Happy 166th Birthday Oatlands

The Village Fayre is unusually late this year but, without the organisers having realised it, occurs on the exact 166th anniversary of the actual "birth" of Oatlands.as a village. The 19th of May 1846 saw the first of four public auctions at which the Oatlands Estate (most notably once owned by the Duke of York) was broken up and sold off as building lots. All of the plots of land on which the village, as we would consider it today, was subsequently constructed were sold at this auction

150th Anniversary of St Mary's Church

Work began on the construction of the church in 1861 and the church was officially opened and consecrated as "The Chapel of St Mary Oatlands" on the 2nd of February 1862 with Rev RCM Rouse as "Priest in Charge" - it was originally a chapel to St Mary Walton on Thames until the Parish of Oatlands was created 1n1869.

150th Anniversary of the First School

Charles Edward Smith of Silvermere purchases plots 17 & 18 Ball's Road (later renamed St Mary's Road) on the XXXX and set about providing Oatlands with its first school. Although the school was offering classes shortly before Christmas, it seems reasonable to celebrate its first "real" year of operation as 1862. The Building is now known as Oatlands Village Hall and continues in an educational role as the base for Oatlands Pre-School.

50th Anniversary of the Current Oatlands School

Opened in 1962 the first classes moved from "the old school" across the road and began their lesons in "the new school" (as they will probably always be referred to by older residents). The school stands o the site of Kensington Lodge which was compulsorily purchased and demolished to make way for it. The statue of Caroline Stephens, former resident of Kensington Lodge, stands within the school grounds, adjacent to the staff car park.

It's going to heed to be a big cake for 516 candles!!!

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