A long-serving former headmistress of a Bournemouth School has died at the age of 91.

Clare Austin-Smith, the Headmistress of Talbot Heath Independent School for Girls from 1976-1991, died at Zetland Court Nursing Home, Bournemouth, on March 17.

She made a big impact during her time at Talbot Heath, including the building of a creative arts centre in 1978.

She also revived the systems of Halls in 1981which started with four named after the houses in Jane Austen novels, these being: Donwell, Mansfield, Netherfield and Pemberley.

Her time at the school also saw the building of a sports hall to mark the 100th anniversary of the school in 1986 and she was also at the helm for the building of a music block in 1991.

Before her time at Talbot Heath, she was head at Gainsborough High School in Lincolnshire from 1973-76 and before that she was at Wintringham Girls Grammar school in Grimsby where she taught English and drama.

While she was at Wintringham one of her English and drama students was the Downton Abbey and Miranda actress Patricia Hodge, who has since remarked that it was “Miss Austin-Smith who encouraged me to do drama and act in school plays, igniting my love of acting”.

Clare was born on the 7th July 1929 , the only child of Hilda and Steven Austin-Smith. Her father was a journalist and worked on different papers in various parts of the United Kingdom.

Her early life was spent in Goole, South Yorkshire, where her father was a journalist on the Goole Times. She went to her first school there. During this time her family spent many holidays with her Aunt and Uncle and cousin Pamela in various seaside locations on the Lincolnshire coast.

Her family then moved to Torquay and Clare went to the kindergarten department of the Torquay High School. The family then moved to Leicester and Clare went to the Convent school there. During this time her father was working on the Leicester Mail.

At the beginning of the Second World War the family decided to move to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire and they remained there until the end of the war. She remembered helping her father to produce the newspaper, of which he was editor, because he had virtually no staff because of the war.

Then it was a move to Birmingham, where they lived in the suburb of Erdington. Sadly, her father died at the comparatively young age of 62 in 1956.

Having said that she did not want to teach, after university she went to train at Birmingham Teacher’s college.

Her first job was at Edgbaston High school where she was appointed as a specialist English teacher.

In 1959 Clare and her mother moved to Grimsby in Lincolnshire as Clare had been appointed to Wintringham Girls Grammar school. She was appointed Senior Mistress at Wintringham in 1967 before moving to Gainsborough for her first position as a head teacher.

Clare’s mother died in August 1975.

The death of her mother meant that Clare was now alone and in 1976 she was offered the headship of Talbot Heath. She moved to Bournemouth that same summer to commence her new post which she occupied until 1991.

In her retirement Clare remained busy and threw herself into community work. She was always a dedicated Anglican and belonged to the parish of St Ambrose in Bournemouth. She was church warden and a choir member for many years.

 Clare was a magistrate on the bench for several years and every year she was also heavily involved in the Bournemouth Music Festival.

 She was also on the board of an Abbeyfield Nursing Home.

In addition, Clare was a vibrant volunteer at Kingston Lacy National Trust House as well as being a passionate Soroptimist and she travelled to many places including South Africa, the Caribbean and Australia representing the Bournemouth branch.

She spent many happy times in Menton, south of France, which was her favourite holiday destination starting from when she went there as a girl with her parents and then continuing throughout her life, usually twice a year at Easter and in August, initially to tie in with school holidays.

She never married, but had very strong affiliations with her cousins and their families and had several godchildren.

Her family said: "She was a remarkable independent woman committed to her profession, the local community, her family and her faith.  She will be very sadly missed. "

A private Mass is taking place under current Covid-19 restrictions. Family flowers only please, but donations in her memory for Alzheimer's Research UK may be sent to: Deric-Scott, Portman Lodge Funeral Home, 755 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH7 6AN or made online at www.cpjfield.co.uk/services/94248. Tel Deric-Scott Funeral Directors. Tel: 01202 309609.

To feature an obituary in the Echo please see this link:

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/obituaries