| Description | In 1906, the Priory Women's School, run by the Society of Friends, rented a house at Streetly (Sutton Coldfield) and furnished it as a holiday home for members of the Friends Women's adult schools. Known as the Priory Holiday Home (see SF/2/1/1/13/10), this was well used until 1909, at which point there were problems renewing the lease.
Maria Catharine Albright (1859 - 1945) offered to pay £300 for the construction of a Boulton and Paul bungalow (these were wooden pre-fab type houses) on land at Vigo, Finstall near Bromsgrove belonging to William Arthur Albright (1853 - 1942) and it was decided to rent it to the Midland Adult School Union Women's Schools at £15 a year. This would enable all Midland Women's Schools to use the bungalow rather than just members of the Friends' Women's Adult Schools. In the first year, 25 groups, from 8 different Women's Schools used the house.
From 1909 until 1914 this arrangement continued under a Bungalow Committee which was appointed by a Women's Committee. In June 1914, the land and bungalow were donated to the Union by W.A. Albright and M.C. Albright for use as 'a temporary home for rest and recreation for members of the Midland Adult Schools for Women or for similar purposes etc.' and a Trust was established.
The first Trustees were M.C. Albright, Florence Barrow, David Grubb and Francis de Saulles, however there is no record of their meeting together. In 1945, after the death of M.C. Albright, David Grubb and Francis de Saulles retired and Joan Lloyd, Mrs Hoyle, and Mrs Sorrill were appointed to replace them. Florence Barrow continued as Trustee. In 1953, the Trustees (including Florence Barrow and Miss Southall) invited the Midland Adult School Union Executive Committee to become the Bungalow Management Committee for the Vigo Bungalow. Leslie Hill became a new Trustee and Honorary Secretary for the Trustees from 1953.
Overall management of the house was in the hands of the Management Committee, guided by Florence Barrow (chair) and Miss A. K. Southall (treasurer from 1912 to the 1950s) with Ada Wells, Doris Hartland Florence Hackett and Nancy Sutton.
Vigo (Finstall) Holiday House enabled many members of the Women's Schools to have happy holidays and it was well used during the summer months. During the Second World War, the house was let to families and in the years following the war, it was decided to let the premises to mixed Adult School groups and families as well as members of Women's Schools.
The Holiday House had mainly been financially self-supporting, but by the 1950s this was becoming difficult to maintain as it depended on it being fully booked throughout the summer, and the costs of caretaking, repairs and decorating were high. By 1969, Vigo (Finstall) Holiday Home was making a loss and by 1970, bookings had fallen substantially. A questionnaire was issued to members of the Adult Schools to assess its value to the Union's members. It found that the accommodation was considered sub-standard and that even if improvements were made, members would be unlikely to use it. Members indicated that they preferred holidays further afield, the location was inconvenient for the elderly, and the Holiday Home had outgrown its usefulness to the Adult School movement.
Due to the cost of improving the building, and the reluctance of members to use the it for holidays, the Trustees decided to sell the premises in 1971 and the proceeds from the sale were added to Midland Adult School Union funds. |