St Elphin's School

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St Elphin's School was a boarding school for daughters of Church of England clergy. It began in Warrington, Lancashire, England, and opened on 15 March 1844. It was named after Saint Elphin, who, according to tradition, founded Warrington's parish church. The school has roots going back to 1697. In 1857 its aim was to provide a good education on favorable terms for: (i) orphaned daughters of clergy from the Archdeaconries of Manchester, Liverpool and Chester; (ii) daughters of clergy still serving in those archdeaconries; and (iii) daughters of clergy from any diocese.

By the early 20th century Warrington became industrialized, so in 1904 the school moved to Darley Dale, near Matlock, Derbyshire. The new site used the building that had been the Darly Dale Hydro, a hydrotherapy health spa. Under head CatherineLucy Kennedy (1896–1910), the school added more facilities and opened to daughters of lay members of the Church of England.

In 2003 the school faced financial trouble and went into administration with debts of about £3 million. A plan to raise money by developing part of the site for housing was rejected by the local council, and the school closed in March 2005. In 2006 the site was bought and turned into a luxury retirement village, with the main building converted into retirement flats. A website about St Elphin's School appeared in December 2010 and is regularly updated with photographs, magazines and news.