ESTABLISHED IN 1881
Founded in 1881 by Francis Holland, Canon of Canterbury Cathedral and Chaplain to Queen Victoria, our school was established to help provide a broader educational offering for his daughter’s generation.
On 1st March 1881 at 12.15pm, the school, subsequently known as Graham Street School, joyfully opened its doors at 80 Coleshill Street (later re-named Eaton Terrace). Due to expanding numbers, it re-located to our present site in October of 1884.
As early as 1882, girls were prepared for the Cambridge Local Examinations and in 1884 a kindergarten was introduced for both girls and boys. The school archive still has the application forms for both Laurence Olivier and Tony Benn!
Threatened with closure throughout its history, our school has not only survived but flourished. Many traditions live on such as our charitable work, our School Birthday celebrations (featuring School Birthday daffodils, a ceremonial cake cutting, a church service and more!) and the Old Girls’ Society.
Our school motto: “May our daughters become the cornerstones of the temple” (Psalm 144) has been central to our ethos since 1881. We place a great emphasis on social responsibility and giving back, thereby encouraging pupils to become the cornerstones of society, and our pastoral hub is named ‘Cornerstone’ to reflect the centrality of pastoral care and wellbeing to life at Francis Holland.
Our school buildings also have a rich and fascinating history. Before Carmel Hall (our Black Box Studio Theatre) was bought by the school in 2010, it was once a Baptist chapel, a WWII bomb shelter, a church hall, and a home for the Grosvenor Club. Meanwhile our state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre, The Old School House, once provided education to the boys of St Barnabas Parish until it was bombed in WWII, and since it has been a car park, a vintners’ warehouse and an architect’s office.
Today, Francis Holland Sloane Square remains a proudly all-girls school, committed to empowering young women with the confidence, compassion and intellectual curiosity to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Rooted in a remarkable history yet forward-looking in outlook, we continue to honour our heritage while shaping bold, ambitious futures for generations of girls to come.
“March 1st, 1881! It was indeed an eventful day in many lives. For my two sisters and myself it was a day looked forward to with intense excitement and pleasure…” – Ernestine Wilkinson, one of the first thirteen pupils of Graham Terrace in 1881
