Normanhurst School, Ashfield was an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school for girls that operated in Ashfield, in the Inner Western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
History
The Normanhurst School was established in 1882 by Ellen Clarke, an English national who served as principal from its founding until 1893. In 1884, her sister Marian Clarke arrived from England to join the faculty and went on to found Abbotsleigh the following year.
The school initially operated out of a cottage on Bland Street, Ashfield. As it expanded, it moved to a larger campus at the intersection of Orpington and Chandos streets in Ashfield.
Under headmistress Evelyn Tildesley, Normanhurst School became a founding member of the Headmistresses' Association of NSW (now the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools) in 1916.
Despite being non-denominational, the school maintained close links with St John's Anglican Parish in the vicinity.
The school ceased operations in 1941.
Notable alumnae
- Daphne Akhurst (1903–1933) – five-time Australian Open tennis champion
- Janet Cosh (1901–1989) – amateur botanist and plant collector
- Constance Elizabeth Harker (1875–1964) – headmistress at Somerville House
- Margaret Slattery AM, DCSG (1922–2015) – National Secretary of the Australian Parents Council
- P. L. Travers AO (1899–1996) – author of the Mary Poppins series of children's books
References
- "Normanhurst Girls School Ashfield". The Dictionary of Sydney.
- "Normanhurst School, pictorial collection, ca. 1890–1920". State Library of New South Wales.
- "About AHIGS". Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools.
