Memory Bank

Jubilee Fact Finding Mission Finds Miss Peeke On Good Form

With the College's Jubilee fast approaching and plans for a book updating the last history - which was published in 1947 - in the pipe-line, Assistant Head, Alex Darkes went on a fact-finding mission with old girl Mary Wheildon to visit former teacher, Miss Beryle Peeke, who taught in the days of St Mary's Priory.

The pair visited Miss Peeke, who is now in her 99th year, at her home in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent.

Alex, takes up the story...

I managed over three hours of recording which I hope to edit down to make a short audio documentary. Miss Peeke started talking animatedly about Princethorpe from the moment we arrived. Princethorpe still clearly plays a very important part in her life; it was obviously one of the happiest periods of her long life.

She told some amusing stories and still very much has her sense of humour. When she first arrived at the school, the taxi driver gave her his card and said ‘You might need this if you don’t like it here’; nothing could have been further from the truth: she remained at Princethorpe until the girls’ school closed in 1965. Mary showed Miss Peeke some of her pictures with up-to-date news of old girls and Miss Peeke was very interested and engaged.

Miss Peeke asked Mary if she remembered the “walks in the world” which was the opportunity for the girls to escape from the confines of the Priory’s enclosure and see a bit more of life. In those days there was a station at Marton but only one bus a week to Leamington; Miss Peeke remembers one of the greatest treats being a visit to the theatre in Stratford to see Shakespeare.

She is really quite remarkable and has a very good memory for her Princethorpe years. It’s probably fair to say that with her 23 years here and my 41, there’s not much which has escaped our attention since 1942! She is excited by the fact that the school is still providing education and you feel an air of regret in her tone when she tells you that Fr J K Fleming (the first PC head) offered her a job teaching history to the boys, which she turned down because she only had experience of teaching girls. As we left she stood in the doorway of her home and said “I wish I was coming back with you!” If she had stayed at Princethorpe you could imagine her still teaching now!

It was lovely to see her in such good form, these reminiscences are so valuable and we are hoping to meet up with some of Miss Peeke's former pupils in London in the Spring to get more of their memories down on tape too.

Anyone old girls interested in taking part should contact Alex Darkes at alexdarkes@princethorpe.co.uk.