Countess Anne has played a very full part in the life of Hatfield and continues to provide a quality of education that has served the town and community well. The tapestry in our school given by the right honourable Countess Anne of Salisbury in 1735 is a reminder of our long and happy association with Lord Salisbury and family in Hatfield House. We are proud of the fact that the school is named after our founder and Patron Countess Anne and that our school continues to have links with Hatfield House.

In 1732, Anne, the 5th Countess of Salisbury, founded a charity school for the education of forty girls between the ages of nine and sixteen. Twenty of these were educated and clothed free of charge from funds provided by the Countess; the rest, presumably tradesmen's daughters, would have been charged a fee.
The length of the school day at that time would horrify our present day children as it started at 7.00 am and ended at 5.00 pm with a two hour break for lunch! Absenteeism, swearing or 'any other disorderly behaviour' would have resulted in a child's expulsion.
The complete set of school rules was worked by the original girls of the school into a large sampler, a unique work of art which may still be seen today in Countess Anne School.
In the 1870s, Countess Anne's School moved into what is now the church hall at the top of Church Street in Old Hatfield and there it stayed until it finally closed in 1912 and the premises became vacant. Meanwhile in 1850 the London Road Schools were built by public subscription at the instigation of the Marquess of Salisbury and the Rector of Hatfield and these housed infants, and older boys and girls separately. In 1905 the boys moved into new buildings in School Lane and were followed by the girls in 1924. This new "mixed" school was named St Audrey's School, the name Audrey being a corruption of Etheldreda, the patron saint of the parish church. In 1913 it was the turn of the infants to move away from London Road and they took over the building that had been vacated by the now defunct Countess Anne's School and it was not long before they became known as Countess Anne School. When St Audrey's School moved into larger buildings in Travellers Lane in 1957, the Countess Anne children also moved ... into our present premises left empty by the departure of St Audrey's. The buildings were not the 1905 originals as these had been destroyed by a VI rocket in 1944.
Our school is thus founded on two traditions; Countess Anne's Charity School and Hatfield Church of England School (London Road).

Hatfield House was built by Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I, in 1611. This celebrated Jacobean house, which stands in its own Great Park, has been in the Cecil family ever since, and is the home of the Marquess of Salisbury. The State Rooms are rich in world-famous paintings, exquisite furniture, fine tapestries and historic armour. Superb examples of Jacobean craftsmanship can be seen throughout Hatfield house, such as the Grand Staircase, with its wealth of lively detail carved in wood, and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel.

In the extensive and beautiful gardens is the surviving wing of the Royal Palace of Hatfield (circa 1497). It is here that Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood. In November 1558, following the death of her sister Mary Tudor, she held her first Council of State in the great hall.

Displayed in the House are many historic mementoes collected over the centuries by the Cecils, one of England's foremost political families. The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury was three times Prime Minister during the closing years of Queen Victoria's reign, when the British Empire was at the height of its power and influence.

To see the State Rooms join a midweek guided tour or look in your own time at weekends. On Friday, the Connoisseurs' Day, there are a limited number of extended guided tours of the house and groups can book specialist tours.

Visitors to the Park can enjoy the national collection of model soldiers, 5 miles of marked park trails, picnic areas, a children's play area, gift and garden shops and the licensed restaurant and tea rooms.

The Gardens

The Gardens at Hatfield House date from the early 17th century when Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, employed John Tradescant the Elder to plant and lay them out around his new home. Tradescant was sent to Europe where he found and brought back trees, bulbs, plants and fruit trees, which had never previously been grown in England.
These beautifully designed gardens included orchards, elaborate fountains, scented plants, water parterres, terraces, herb gardens and a foot maze.
Following the fashion for landscape gardening and some neglect in the 18th century restoration of these gardens started in ernest in Victorian times. Today, the present Marchioness continues to re-create and maintain the grounds entirely organically in a style that reflects their Jacobean history.

The gardens to the west of the House, which include the Herb, Knot and Wilderness areas, can be seen when the house is open. However, all 42 acres and visitor facilities are open specially in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity on Friday, Connoisseurs' Day.