Wykeham Rise History Phase 1

Wykeham Rise School for Girls
Washington, Connecticut

History - Phase 2

History - Phase 1, 1902 - 1943

History - Phase 3

Fanny Emma Davies ~
Founder of Wykeham Rise

Fanny Emma Davies, the founder of Wykeham Rise, was born in Winchester, England, in 1862. After studying in Paris and at Oxford, she received her degree from St. Andrew's University in Scotland. When she first came to the United States, she taught at the Norwood Institute in Washington, D.C. and later at Rosemary Hall in Greenwich. Urged by friends, she visited Washington, Connecticut, fell in love with the town, and decided to start her own school there.

She named the school, which was located on the "rise" of a hill, after William of Wykeham, the 14th century Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Winchester who was founder of England's first great "public" school.

	For the first five years Wykeham Rise was located in leased buildings on the Washington Green. In 1907 the school settled in a white frame building on the grounds that we knew. Fire demolished the main building in 1923, but a new one was built on the original foundation in 1924. The purpose of Wykeham Rise was to prepare young women for a college education. As time passed, Miss Davies incorporated music, drama, and art into the traditional academic curriculum. A shortage of help, gas rationing, and the wartime financial situation in 1943 led to the decision of the trustees to close the school .

Postcard dated 1910

Postcard dated 1913

Date Unknown

Blythe Hall ca. 1905
Today, The Gunnery School Head of School residence