About Us

History and Local Information

All Hallows is nestled in the rural Somerset countryside – a great county in which to live. It is situated just seven miles from Frome, a bustling and eclectic market town keen on independence and its sense of community. It was recently named South West Regional Winner of the Sunday Times Guide to the Best Places to Live.

A stone’s throw away is Bruton, a small ancient town listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, well-known on the art scene for the Hauser and Wirth Gallery as well as being home to some fantastic restaurants. Other notable places nearby are the historic spa city of Bath, the vibrant city of Bristol, the free-spirited town of Glastonbury, and Wells, the smallest city in England.

At All Hallows, we place great value on being part of our local community. We take part in events such as the Frome Arts Festival as well as supporting the Bath and West Show and Nunney Horse Trials. We organise community concerts and our choir regularly ventures out to sing in various places including local parish churches.

The UK's seventh biggest county, Somerset has a landscape of rural rolling hills, coastal cliffs, cityscapes and quintessential villages. It is truly a diverse and interesting place to live.

A brief history…

The school was founded by Francis Dix in 1938 in Bognor Regis, with just one pupil. Numbers quickly grew but the outbreak of the Second World War meant safer accommodation was required. This was sought in Devon and, by the summer of 1940, All Hallows was at Scorhill near Chagford where the River Teign, running through the grounds, acted as a bathing-pool and Dartmoor was a magnificent playground. The school remained in Devon until the end of 1945 and relocated to its current home of Cranmore Hall in 1946. Originally a boys' school, All Hallows opened its doors to girls in 1972.

Cranmore, the name, comes from Crane Mere or Lake of the Cranes. This is why the head of a crane forms part of our school logo and why images of cranes can be seen around the school with some particularly fine ones in the Art Department. We were delighted recently when cranes were re-introduced to Somerset.

The main school building, Cranmore Hall, was formerly the home of the Paget family, and has history dating back to the 17th Century when it was owned by the Glastonbury Monks. Like many large country houses during the Second World War, it was put to very good use, perhaps unusually though, as a maternity hospital.

Podcast

Episode 005

A parent’s perspective of life at All Hallows

19th December 2023

Welcome to the All Hallows School Podcast, the place where we talk to staff, parents and pupils to find out more about life at the school.

In this episode we’re talking to Katharine Cameron Clarke, parent to two daughters aged 12 and 14 both of whom have gone through the school years at All Hallows. We’re going to talk about finding the right school for her children and why the family stuck with All Hallows, what the boarding experience is like at the school, and the opportunities the girls both received in their time at the school.

Katharine also breaks down the stigma surrounding independent education with her own personal experience. So come with me as we talk to Katharine Cameron Clarke.