Coombe House

Mark Hanbury Beaufoy, MP (1854-1922), whose family had made their fortune through the manufacture of vinegar and pickles, purchased extensive lands near Shaftesbury. In 1886 he set about building himself a mansion, which he called Coombe House because it overlooked two valleys. The green sandstone was quarried on the estate and the house was lit with electric lighting powered by an engine and dynamo in the stables.

In 1922 Mark’s son sold off most of the land and, until the Second World War, the house was a hotel. It was requisitioned by the American Red Cross in 1943 as a rest home for USAAF personnel, and then purchased by the IBVM (Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) to establish a school.

The IBVM at Shaftesbury

In 1939 the school began its wartime odyssey. The convent at St Mary’s Hampstead was evacuated to Ashburnham, East Sussex, then to St Mary’s Ascot, and finally to Bratton House in Wiltshire. When victory was imminent, it was decided that Hampstead would reopen as a junior school and a senior school would be founded in the west country.

A spearhead from the convent at Bratton House arrived on 28th August 1945 to ready the school to welcome girls in the autumn. As an IBVM school, St Mary’s Shaftesbury was founded in the vision of Mary Ward (1585-1645), a pioneer who strove for equal opportunities in education, in the belief "that women in time to come will do much.”

Much of the School’s appeal lay in its ability to harmonise educational excellence with spiritual nourishment - and that was never more visible than when the sisters lived and worked at St Mary’s. The School remained under the Headship of the IBVM (now Congregation of Jesus) until 1998, when it was sold and a lay head appointed. Despite that, St Mary’s always retained its strong Catholic ethos, and its ties with the CJ.

A modern independent school

St Mary’s Shaftesbury was a much beloved leading Catholic school for 75 years. Rooted in great strengths and traditions, it was a proud promoter of single-sex education, and ambitious for its girls. It helped them to achieve excellent GCSE and A Level results, and offered a unique sense of community for day girls and boarders.

Aside from its academic prowess, the last school inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate found the quality of the students’ personal development to be excellent, remarking that girls are “confident, generous and selfless”, displaying “persistence and resilience in their approach to challenges, reflecting the school’s aim to instil passion and ambition”.