Sylvia Greinig
inspiring the children
Sylvia Greinig has owned the private and non-selective Abbey School in St Marychurch for almost four decades. Anita Newcombe and Sabrina Konrad drop by for a chat about her life’s work, inspiring young minds.
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the first iron ship (with an early steam engine) occupied e settle down in Sylvia’s study to listen how it. In the 1947 census, a lady owned the house and lived she bought and developed Abbey School there with her children, a housekeeper, nanny and a maid. from very small beginnings into the highly successful and renowned educational establishment that it The gentleman of the house had reportedly gone mad and is today. Having been a principal for an amazing 47 years, was listed as ‘imbecile’ on legal documents of the time. The property continued as a private home until 1920 she gives us a fascinating insight into how young children and then became Hampton Court School. It was not learn and thrive as well as the ups and downs of running until the 1950s that Abbey School was born. Prior to an independent school. Sylvia’s arrival in Torquay, a nanny, who had partnered Sylvia tells us that she used to own a prep school in with a teacher, ran the school. The building was mostly North Yorkshire for nine years. At some point in the decorated in a low-key palette of browns. Sylvia describes late 1970s she felt the need for a change and decided it it as “dull” but explains, “there was such potential”. They was time to move on. Sylvia and her husband Geoffrey decorated the school in 1979 with had fallen in love with Devon over “We were turned out of one much use of stepladders and pots a number of holidays and now decided to choose Torquay as their room per year until we were of paint. It took them the whole new home. crammed into a flat in the first summer to make it bright and cheerful but Sylvia enjoyed having Sylvia describes Torquay as a very floor wing.” free rein over the design. quiet place to be in 1979 when they Initially Sylvia was responsible for the 42 pupils and first arrived in search of the perfect property. She explains 6 children in the nursery, all of them inherited from that around this time private schools were becoming the previous school owners. Sylvia also kept on all the increasingly popular. She had targeted six places, which teachers who wanted to stay. One of these was Mrs Eileen were for sale and might suit her vision. However, after Barber who was married to the local vicar. She was a viewing Abbey School, the first on her list, she knew that fi ne teacher and musician and stayed at the school for she had found her perfect new project especially after many more years becoming a real stalwart of the place. Geoffrey made the legendary remark, “I could drive my Meanwhile, Sylvia threw herself into the task of attracting Austin 7 through that door!” The other choices on offer more pupils and growing the school. She and her family, were all very much town schools. Abbey School with its which included daughters Fleur and Hattie, lived together quiet grounds felt remote enough and you could not hear in the school but were gradually squeezed out. Sylvia any vehicles passing by. It was love at first sight and she tells us, “We were turned out of one room per year until and Geoffrey did not hesitate to snap it up. The Abbey is a beautiful building with a rather majestic we were crammed into a flat in the first floor wing.” At this point they moved out and built their own home in double staircase and we wonder how the building looked the nearby village of Stokeinteignhead. The school had before Sylvia set about her refurbishment plans. She grown well and every time a class size reached 20 pupils, explains that the building is almost 200 years old and was a new class was started. For the younger ones, 16 pupils a family home before it was transformed into a school in is the maximum Sylvia prefers - this allows children the the 1920s. In the 1840s, the Taylour family who owned 14
October/November 2017
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