The extraordinary work of Chapmanslade social reformer Clara Grant will be celebrated by Chapmanslade Primary School pupils, as they help open the Frome Festival this Friday.
Clara Ellen Grant (1867-1949) rose to national prominence when she handed out toys in ‘farthing bundles’ to children in London’s East End, as well as founding a community centre which still runs today.
In ‘The Clara Grant Story’, Chapmanslade School pupils will be joining with the Clara Grant Primary School, Tower Hamlets, under the direction of “one of Britain’s finest young conductors” – and Chapmanslade School parent – Jason Thornton. This heart-warming heritage project tells Clara’s life story through interviews with people who knew her, and music created by students.
In 1905 Clara Grant set up the famous Fern Street Settlement, where children could receive a surprise bundle of toys and goodies. She then became the headteacher of the new school, which takes her name, and is now known as a pioneer of education in the East End of London, championing both the education and welfare of the local people who were very poor.
Joss Jewell, headteacher of Chapmanslade Primary School explained more about Clara’s school. “It is the school that Clara was Head of and is next to the Fern Street Settlement which she started. This is a place where the local community was helped by Clara and her helpers. Rows of tiny, poor houses were full of children and adults struggling against poverty, lice and malnutrition.
“Clara worked and lived amongst them providing advice, clothing, fresh milk, shoes for the desperately poor people who worked at the docks in Bow and most famously began the Farthing Bundles.
“Farthing Bundles were scraps of things for children, small toys, pictures, things given by the more affluent. They were wrapped in newspaper and tied with coloured string – blue for boys and pink for girls and distributed each Saturday morning. Clara believed that they should pay for their bundles – just a farthing, the smallest coin in circulation.
“The bundles were very popular and queues of children lined up each week with their ticket (and clean hands) to buy their bundle, something of their own to play with. Clara became known as “The Bundle Lady of Bow”. An arch was built so that the smallest children could walk through and receive their bundles, older, taller children had to choose from a table and pay a penny!”
Fascinated by Chapmanslade’s link with the school, Joss made contact with the school. “The schools couldn’t be more different – Clara Grant is an old four storey building with no playing field and over 400 children with over 90% of children with English as an additional language, views of the 02 arena and Gherkin from the playground on the roof (no longer used!) We have 109 children, all white British, views of the edge of the Longleat estate and our own field to run on!”
Since then, the idea of a joint project has developed and will culminate with this week’s production at the Frome Festival, involving children from both schools under Jason Thornton. ‘The Clara Grant Story’ will be performed at the Merlin Theatre, Frome, on Friday 8th July at 5.00pm. Tickets are £4/£2 concs, available from the Cheese and Grain box office 01373 455 420, (Frome Festival event 806).
