Celebrating 150 Years of St Mary's 

JOIN US IN OUR CELEBRATIONS

As we celebrate our 150th anniversary, we are delighted to invite the St Mary’s school and wider community to join our celebrations, learn about our past and help us shape the next 150 years.

Our history

St Mary’s opened on 30 September 1873 under the reign of Queen Victoria when Amersham’s population was just 3,000. It would be 19 years until Amersham station opened as part of the extension of the Metropolitan Railway.   

The original school consisted of two large classrooms at the east and west of the building housing girls and boys separately with a smaller infants room in the middle. The school cost £1,275 to build and was funded by subscriptions from residents and grants from the Diocese of Oxford.   

Help us to discover our history

We are excited to reflect on the school’s history through the curriculum and special events.

Every child in Years 1-6 is studying the school’s and community’s history since 1873, culminating in displays in the Amersham Museum and in school. We will also be recreating the school’s opening ceremony, procession from school to St Mary’s Church and a celebratory church service, due to take place on Friday 29^thSeptember. 

We’d love you to get involved too:

Alumni tours

We would like to invite ex-pupils and staff (pre 2010) for a school tour at 1.15pm on Friday 30^th June. Our Year 5 children will be leading the tours and would love to find out more about your life at St Mary’s when you were here. After the tour, there will be an opportunity to meet other ex-pupils with tea and cakes planned for 2-3pm. Please email the school office at office@stmarysce.bucks.sch.uk if you are interested in joining us.

Alumni Talks

These will take place in June and July as ex-pupils share their work experiences since leaving St Mary’s. We would like to hear from more past pupils with interesting careers, so please email the office (email address above) to get involved.

We need more old school photos, memories and memorabilia to become part of an exhibition hosted in Amersham Old Town and becoming part of a new book currently being written to celebrate the anniversary.  

Please drop pictures into the school office or e-mail estaite@stmarysce.bucks.sch.uk

Support our future

Our aim is to create a positive legacy for the school and wider Amersham community for the next 150 years. 

These legacy efforts will focus on boosting the sustainability and biodiversity of the school.

Please see further details about our ‘Every Living Thing’ Biodiversity Project proposal attached below.

We are transforming Rectory Meadow with a new fruit tree orchard, wildflower meadow, herb garden and the planting of a ‘tree library’ to create a place for children to relax and find shade. We are grateful for the sponsorship by Chiltern Orchards through BBOWT and Wild Amersham,, Chiltern Landscapes Partnership, Amersham and Villages Community Board and Amersham Revite Group.

To make this whole area accessible and a place to be enjoyed by the school community in all seasons and weathers, we aim to create a new Celebration Path on Rectory Meadow . This will be made up of personalised bricks, engraved with messages from current and past pupils, parents and teachers, as well as other supporters of our school.

By donating a personalised brick, you become part of the school’s fabric and history.

We hope you will ‘buy a brick’ to help us raise as much money as possible and celebrate this momentous occasion with pupils, parents and staff at the school and the wider local community.

An online form to make your donation and secure your personalised brick as part of the Celebration Path is here: https://forms.gle/Xgmsg1GJAwAXXLcQ9