Frank Cowper and History of Kivernells School

We recently came across and article in Practical Boat Owner about Frank Cowper, who at one time had been the schoolmaster at the now long gone Kivernells School in Milford on Sea.

Frank Cowper was to become an author, journalist, yacht broker, and the unsung pioneer of yachting for everyone. He sailed single-handed, and through his writings, encouraged other sailors to cruise solo.

Photo credit:
Sula and Steve Riedlinger

He first learned to sail while a student at Queen’s College, Oxford University, where he was studying law and history. After graduating, he considered the clergy, before starting his career as the schoolmaster, running the private boarding school, Kivernells, at Milford on Sea.

In 1884, Frank left Milford on Sea and moved to the Isle of Wight, where he bought land at Wootton Bridge, overlooking Wootton Creek and built Lisle Court, a private boarding school for boys wanting to join the training ship HMS Britannia before a career in the Royal Navy.

Photo credit:
Sula and Steve Riedlinger

His Sailing Tours series of books were published between 1892-1896, and they were the first complete pilot book series covering the coastal waters around Britain for small boats not drawing more than 6ft; he aimed to document “every nook and cranny, estuary, ramification”.

These five books helped make sailing accessible to all, rather than just the pastime of the “gilt edged classes”.

To read more about Frank Cowper colourful life, please click here. 

Photo credit:
Sula and Steve Riedlinger

Kivernells School

It appears that many Royal Navy Officers were educated at Kivernells School in Milford on Sea.

The men who studied at the private preparatory school for boys were wishing to apply for entrance to the Royal Navy through competitive examinations. 

In 1879, Frank Cowper's father bough Kivernells and they converted it to a school. The 1881 Census shows Frank (age 31) with his wife, Edith, 3 children, 8 pupils and 4 servants at Kivernells. 

By the 1891 Census, Horace Mann became the tenant at Kivernells running his Naval Preparatory School. He would place advertisements in The Times to broadcast his successes in placing students in the naval service. It has been written that many men educated there seem to have become 'notable naval specimens'. 

In 1889/90, Horace Mann bought the property and continued the school until about 1916 when it reverted to a private house with Horace Mann, his mother and two servants in residence. Horace Mann died 29 January 1937. 

In 1939 Kivernells was then run as as a convalescent home, until 1963 when the house was converted into eight flats.  

Finally, the house which had been known as Kivernells was demolished in 1988 to become the site for Kivernell Place, Woodland Way. (Kivernells is not to be confused with Kivernells House Residential & Retirement Home that was demolished around 2001. Until around the 1980's the house had been known as Ellaland, which at one time had been Ellaland School.)

To read more about the Royal Navy Officers known to have been educated at Kivernells School, please click here. 

Kivernells
Courtesy of MOSHRS

Kivernells - A Lost House of Milford on Sea

MoS Historical Record Society (MOSHRS) have an interesting document about the history of Kivernells.

This includes details for Frank Cowper's wife, Edith who was a prolific author of adventure books for girls and Wikipedia lists her writing 69 titles. Although she had only lived here for about 4 or 5 years, she retained an affection for Milford on Sea and continued to visit friends on occasions. In her later years, she and Frank separated and she returned to the village in the newly-built Homewood in Whitby Road. She then wrote and published 23 of her titles in the village. Edith died in 1933 and is buried in Milford Churchyard.

To read the full document, please click here.

Thanks go the Bob Braid of Milford on Sea Historical Record Society for contributions to this article.

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Milford on Sea Historical Record Society

admin@milfordhistory.org.uk

www.milfordhistory.org.uk