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Stokes Bay and Gosport County Grammar school

The Grammar School

On the west side of Stokes Bay behind the shore, back in the woods adjoining Stanley Park you will find Bay House, which in 1958 became Gosport County Grammar School, and later a Comprehensive school in 1972.

Grammar Schools had existed for centuries, but in their modern form were created by the Education Act of 1944.

In 1945 Gosport Grammar was split across many sites in the town, but acquisition of Bay House and construction of new buildings from 1955 enabled all parts of the Grammar School to be brought together for the first time. What a wonderful location - a mansion house, close to the sea.

Stokes Bay looking towards IOW

A plaque on the borough museum in Gosport High Street records that in 1901 the building had been the site of the Gosport Grammar School and the Free Library.

Plaqe on Gosport Borough MuseumThe plaque reads,

GOSPORT COUNTY GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND FREE LIBRARY

this building opened as Gosport Grammar School and Free Library in 1901. The school moved to Bay House in 1958. The Library moved in 1973, and the building subsequently became the Borough Museum in 1975.

This plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Gosport Cllr K Brown and Cllr M Hancock, Leader Hampshire County Council 1996.

In fact the Grammar School did not exist in its current form in 1901. The school opened as the Gosport and Alverstoke Technical school.  Built to accommodate 60 pupils only 31 were listed in the first years register.

During its early years the school changed its name several times. During WWII the school was evacuated to Eastleigh.

Canadian Troops

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Memorial to Canadian Troops at Stokes BayAt school it was said that, in the lead up to D-Day Canadian Troops were billeted at Bay House, some of whom scratched their names on wooden beams in the attic. Do you know if this was true?

Certainly there now exists a memorial on the seafront to those some14,000 Canadian troops who embarked for Juno Beach on D-Day.

Plaque on memorial to Canadian Troops at Stokes Bay near GosportThe plaque reads,

TO COMMEMORATE

The embarkation of Canadian Troops from these Gosport shores for Normandy on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

Unveiled by the Prime Minister of Canada the Rt Hon J Chretien, 4th June 1994.

After our walk along the shore and spotting these plaques we attended our nephew's wedding at St Mary, Alverstoke a short distance away.

Revd David Bogue

The tomb of David Boue at St Mary AlverstokeNot many yards from the entrance to St Mary's lies the tomb of David Bogue, well known to local members of the Congregational Church, but little known by the general public today.

He was a founder of the Congregational Church and his church in Gosport High Street had seating for 1,200. It was said his church was almost full most Sundays.

The Congregational Church in the High Street was destroyed by enemy bombing in 1941, and later a new church was built in Bury Road. It is now called the United Reform Church.



The plaque by his tomb reads, Memorial to David Bogue, Minister of the Independant Church

The Tomb of

David Bogue M.A.D.D

1750 - 1825

Minister of the Independent Church

High Street Gosport 1777 - 1825

A founder of the London Missionary Society

'Here rests one who in life never rested'


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St Mary, Alverstoke near Gosport