Henry Thurston

Henry Thurston was born in Brockenhurst, baptised at St. Nicholas in August 1692 and buried in the churchyard on 10 September 1745 . He had been coachman to George Baker, attorney, of St. George’s, Hanover Square, London, whose family home was Brockenhurst Farm – a substantial manor house. Henry Thurston would have frequently driven a coach and four horses between London and Brockenhurst – a journey of four days.

Brockenhurst Primary School was established as a charity by the Will of Henry Thurston and opened on 1 January 1752 . In June 1749 the Thurston Estate stood at £573.0s.0d and invested in 3 percent annuities producing £17.3s.10d. p.a. for the benefit of the school. The Trustees were George Baker, Matthew Reynolds, George Etheridge and William Masters who first met on 30 September 1751 and the school opened on 1 January 1752 to provide for 10 poor boys and 10 poor girls.

The Trustees were to provide a house and to appoint a Master and Mistress at a joint salary of £10 p.a.; the rent for School House was £5 p.a. The location of the first school house is uncertain but for a time was at the house of Matthew Reynolds and a little later moved to Ash Cottage, still standing south of the railway crossing.

The new school building and house was completed on the present site in April 1863 and opened with 47 pupils, although by October the number had increased to 93. The school was enlarged in 1912 and again in 1999. On 23 September 1999 Mr Les Cooper, one of the oldest former pupils (1916 - 1925) formally opened the new buildings in the presence of the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Reverend Michael Scott-Joynt who conducted a service of Blessing.