And it is a school which is very proud of its traditions.”