Discover our Past
RGS The Grange opened its doors in 1996 with just twenty pupils, a colourful history, and a bright future.
Early records
Our earliest site map is the tithe map of 1843. The land that is now the school site was then called Puck Pit Farm, having been sold to Mr James Oliver in 1770. Between 1855 and 1875, the estate changed its name to The Grange, a traditional old English farmhouse with outbuildings. The oldest remaining part of the site, which dates to 1855, is home to the current Nursery area with the Year One classroom above. Indeed, the lovely, exposed beams and ornamental fireplaces can still be seen in some of the rooms, and the original range cooker (which would have been lit for cooking and heating the original farmhouse) remains in what is now the Pre-School area.
More and more is known of The Grange
In 1879, The Grange estate was owned by Alfred C. Hooper, who used the land to grow wheat, barley, beans and roots and was heavily involved with Claines Church. It is believed that Mrs Emily Vigors purchased The Grange Estate in 1903.
In August 1919, it passed to Lieutenant Colonel Walter Raleigh Chichester for just £6,500. He had served in the South African War (1900 – 1902) and as a Major in the First World War. He was wounded by a shell at Le Cateau, taken prisoner and had his right leg amputated by German surgeons. In the later stages of WW1, he took over command of Norton Barracks, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. However, he continued to serve, taking over the 8th Battalion, doing good work for the Prisoners of War Fund and helping recruit for the Women’s Force. He was a Justice of Peace in 1921, a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Worcestershire and the County Council representative for Ombersley in 1932.
RGS finds a Prep School
In 1995, RGS Worcester purchased the site to house its small but growing private Prep School, and the School opened its doors in September 1996. In 2003 the big build was carried out, and a huge extension was started. On completion in 2005, the Architects Lett & Sweetland were short-listed for an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects. The school build finished ahead of schedule, driven by the then Chairman of Governors, Mr Philip Sawyer, and the Bursar, Commander Mike Sime, who brought the build in on a budget of £4.1 million.
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