The Church Vestry agreed to provide accommodation for a Sunday School set up by Hannah More, a local writer and social reformer. There was already a School for the Poor in the Tithe Barn and this may have been adapted for her use, or an alternative building used elsewhere. In 1791 they built Glebe Cottage adjacent to the barn for the school master and mistress of Hannah More’s choosing. Hannah More's Sunday School officially opened in 1792. It co-existed alongside the School for the Poor for many years.
The barn was extended in the 1800s to create the west wing of the school (beyond the grey wooden ceiling boxing). The current Council Offices, originally a classroom extension, were added to the school in about 1907 and the Tasker Room was the kitchen extension built in the 1970s.
The school operated for nearly 200 years as Nailsea Parochial School, Nailsea Secondary School, Hannah More Infant School and an Annexe to Grove Junior School. From 1985-1998 it was the Grove Day Centre.
An oil painting of Hannah More by Frances Reynolds circa 1780. Purchased with the assistance of...
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Hannah More (1745-1833) was a Bristol-born writer, educationalist and abolitionist known for her charitable work. She...
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The tithe map of Nailsea 1844 - just after tithes were collected as money rather than...
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Detail showing Holy Trinity Church (822) and the school at the Tithe Barn on the 1844...
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A record of the rent owed by the Parish of Nailsea of £430 as a tithe...
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The rent owed by the Reverend Frederick Brown on the Church, school and associated buildings in...
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The Tithe Barn, home of schooling for over 200 years, is a wonderful resource for learning about the past. Curriculum linked resources and activities are available across all key stages.