[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 cutting edges - reminding us that although the English may have been busying themselves with farming, they considered
themselves, at heart, fighters.]
The Edgware Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society held its annual shows, during the '50s '60s and '70s, on the school premises.
1950 - Originally co-located with Blackwell School, Hatch End (- Christine Baskerville and Coral Norton). There were initially 135 pupils (all first-years) and 6 teachers (plus a shared 'Head') (see Pauline Nicholas' "1950-1951" photo) which had expanded to thirteen teachers by the time of Peter Martin's 'First Teachers' photo, circa 1951. Both photographs are on 'Groups.MSN'*.
There initially was a 'House' system comprising 'Brockley', 'Canons', 'Grove' and 'Heriots' - but, following a few indifferent years, it was abandoned in '63 through apathy.
1952 - Decanted 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 (latin) school motto.
1954 - Completion of the extension, 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 initiated 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 posted a plethora of DoE Scheme memorabilia on 'Groups.MSN'*.
1962 - The site was supplemented with 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' - according to Greg Heath (guitar).
Mid '60s - There were occasional forays to the Granada cinema/theatre, Harrow to appreciate school prom concerts (London Philharmonic conducted by Muir Matheson). 'Jemima' Jane ('69-'74) recalls first hearing 'Fingals Cave' and Smetana's 'Vltava' there.
1969 - 660 pupils attended the school - The Education Authorities Directory and Annual for 1969
1970 - 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'.
Not only was there an annual magazine, but the school also managed an annual musical/theatrical production. Helpfully, Roger Winstanley has posted a list of those school productions held between 1954 and 1974 on the school's 'groups.msn' web site.
Whole-school reunions were held at the 40th and 50th Anniversaries of the move to Edgware - and a number of 'year' reunions seem to have taken place during the 2000s too.
*The full site URL is: 'http://groups.msn.com/DownerGrammarSchoolEdgwareUK/' (without the quotes) then go to: 'Schools and Education' and then 'Former Pupils' - but it cannot be accessed (or even found) without registering. However, this is fairly painless and free of charge. After waiting a day-or-so for a cursory vetting you'll be able to join the group and peruse the goodies e.g. memorabilia submitted by the several hundred past-pupils that have registered.