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Charters Part One
1945-1969

"Would you like to live here, Darling?" Paul was asked by his mother. He recalls being taken to, "A large house in the country, in fact, to another one near Hastings also." Charters Towers was, he says, "Knee-deep in grass and deserted but with all the surrounding land it seemed very exciting." At the time he was on weekend leave from Heath Brow, aged 12.

Charters Towers pre Bush DaviesCharters Towers was a modest Edwardian country estate close to Dormans Park which had been a regular refuge for Edward, Prince of Wales, where he was able to indulge his passions for horses and gambling at Lingfield Park race-course. The family estate of Charters Towers passed through various phases, twice being a boy's boarding school and also a nursing home before the trail-blazers arrived from Felden.

Many non-Bush Davians may be interested and amused by a little-known tale of the Kimms' characteristic cautiousness. Whilst making their searches for a suitable property to board the students and establish a long-term future for the school, Noreen and Victor had been directed to the Rothschild mansion, Tring Park, only a few miles from Felden. It was ideal of course, if a little forbidding in proportions. But it was Victor who scuppered any possibility of a move here by insisting to Noreen, "We shall never be able to afford the central heating!" Noreen was soon on the telephone to her old friend 'Gracie', one of the Cone sisters, who wanted to open her own boarding school with Olive Ripman. The rest of the story is history of course: The Cone-Ripman School became known as The Arts Educational School, now Tring Park. So, at the same time, two of the major players in the field of dance training which offered a general education found their base.

Charters Towers

Charters Towers

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