Foxlease 08
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. . . children as unique beings, capable of developing initiative and creativity, appealed to Mrs Saunderson. In the autumn of 1912 she employed Miss du Fresne, who had trained in the Montessori method, to teach a Kindergarten.
The thatched, threshing barn on the estate was renovated and equipped as a classroom. Mrs Saunderson arranged to transport the neighbours' children to and from their homes in a horse- drawn bus. Approximately fifteen children attended the school.
The Saundersons were lavish entertainers and house guests came in continuous streams including members of the Archbold family from America. During the Great War, Mrs Saunderson offered hospitality and entertainment to wounded soldiers, recuperating at the No 1 New Zealand Hospital which was based in Brockenhurst. In 1915, fifty weary soldiers on the march from Portsmouth were allowed to sleep on the Barn floor. Throughout the war, Foxlease house provided a "haven of peace" to many soldiers, both English and American, based in Southampton who were wined, dined and lavishly entertained by the Saundersons.
In March 1918 Mrs Saunderson, a strong supporter of the suffragette movement, went to Bournemouth to hear Lady Baden-Powell extol the virtues of the Girl Guide Association, a newly emerging organisation for girls. She was most impressed by the philosophy of the Guide Movement and returned home to become the District Commissioner of the Guides in the New Forest area. Mrs Saunderson organised the 1st Lyndhurst Guide Company in the Thatched Barn, where her daughters, Lydia and Moira became the first members. During her time as District Commissioner Mrs Saunderson welcomed many groups of Guides who camped in the grounds of the Foxlease Park Estate.
Extracts from a diary written by Mrs Saunderson in 1918 reveal the first evidence . . .
