Kelvin Grove Community Assn. Inc.

Kelvin Grove School about 1938

Kelvin Grove School opened in 1893 as the portion of the building shown on the left. The right wing, which had been built in 1890, was transferred to Kelvin Grove School from Stoney Creek (Whakarongo) School in 1898 to help alleviate an overcrowding problem. The school stood in Kelvin Grove Road immediately to the west of the former Kelvin Grove Hall (now a martial arts facility). It was closed in 1938 and most children were transferred to Terrace End School. However, a school bus breakdown resulted in the school reopening for about two weeks at the start of 1939. Thereafter, especially throughout the war, the school buildings became the domain of the Kelvin Grove Women's Institute and their considerable amount of work in the interests of the war effort. They continued to meet there until the early 1950s.

The mothballed school was sold in about 1952-3 to the Manawatu Car Club, after Wanganui Education Board made the decision to build Roslyn School about one kilometre down the road, instead of reopening Kelvin Grove School as had originally been planned. The Manawatu Car Club dismantled the school in 1965-6 at the time work began on building the Kelvin Grove subdivision. Anakiwa Street is on the school's former playground. 

The landmark Weeping Elm on the right of the photo survived until the owner of the house subsequently built there, took a dislike to it and chopped it down. It is interesting to note that Cornerstone Christian School has two wheeping elms (or similar) alongside its front gate in Roberts Line.

Last Updated: 1 January 2007