Founded before 1895. LINDEN HURST COLLEGE FOR LADIES was at 19, South Promenade (pictured left), Principal Miss Gardner.

By 1911, the Principal was Miss Mark and about that time the school moved into Arnhall (pictured right) St.Anne's Rd West. Linden Hurst College merged with St.Annes College for Girls in the 1930's

 

Article from Faces & Places vol4 N.S. July 1904.

The tendency to-day is to specialise. There is another tendency which is not of to­day-the tendency for things that are alike to concentrate and gather to the same place. This is very true in relation to education. Speaking in this respect of St. Annes, a visitor who had just made the acquaintance of this health­ giving place, said: " Why, every second house seems' to be a school!”
There is a reason why these schools abound. In our cities every school which is erected is built because there are children to be educated and every school means the presence of children. It is impossible for this rule to apply in St. Annes. Her whole population is less than ten thousand. The real reason is this: when parents are thinking of sending their children away to school they choose the most healthy place they can find. The reason why there are so many schools in St. Annes is that the place is so healthy. The death rate last year was 8.7 per thousand, and the average death rate for the past fifteen years is only 9.3 per thousand. A contemporary, writing on St. Annes, says:

"St. Annes is singularly free from epidemic troubles, the deaths from the seven principal zymotic diseases, smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, fever, and diarrhoea being but four in number. The dis­trict owes much of its immunity from diseases of the kind enumerated above to the fact that it has a sandy sub-soil, a complete system of drainage gravitating to the sea, and streets of tarred macadam”.
“So clear are the thoroughfares, they have the appearance of having been gone over by some careful housewife with a crumb brush and tray. The air is like wine - wine without any lees in it - dry and bracing and health giving it comes from the great Atlantic oxygen ozone stores, and is guaranteed pure and unadulterated."

One of the most pleasantly and healthily situated of all the schools in St. Annes is Linden Hurst College. It has won a good name amongst educationists and parents, and its history has been one of well-earned success. The present principals are Miss Mark and Miss Guelder, both of whom are enthusiasts as teachers, and have a wide experience in the profession.

Miss Mark succeeded the Misses Gardiner about a year and a half ago, after having taught in the school for six years. Miss Mark and Miss Guelder give personal attention to their pupils, and they are ably assisted by a capable staff of certificated governesses and visiting masters. In addition to a thoroughly practical, all-round education, the school possesses a very happy home life, and the influence exerted by the Principals and the staff is such as to guide them in all that becomes a lady, and enable them to take their places in society.

The house is not only excellent for situation, but it is admirably well built. The rooms are lofty, light, and airy; indeed, there is not a dull spot in the whole establishment. In passing through the rooms on the occasion of the visit which the Principals were good enough to allow us to make, we noticed, in every room those little touches and :treasures which always indicate the presence of an educated lady; and which differentiate a home from a mere dwelling­place. This was the case, whether it was seen in the flowers in the drawing-room or the little tasteful devices of .the dormitories.

Where the home life has such attention, parents may rest confident that backward children and smaller children have special care. Astronomers tell us that the smallest planets are the nearest the sun; just in the same way the smallest child is nearest the teacher's heart when that teacher's heart is like the sun-warm, generous, and luminous. As we have said, the curriculum consists of an all-round education, in which the pupils have the stimulus of preparing for examinations, including the Oxford and Cambridge. In regard to exercise and recreation, provision is made for tennis, and, for hockey, which has become so fashionable as a good, sensible winter recreation.

One of our photographs is a picture of the girls playing on the tennis court, which is provided by the school in the St. George's Gardens. Instruction in physical culture is given by Miss King May, one of the foremost of its Manchester exponents. The pupils practise this and deportment for a short time every morning after prayers-an admirable juxtaposition, we think – after the cultivation of the soul, a few minutes for the training of the tabernacle in which the soul abides.

In addition to these forms of recreation, the girls find fine and health-giving happiness in bathing and swimming. The salt water being near, advantage is taken of its tonic in refreshing and building up the ?????? growing girls. Another delightful ?????? is enjoying the fresh air is found in the ?????? and Wednesday cycle rides. In both these exercises the pupils are accompanied by both of the Principals. Each Christmas the pupils give a little French play and an English play. The idea commends itself to us greatly. There are so many advantages. First, it enables the pupils to overcome that tremulousness which seems to be inherent to all first efforts at public speech. Then it gives the participators an opportunity of mastering accent and intona­tion in both languages. It cultivates the memory, and it gives unbounded delight to those who have the pleasure of listening.

The school has the cordial commendation of all who have had young people trained there, and an idea of its standing may be gathered from the fact that such well-known and representative names as Rev. H. E. Butler, vicar of St. Annes Canon Rid­dall, D.D.; of Belfast; Dr. Anderton, of New Mills; Percy Woodhouse, Esq., J.P., of Marple Bridge; Rev. Charles Handcock, of Pannal, Harrogate; Mr. Bles, Broughton Park, Manches­ter; and Sir John Mark, of Mold, appear on its list of patrons. In the teaching of music, the pupils have the assistance of Mr. Locke, the accomplished organist of the parish church.

Article from Faces & Places vol4 N.S. July 1904.