Lady Barn House School

Lady Barn House School is an independent primary school on Schools Hill in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, (previously in Cheshire before the county boundaries were changed). It was originally in Fallowfield, Manchester, but moved to its present location in the 1950s. It was founded in 1873 by W. H. Herford who was also the first headteacher.

History

Foundation

The school was founded in 1873 by William Henry Herford (1820–1908), erstwhile tutor to Lord Byron’s grandson. Herford had been born in Coventry but moved to Manchester in 1822; he practised the Unitarian ministry from 1848–1854 and again at the Upper Brook Street Chapel from 1866–1870. The school represented the desire of Herford to put into practice the ideals promoted by Froebel and Pestalozzi. Herford, “a pioneer in dark days”, had witnessed the innovative teaching techniques employed in Switzerland andGermany. This experience of comparative education instilled in him a desire toreform the methods practised in England.Herford, W. H. (1889) The School: essay towards humane education; by W. H. Herford, B.A. Lond., sometime member of the Universities of Bonn, Berlin and Zurich, late lecturer on the science of education at the Training College of the Kindergarten Association (Manchester). London: Isbister Another influence on Herford was Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg.William Hicks,...
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