From Gruel to Gourmet: The Story of Fegan's Homes for Boys in Stony Stratford
St. Paul's School - a letter from 1880
The History of the Building
The Life and Times of Mr. Fegan
Daily life at Fegan's Homes
Christmas for Fegan's Boys
Life on the training farm, Goudhurst
Moving On - life for the boys after Fegan's
Fegan's Boys - where are they now?
Contacting Fegan's Homes
Useful Links
Credits
The building was originally created as a "school for the sons of gentlemen", and one pupil who attended the school was the son of the Vicar of nearby Woburn Sands and Wavendon.
Here is an image of a letter written in 1880 by a former pupil at St. Paul's to his friend who was a relief-signalman on the railway between Bletchley and Leighton Buzzard. The details of how it came to light are detailed below.
The letter was supplied by a relative of the addressee, and in a cover letter to us he explains the origin of the main letter which was written by HERBERT CHARLES MAYER:

"Herbert Charles Mayer, the writer of this letter, was the son of the Vicar of Aspley Guise and Wavendon. He was a pupil at St. Paul’s College and a lifelong friend of HARRY PYKESLEY, who was at this time a relief signalman in the Bletchley-Leighton Buzzard area.

Harry was a young man thou’ not yet married. I do not know how they met, but the reason for the friendship must have been Mayer’s passionate interest in railway locomotives. Later Mayer went to the Great Western Railway Locomotive Works in Swindon.

This scrap of local history came through my interest in philately. In about 1975 I met an elderly brother and sister in Leighton Buzzard, a nephew and niece of Harry P. They had some 200 or more envelopes addressed to their uncle all with Victorian stamps on them and dated between 1880 and 1894.

This was the only letter among all this collection. However the envelopes told some of the life lifestory of Harry P. They were of no financial value but so very interesting. The old couple insisted that I accepted them, and I still have them.

Now I am pleased to share a small part of this with you."

(Unsigned).
Previous page
Read about one of the pupils at St. Paul's School

When the building was used by Fegan's Homes for Boys

Fire Damage to the building

When the building was sold

When it was a school run by Franciscan Monks

The varied uses of the building today