1940s Thomas Whitehead School Houghton Regis

The Thomas Whitehead school on the Green Houghton Regis.

The building has been demolished and Red House Court, a shelter accommodation building erected on the site.

The school was founded in 1654. Below is an extract from the Thomas Whitehead School website (click here to go to the website and see more of the history of the school)

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"Thomas Whitehead, who had been second master (or First Usher as he was called at the time) at Repton from 1621 to 1639, left part of his estate for the purpose. The following is an extract from his Will:- dated 10th September 1654"Whereas I also stand seized of an inheritance … in Houghton Regis in the County of Bedford commonly called the Stranges beinge the place of my birth to which I beare greate respect and give and bequeath the same to my executors and their heirs for ever together with tow hundred and fifty pounds of lawful English money to … convert part of my now dwelling house or buildings thereto belonging into a school house or else erect a new one … my will and mind is that my said executors and their heires shall for ever hereafter pay unto some honest paynfull schoolmaster who shall bee employed there to keep schoole to teach twenty schollers there freely without any salarie for his paynes fifteen whereof to be children of fifteen poore in- habitants within the said Towne and the other fyve to be the children of fyve other poore inhabitants living within ye Hamlets next adjoining …."

Thomas Whitehead died in October 1654. His salary whilst at Repton School had been £10 per annum.He was able to leave £250 in his will (25 years earnings!) to the parish for setting up the school. He must have been a very wealthy man for his time to have been able to do this.

This school was originally founded, as Houghton Regis Free School, by Mr Thomas Whitehead in 1654-5. Created in 1876 by merging the National School and Whitehead's Free School as Whitehead's Free Endowed School, becoming a Public Elementary School in 1903, a VC CP in 1946, later changing name to Thomas Whitehead and becoming a Lower School on comprehensive reorganisation with a later further name change.

In April 1859 the School was known as the Houghton Regis Free School and a group of ten trustees were set up to manage the trust lead by Humphrey Brandreth of Houghton Hall and the Vicar of the parish, Rev Hugh Smyth.

The school did not become a Church of England school officially until the implementation of the Butler Act in the 1950s. It was previously known as the Houghton Regis C.E. School, where the C.E. meant Charity Endowed. In 1956 the school took the name of its founder and became Whitehead Voluntary Primary School. The school was situated adjacent to the village green until 1967 when it was moved into larger, new buildings in Angels Lane, behind Bedford Square and was then called Whitehead C. of E. Primary School.

In the early to mid 1970s, the school was gradually changed to a Lower school and was called Whitehead Church of England Lower School."

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