History

 
Number 48 Richmond Hill was built as the family home of Sir John Houblon, the first Governor of the Bank of England. The grounds originally extended along what is now Ellerker Gardens as far as Onslow Road and down the hill to the Vineyard. Much of this land now contains houses in which many of our parents live. As a school we trace our heritage back to 1881 when Ellerker College, a boarding school for older girls, first occupied the premises.

In the early 20th century, the newly founded Old Vicarage School moved from small premises in Chiswick to our current site and we became a prep school with boys in the younger classes, before becoming an all-girls school shortly before the war. More recently, we acquired an adjoining building to provide additional classrooms. The girls have the privilege of being educated in a 2* listed, architecturally beautiful building with a charm of its own.

With the exception of a few years during WWII, when the school was evacuated to Pipers Corner in Buckinghamshire, the Old Vicarage has been educating young girls from the Richmond area.

Year 5 Spring Concert – Alice in Wonderland

Our Year 5 girls certainly weren’t late…for a very important date this week! ⏰ They delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, Alice in Wonderland. They sang, spoke, and acted with great exuberance and comic timing in a world without reason and full...

World Book Day

Yesterday our corridors were filled with our favourite book characters as we celebrated World Book Day! 📚 We were fortunate enough to have a visit from bestselling author Maz Evans who also kindly held a mini book signing. Well done to our Year 6 girls who held an...

Year 4 Spring Concert – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Our Year 4 girls showcased their incredible talent in Roald Dahl’s adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Monday and Wednesday evening this week. A twist to the classic fairy-tale, Snow-White escapes captivity, aided by seven ex horse-race jockeys and the...

Year 3 Spring Concert – The Bee Musical

There was a buzz in the air this week when our Year 3 girls delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, The Bee Musical.  Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they sang, danced and acted with such confidence and joy.  Well done girls, you...

Chinese New Year

Our girls celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday. A fun filled day making lanterns & origami rabbits, calligraphy writing & food tasting! They were even treated to a delicious Chinese feast at lunchtime! Gong Hei Fat Choi to our OVS community, wishing...

Christmas Carol Service

Last night our OVS community joined together for our annual Christmas Carol Service at St John the Devine. This really is one of the best evenings of the year, showcasing our talented girls in Years 3 to 6, with every girl in their final year having the opportunity to...

Lower School Nativities

The culmination of the Autumn Term was four great Christmas stories told by our pre-school and Lower School in their own unique ways.  Considering there were a few absences (including Mary!) in the lead up to these performances, the girls really pulled together...

Reindeer Visit

Despite their busy schedule, we were very lucky to have a special visit from Santa’s reindeer today.  All the girls were able to meet them and learn all about life on the North Pole!

Year 2 trip – Science Museum

As part of their topic on Space, our Year 2 girls recently visited the Science Museum! They visited the Space gallery and watched “Our Beautiful Planet 3D” in the IMAX, a fully immersive experience on board the International Space Station. They finished their day with...

Annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre

Today we were blessed to be able host our annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre for the first time in 3 years – a truly wonderful occasion to celebrate our OVS girls’ incredible achievements over the past 12 months and say farewell to our remarkable Year 6 girls. ...