Press Cuttings 2 : St Elphin's School

Marking end of school era - Published 14 September 2006
When bosses at a century-old school ordered its immediate closure last year it sent shockwaves through a community.

The owners of St Elphin's arrived by helicopter to deliver the crippling blow – saying the Darley Dale school was leaking too much cash to keep afloat.

Eighteen months on, the historic site looks set to be brought back to life as a luxury retirement village when planners consider the application next month.

As D-day approaches, the Derbyshire Times shares the memories of former workers – and meets the woman who reluctantly wielded the axe on the school's emotional last day.

For more than a century the statuesque building of St Elphin's School provided a focus for the community of Darley Dale.

From bonnet-clad youngsters in its early years, to the modern pupils dressed in blazer and tie, the sight of the smartly turned-out 'Elphinian' girls became part of the neighbourhood's daily landscape.

Many residents may not have been privileged enough to see the school through the eyes of a pupil – with boarding costs running to 5,000 a term by the time it shut its doors last year.

But a fair few worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that St Elphin's – known for its impeccable standards – ran smoothly through each school day.

Shirley Mellor (70) was one such woman, notching up almost 30 years' worth of memories during her time heading up the laundry department.

Mrs Mellor, whose home on Dale Road South sits in the shadow of the school, said: "St Elphin's has always been seen as a special place.

"The building is beautiful and is like a centre for our community. When it suddenly closed it was a very sad time for a lot of people.

"When I first worked there, there was always such a warm atmosphere like a big family – I've got some fantastic memories and made some wonderful friends.

Christmas parties
"What springs to mind instantly is the Christmas parties the staff used to have as we always had so much fun dressing up in fancy dress.

"One year we were stumped for what to wear so we rounded up all the white sheets from the laundry, draped ourselves in them and went to the party as 'Shirley and her Slaves' – the only problem was all the extra washing we created for ourselves!

"I also remember how we were always the last ones to get any improvements in the building so one year we all brought in our leftover paint from home. We ended up with green, blue and red walls. It was certainly a sight but at least we managed to brighten up the place!"

In 2003 ill-health – and in her view, slipping standards at the school – led Mrs Mellor to step down from her role.

"In those last few years you could feel the change in the atmosphere. It felt like all the old traditional ways were slipping and the essence of the school had been lost which was a huge shame to me," she said.

"When I first started everything had to be just so – I regularly got into trouble for putting too many cornflakes in the girls' bowls when I was on breakfast duty – but that had changed."

The site is now at the centre of a multi-million pound make-over bid – due to be considered by planners next month – which Mrs Mellor hopes will breathe new life into the neglected building.
She added: "It looks so sad with its boarded-up windows, as if it has dead eyes. Most people are looking forward to seeing new life put back into it.

"If it becomes a retirement village as planned I just hope the older generation will get as much pleasure out of it as the young ones did."

Source: http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/marking_end_of_school_era_1_462556