A brief history of Cleve House

Cleve House was originally built by Charles Bevis, a successful Victorian entrepreneur in 1887 and named "Arcadia". It became known locally as the "Lemonade Palace", as C.E.Bevis manufactured soft drinks in Jacob Street. Old Market.

The school was established on its present site in 1948, having moved several times during the war years. When the present Headmaster and Headmistress came to Cleve House in 1987, they were the third principals during the history of the school.

In 1992, the school was extended to include a Kindergarten facility, initially in a separate neighbouring building. During the summer of 2002 a large school hall was built to replace a converted coach house on the main site.

Building development continued in 2003 when premises adjacent to the main house were purchased. This enabled the addition of a dedicated music room, along with exciting new facilities for the pre-school and foundation. These included a spacious conservatory for all year round "wet" play activities and three new form rooms. A "bouncy" play area completed the project.