Margaret Isabella Gardiner
1858-1944
1897 -
Founder of Saint Felix School
1897-1908 - First Headmistress
Margaret Isabella Gardiner was born into a middle class intellectual family in 1858 – her father was the historian Samuel Gardiner. She attended Bedford College School in London before her mother’s early death meant that she had to interrupt her education to care for her younger siblings. At the age of 14, she had declared that ‘when I am grown up I am going to make a school where girls are treated like sensible beings’.
When her father re-married she was able to resume her studies at Bedford College and in 1883 she gained a Drapers’ Scholarship to Newnham College, Cambridge where she studied Geology, taking a degree in Natural Sciences. She was awarded the Bathurst Scholarship for original research but never received her degree officially as Cambridge did not award them to women until 1948.
In 1889 she took up a post as science teacher at St. Leonard’s School in St. Andrews and many of the routines and activities she experienced there formed the basis of the early years of Saint Felix School. She moved on to become Headmistress of Withington Girls’ School in Manchester but felt that she could only fulfil her vision if she started her own establishment.
Miss Gardiner’s Old Felicians
Miss Gardiner consulted friends at Cambridge for help and advice and through their connections was able to rent Westhill in Aldeburgh from the Garrett Anderson family. In January 1897 she launched the school with 4 boarders, 2 daygirls and ‘little boy’ Wrightson who was almost certainly her nephew. Numbers increased rapidly and the school extended into Westfields and Hill House. However, there was still insufficient space so in 1898 the school moved to Southwold where several houses were rented including Gorse View (now St Barnabas) and the old Golf Links Hotel opposite South Green.
Rented accommodation was an unsatisfactory solution as all equipment had to be packed away during the holidays so the houses could be used by the owners. Miss Gardiner was determined to have a purpose built school and with considerable help from members of the School Council, parents and friends she managed to raise the funds for the original buildings. The architect, Arnold Mitchell, was employed; Mitchell is often described as second only to Sir Edwin Lutyens and was also responsible for many Arts & Crafts buildings and South American railway stations.
In 1902 the school moved onto its present site and became known to locals as ‘the school on the hill’. The original buildings included Clough (now Gardiner – the current Clough House was built later), Somerville and Fry and Nightingale (now Fawcett). Unfortunately the strain of fund-raising and fulfilling her dream took its toll on Miss Gardiner’s health and she resigned in 1908. Her doctor banned her from visiting the school as it would be detrimental to her recovery but her ghost can still sometimes be seen wandering along the south side of the school buildings.
When she regained her strength she was able to enjoy hill-walking holidays in Tuscany and archaeological digs in Greece. She enjoyed numerous visits from Old Felicians and died peacefully in 1944.
‘Her extreme seriousness and curious lack of humour made her rather an awe-inspiring figure.’ - Fanny Foster (Old Felician)
Fran D'Alcorn - OFC Archivist
12:03:22
Primary source material: Old Felician magazines 1900-1945
Secondary source: 'Saint Felix School Southwold and the Old Felicians' (Bernard Keeling assisted by Nancie Pelling) 1998 ISBN 0 9534271 0 2