Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School

Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School was a secondary school and sixth form located in the Blackheath Standard area of Blackheath, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Its closure was announced in January 2012 and the school formally closed at the end of August 2014.HistoryThe Greenwich Blue Coat Girls' School was founded in 1700 by "several charitable ladies of this town". It is also mentioned by Dorothy George in her book about London life in the 18th Century. One of these ladies was Mrs Margaret Flamsteed, wife of the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, who was appointed by King Charles II in 1675. The school began with 30 poor girls who were taken in for four years to be trained in household matters as well as reading, writing and the church catechism. The girls were found positions in service in local houses.The school rented a building in London Street (later Greenwich High Road) and was closely associated with the Parish Church of St Alfege. It moved to Lime Kiln Lane (later South Street) in 1756 and then in 1825 to a site at the top of Royal Hill, later Point Hill, Greenwich. The school remained there until 1959.On the other side of Blackheath, the St John's Church of England National School was founded in 1854 as the first Church of England school in Blackheath for boys, girls and infants. The girls and infants were on a site in Russell Place (now Reynolds Place) and the boys in a local Mission Hall. In 1907 the London County Council withdrew its support from the Boys' School and an appeal was launched to build a new school. The result was the Blackheath and Kidbrooke National Church of England School, built on a site adjoining the old school in Old Dover Road. The school became a secondary mixed school.