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St. Peter's Court School was preparatory school located in Broadstairs Kent. Thanet, the Eastern tip of Kent. Several prep boarding schools were located there. The schools were located there because the climate in the south along the coast was seen as a healthy place for children. Not only were there other prep schools in Westgate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. Convalescent homes were also opened there. The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, a treatment center for Tuberculosis was also located there. St. Peter's was a prestigious school, serving as a 'feeder' prep school for Eton and some important public schools.
Prince Henry (a son of George V) also attended St. Peters. He was the first British prince to azttend a regular school. His older brothers (Edward and Albert) attended the Royal Navy School at Osvorne and it was a shock for the boys.
Prince George also attended St, Peter's (1910-13), although he did not live with the boarders.
This of course reflected the prestige of the school. We note two aristicractic Scottish boys, sons of the Viscount of Stonehaven, attending the School in the 1920s (Ian and Greville) before going on go Eton. Like other schools along the southern coast, it was evacuated during World War II. The school closed after World war II during the Wilson Labour Government (1969). Not only did the Labour Government introduce polices that adversely affected private schools, but the Socialist economies policies were a major factor in the stagnant economy which also adversely affected private schools. When it closed in 1969, the school merged with Wellesley House, Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, which is still there today.
Cooper, Christian. E-mail message, May 23, 2010. Christian tells us, "I live in Broadstairs and I have been researching a little of the history of where I live. Our house is situated on the site of St. Peters Court. My house was built (as part of an estate of houses) in the 1970s on the site of the demolished school. Some of the original trees from the grounds were retained. The alleyway from here to Sowell St still has the original St Peters Court entrance signage on the stonework.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
