Victorian schoolchildren and Portsmouth's parish church from same era

A Victorian photograph of Portsmouth children. But at which school?

It is Victorian and shows a group of pupils at an unknown day school in Portsmouth.

It was sent to Mr Bayes by an AN Newnham, of Lovedean.

Mr Bayes’s daughter, Remember When regular Clare Ash, sent it to me, along with its index card. She wonders if readers can identify the school.

The index card which came with the picture of the children

Meanwhile, last week’s picture of St Mary’s Church prompted Alan King to e-mail me the coloured postcard of the church as it was in the 1840s when the body of the medieval church was demolished, leaving only the tower, which survived into the 1880s.

Alan, formerly of Portsmouth History Centre, where the original card is held, says: ‘I have never seen any photographs of the original nave, but the accurate depiction here of the tower as also shown in photographs gives me reason to think the depiction of the nave is accurate too.

‘Also, photographs of Wymering church more than 100 years ago show a nave very like this one.’

He adds: ‘The duck pond in the foreground is an interesting touch!’