[The school was named after Thomas Downer, a magistrate and accountant of Harrow who died in 1502 (see
Compotus Volume 9, page 2).
The school crest incorporated, directly from the Middlesex County coat-of-arms, three seaxes with upward-facing sharp
edge - reminding
us that although the English may have been busying themselves with farming, they considered themselves, at heart, fighters.]
1950 - Downer Grammar School (DGS) was founded - originally co-located with Blackwell Secondary
School in Headstone Lane, Hatch End (see: the 'Downer's
origins' message-thread from 'DGSEUK').
There were initially 135 pupils and 6 teachers (plus a shared Head) (see Pauline Nicholas's "1950-1951" photo) attributed to DGS.
"DGS adopted the same Houses as Blackwell: Oxhey, Priory, Dyke & Weald." ( - Tony "Sally" Salisbury, 'early years')
1951 - The complement of teachers expanded to thirteen by the time of Peter Martin's 'First Teachers' photo, circa 1951. Both photographs were on 'DGSEUK'*. There were now "first, second and fourth year" pupils at the school. - Tony Salisbury.
1952 - Staff and pupils were able to decant to a purpose-built site in Shaldon Road, Edgware. The new Grammar School, the first to be built in Middlesex after the war, was notable for not adopting a school motto. New school Houses: 'Brockley', 'Canons', 'Grove' and 'Heriots' were designated. (Following a few indifferent years, the House system was abandoned in 1963 through apathy. - E. B.)
DGS's early years are documented by Mr Woosley in his retirement article in Compotus, 1970.
Possibly as part of an education experiment, selected pupils from other secondary education establishments in Harrow were assimilated into DGS. - Fran Mallet and Christine Baskerville.
1954 - Completion of Phase II building, which afforded about six more classrooms for the anticipated increase in pupil numbers arising due to the 'bulge' years - pupils conceived during the euphoric post-WW II years - entering secondary school in the late '50s. The official school opening ceremony was held.
1959, November - Mr Douglas S. Clarke inaugurated the school's Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme activities. (Hence the canoe-fleet littering the main-lobby during the early '60s … their carcasses played havoc with the 'super-rubber' ball evaluation programme - which, for best effect, required the full drop of the stair-well.) Jeff Lewis has retained a plethora of D of E Scheme memorabilia.
1962 - The Shaldon Road site was augmented by a lecture theatre and a separate, single-storey physics block (comprising two laboratories). Compulsory school-cap wearing ended.
1964 - The stage-debut of the first school-grown pop group, 'The Triffids' (Mike Smith - vocals, Bob Powell - drums; Bill Nial, Lee Mordecai, Paul Sorkin and Greg Heath - all guitar). They played in assembly, the school dance and the "Open Afternoon" in 1965 according to Marion Clancey.
1967 - November - a black day for both Downer and Chandos. Two young, teenage girls are killed when the car, in which they were passengers, was involved in a head-on collision and overturned. Harrow Observer report from Lennie Bradshaw. Legislation making seat-belt wearing compulsory was introduced in January 1983.
1969 - 660 pupils attended the school - The Education Authorities Directory and Annual for 1969
1970 - Mr Woosley retires - replaced by John Becker.
There were a total of 643 pupils at the school - A History of the County of Middlesex, Volume 5 (1976).
1974-75 - Downer Grammar and Camrose Secondary make the transition to 'Canons High'. Unsurprisingly, Miss Caldwell, who had felt disenchanted ever since plans for the amalgamation had been announced, departed for the Headship of a private school. - Pennie Lauezzari (from 'DGSEUK'). Mr Peter Biggar was appointed Headmaster of the new, middle school at the Camrose site - Roger Winstanley.
"I think many of us who were there at the time could hardly believe what was happening to us....
There seemed to be thousands of people in the school suddenly and the atmosphere of Downer seemed to change overnight.
I clearly remember the hall curtains being set alight and a boy from Camrose standing on the piano in the old music room and smashing the clock.
I also remember Mr. Becker being punched by someone after an assembly quite soon after the changeover.
Things were somehow never the same!" - Gill Winstanley
Not only was there an annual magazine, but the school also managed an annual musical/theatrical production.
Roger Winstanley has provided a list of those school productions held between 1954 and 1974.
There were occasional forays during the '50s and '60s to the Granada cinema/theatre, Harrow to appreciate school promenade concerts (Royal Philharmonic or London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Muir Mathieson). 'Jemima' Jane ('69-'74) recalls first hearing 'Fingals Cave' and Smetana's 'Vltava' there.
Whole-school reunions (on the anniversary of the move to Edgware) were held in 1992 and 2002 - and a number of 'year' reunions seem to have taken place during the 2000s too.
The Edgware Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society held its annual shows, during the '50s '60s and '70s, on the school premises.
* the site, 'http://groups.msn.com/DownerGrammarSchoolEdgwareUK/', was hosted on the, now defunct, 'groups.MSN' service.