St Mary’s School

 

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Milford Road, Newtown, SY16 2EH.
Telephone 01686 625582    Headteacher:  Mrs B Legge
To go to the school website click here

A Short History of the School

Roger Bevan arrived in Newtown in 1944 as a commissioned officer in the Royal Artillery, to attend a course in anti-aircraft gunnery.  He slept in a tent on Dolerw.  He was a convert to the Catholic faith and came to know Fr Beddoes, who was also a convert with a similar background.

Roger Bevan’s dream was to use his musical talents to run a choir school.  Fr Beddoes wanted a Catholic school.

When Roger Bevan returned safely from the war, plans for a school went forward.  Crescent House was bought.  The plan was for a boarding/prep school with a day department for local Catholic children.

The school began with 12 boarders but failed to flourish as it was unable to offer the same facilities as established preparatory schools.  Nevertheless, with the growing Catholic population, it flourished eventually as a parish school.

Many Catholics began to send their children to St Mary’s because of the small classes, prep-school subjects taught, excellent discipline and good manners.  Eventually, Crescent House became too small and Plas Dolerw was bought in 1948 from Sir Victor Pryce Jones, the sole survivor of the Pryce family.  The school was then furnished and in 1952, there were 70 pupils.  In 1953, the Bevan family left Newtown and for the next 6 years,
Fr Beddoes acted as head of the school.

By 1958, Fr Beddoes could no longer afford to run the school.   He persuaded a teaching order of nuns, the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, to take over and they came to Newtown in 1958. Fr Beddoes moved into the presbytery.

The Sisters of the Holy Child continued to run the school until 1994 when the last teaching sisters retired.  The school passed from their hands to Mr Peter Lymer, who was in charge until 2003, when he was succeeded by the current Headteacher, Mrs Barbara Legge.