History
After more than a hundred years, Carncot has an engaging story to tell.
In Dorothy Pilkington’s fascinating book, Carncot, the first hundred years, she begins, “A group of excited children climbed the stairs at Mr William Park’s book and stationery shop in The Square, Palmerston North. It was their first day at Constance Stanford’s new private school.” Miss Stanford was the daughter of a local magistrate and these were her foundation students.
- Read more
-
The name Carncot has associations with Miss Stanford’s Irish origins and the family of Stanford of Carn. The addition of ‘cot’ emerged when Constance wanted a name for her school, then situated in Duke Street (now Princess Street). Her old friend, Ethel Wilson, thought it could be turned into a diminutive and suddenly said, “Carncot” and the name has remained.
While Carncot Private School has a long and proud history of educating girls, the School also enrolled a small number of boys until as late as 1980, as well as kindergarten-aged children. As the roll grew, Carncot relocated a number of times until, in 1998, the former Fitzherbert homestead, in which it had been operating since 1955, was moved forward on its present site and a new school built at the back. When the School finally moved to 263 Broadway Avenue, the sign outside the school officially read, Carncot School for Girls.
