It was in July 1958 that Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy of Crabtree Lane received a letter telling them that their son, who was already at Bookham Primary School, would be attending a new school in the grounds of Southey Hall  that September when the new term started. As they hadn't heard anything about a 'new' school in the village  they consulted their neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Caunter to see if they knew anything about it, but they were none the wiser. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy  broadened their enquiry to  include friends and neighbours and discovered that although several people had also received the same letter  nobody knew anything about a new school. So a group of about twenty parents decided to go to the grounds of Southey Hall the next Saturday morning to see for themselves.  They entered via the back drive and when they reached the top they were greeted by what Mr. Kennedy describes as "a sea of mud".  Southey Hall was still standing, as was the  walled Kitchen Garden, although the workmen were in the process of demolishing the house. Just to the left  at the top of the drive stood a large Nissan Hut that had been left by the army but there was no sign of the 'new' school. 

As the parents stood and discussed the situation and the apparent lack of a anything resembling a school their attention was drawn to car that  came up the drive. A gentleman got out who  Mrs. Kennedy describes as looking 'rather distinguished'. He approached the parents and asked if this was the location of the new school. They replied that, as far as they knew, it was. He introduced himself as Mr. Taylor - the new Headmaster. He revealed that he was expecting to find two temporary classrooms, all the necessary equipment and two full time staff. What he actually discovered on that day  was no temporary classrooms, no equipment and no staff. It was decided on the spot that if this new school was going to get off the ground it was going to take a lot of hard work and Mr. Taylor was going to need a lot of help.  So the first Eastwick Parents Teacher Association was formed that  Saturday morning amid the mud at the top of the back drive to Southey Hall.  Mr. Kennedy was the first Secretary and Mrs.  Kennedy noted that Mr. Taylor gave the PTA his  full support which was rather unusual for the time as Headmasters  didn't usually have much time for PTAs as they were thought to be intrusive  

In the weeks that followed Mr. Taylor mustered classroom equipment such as desks and a blackboard and the Nissan Hut was converted into the first classroom.  As the classroom was without any toilet facilities the workmen who were demolishing Southey Hall were asked to leave standing the nearby toilet block that was part of the boys school.  A partition was constructed inside to divide it into two separate sections and this served as the toilets and washroom for the children,  although they had a very muddy walk whenever they asked to be excused. That building is the only part Southey Hall that has survived to this day  as it is now part of Eastwick Infants  where it is used as a classroom and Library and is now known by its original name of 'The Stable Block'.   As there were no cooking facilities at the new school the children and staff had to carry a packed lunch.

March 1958. The grandeur that was once Eastwick Park/Southey Hall  
is long forgotten as the building now stands windowless and desolate