lime house school
HISTORY AND ETHOS Traditional academic education since 1865 – bringing out the
best in all children. Lime House School has strong roots in the local community
and has offered a traditional academic education since the late 19th century.
The school was formally established in 1899 in Wetheral, a small village located
five miles to the east of Carlisle. In 2012, three Lime House School reports
emerged dated 1865, adding another 34 years to the school’s long history. The
school moved to its present location at Hawkesdale near the village of Dalston
in 1947, and initially operated as a traditional prep school for boys up to the
age of 13 under the leadership of a Mr Lovelock which continued throughout the
1950s and early 1960s. In the 1960s the school was owned and run by a pioneering
headmaster, Mr PJ Ingrams, who admitted girls to the school and introduced O
Levels and A levels. Mr Ingrams led the school until his untimely disappearance
on a climbing expedition to the Andes in 1974. After a short period with Mr A
Templeton-Turner as Headmaster, the school was purchased by the owners of
Riverston International in London and Mr M Lewis took over as head in 1977. The
school continued to grow, partly due to the closure of two local independent
schools, Grosvenor House and Overwater School in Carlisle, and in 1983 was
purchased by three local businessmen with children at the school led by Mr W
Brotherton. School numbers continued to grow and extra boarding houses were
created in the local area, in particular at Greensyke Farm where the Junior
School moved to and the girls became housed at ‘The Oaks’ in Dalston. Lime House
School was purchased from Mr W Brotherton and his family in 1998 by Mr Nigel
Rice, Headmaster from 1983 until his retirement in 2017, his wife Mrs Diane
Rice, Senior Housemistress and Head of Learning Support and the Bursar, Ms
Jackie Fisher. Under their combined ownership Lime House has flourished to
become the unique school it is today, offering an exceptional academic education
to all children within a stimulating and supportive atmosphere.
