This weekend Talbot Heath School celebrated its 125th anniversary.
The foundation date is taken as 1886 when Mary Broad relaunched Cranleigh Ladies School in Bradburne Road as her own. She bought the school in 1885 but it had been started some time before in Old Christchurch Road so Talbot Heath could claim to be even older.
On the other hand Miss Broad’s school, which she soon moved to a site near West Station, was known as Bournemouth High School. The present name was only adopted in 1935 so you could say that Talbot Heath is only 76 years old.
But this is certainly a time to remember its many famous pupils including Church Times editor Rosamund Essex, film critic Dilys Powell, pioneer TV cook Fanny Cradock and reformer Baroness Faithful.
The living include politician Shirley Williams, who has just been back for the celebrations and novelist Lexi Revellian.
The Talbot Heath website has old pictures and an interesting map.
See pages 33, 43, 60, 63 and 122.