Grammar School 1624

The Foodnet offices at 3 – 7 Market Square, Old Amersham hold a long and interesting past and started out life in the 15th century as ‘Church House’, originally a market place with open lower floors and a thatched roof.

Provision for the establishment of a boys school (known as Dr Challoner’s) was made in the will of the Rector Robert Challoner, who died in 1624. The school was then established in Church House in the same year. The curate of the parish was the schoolmaster. The school was there for nearly 300 years until 1905 when it moved to its current location in Amersham-on-the-Hill. The inscription ‘1624’ over the door was inserted in the 19th century.

For more history on Dr Challoner’s follow this link to Wikipedia.

Broadway high street

Whilst the Grammar school building itself has remained broadly the same since 1624, despite being affected by a fire in a neighbouring building in 2008 – much of the surrounding Broadway High Street has changed however.

One significant change was the demolition in 1939 of a row of cottages that once stood just to the east, in the middle of what is now the Broadway (see photo on left).

The Grammar School

The photo on the left, taken by George Ward in 1894 shows the Dr Challoner’s boys outside the front entrance to what is now the Foodnet offices.

Photo’s courtesy of Amersham Museum.

The Grammar School

This is an external image of the grammar school taken around 1924. The windows on the top right and centre now form the Foodnet offices.

A reference for R.R. Owen, who would become Foodnet founder

Although not necessarily connected to the building where our offices are held, this letter by itself is a piece of our history.