Private School News

Opening of new Jane Austen Wing at The Abbey School

On Friday 2 October, the new Jane Austen Wing at The Abbey School in Reading was formally opened by Jessica Powell, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Google.
The formal proceedings were started by Peter Smith, Chair of Governors at The Abbey, who talked about this significant investment for the future and how the selection of a leading international businesswoman was indicative of The Abbey’s ambitions for its pupils. Mrs Barbara Stanley, Headmistress paid homage to Jane Austen who attended the Reading Ladies’ Boarding School in the Abbey Gateway in Reading in 1785 and who ‘pushed the boundaries for women’ in her own day. The naming of the building is also particularly appropriate as it finally fulfils the intention of Headmistress Miss Musson and the Governors (in 1926) to ‘honour the name’ of Jane Austen.
Jessica Powell unveiled a commemoration stone in the new wing which has really transformed the frontage of the school, and girls performed poetry and readings from Jane Austen for the invited guests who included governors, staff, the architects and builders and key representatives from the community including The Mayor and Mayoress of Reading and local MP, Rob Wilson. All the proceedings were filmed and streamed to pupils on a live feed to other parts of the school. The Mayor, whose own daughter attended The Abbey, said he was ‘delighted to see The Abbey investing in the future and recognising Jane Austen’s connection with Reading.’ Rob Wilson added that he was ‘proud to have one of the top independent schools in the country in his constituency’ and praised The Abbey’s links with the local community.
The invitation to Jessica Powell reinforces The Abbey’s important relationship with Google and continues the association with leading communication and technology companies that is such an important part of education at the school. Ms. Powell, an inspirational role model for the girls, then spent time with pupils talking to them about the opportunities brought by ICT.
The Jane Austen Wing itself is now a particularly vibrant part of the school. It maintains the character of the old building, sitting well alongside the refurbished entrance, and consists of three self-contained floors of four classrooms each, which enables 300 girls and staff to work in state-of-the-art facilities. There are classrooms for Years 8 and 9 and dedicated subject areas for Classics (Latin and Greek are taught at GCSE and A Level) and History. The Art Department has stunning, bright Art Studios and a kiln room alongside an ICT room used for graphic design work.

Further Background follows: Jane Austen and her links with The Abbey School

When Jane Austen was a child she attended a school in Reading housed within the gateway of the old Abbey called the Reading Ladies’ Boarding School. Known by the name of the building that housed it, another of its famous alumnae Mrs Sherwood, author of ‘The Fairchild Family’, wrote in 1791:‘The Abbey House had been a school longer by far than any person now
living has a record of. The house itself was exceedingly interesting. It consisted of a gateway with rooms above and on each side of it a vast staircase of which the balustrades had been gilt.’

`This name was lost to Reading when the school and its occupants later moved to London.

In 1913, at the time of its incorporation, Miss Musson was searching for a new name for the school which she had purpose-built in Kendrick Road. She chose to revive the name of the long-gone school that Jane Austen had attended and the Reading High School for Girls became The Abbey School.

Miss Musson said:‘…and while we are recalling these traditions of hard work, which are ours to guard and carry on, I think we may feel proud to remember that we are reviving the name of a Reading school very famous in its day – The Abbey School which had Jane Austen and Mrs Sherwood among its pupils at the end of the eighteenth century.’

At the time the school was built the size of the building had to be limited due to financial constraints. Becoming ever more popular, the school numbers increased until, at the end of the 1920s, a loan was secured and plans drawn up for the first extension to the school.

It was opened in December 1931 by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and during the proceedings silk purses containing money for the building fund were presented to the Princess by a large number of the girls. We are fortunate to still have one of these silk purses in the school archive.

The arched door at the back of the Hardcastle Hall was opened for the first time and the new wing, which now is home to the Chapel, was revealed.

When the proposals for the new building were being discussed in 1926 Miss Musson said: ‘…and we have now in consideration a scheme by which we may do honour to their names, and keep fresh in the hearts of succeeding generations of young ladies the reverence for true scholarship and learning which marked them out from their fellows…’