When Dr Poggi ran Audlem School

The photo shows a great great grandaughter of Dr Poggi, the headmaster of Audlem Grammar School from 1871 until his death in 1880.

She visited Audlem for the first time on Thursday from near Bristol because he was to be the subject a talk at the History Society meeting that evening.

She and her husband enjoyed lunch at the Lord Combermere with the writer of the talk, Ian Bloor, Celia Bloor and John Hardy who was the one who first noticed this grave of an Italian and wondered what he was doing in Audlem!

Then she visited his grave, the church where his funeral was held and at least one of his children were married, and was given a tour of the Grammar school buildings thanks to the owners.

In the evening she was joined by a great grandson on another branch who had come from the Wirral with his wife.

The meeting started with an outline of the building of the school in the 1650s the information coming from a collection of over 150 documents left in the building for 300 years! They are now safe in Chester Record office should anyone wish to see them.

Derek McKelvey then told us how the building was saved from planned demolition and how the Audlem Educational Foundation was created from monies donated all those years ago.

Finally, although the intended speaker was unwell, Celia Bloor ran through the talk and showed the slides.

Dr Poggi had many illustrious connections including Garibaldi, Longfellow, Dickens, Mrs Gaskell and Cardinal Newman. It would be good to know more about his time here in Audlem – the newspapers are available in Nantwich or Market Drayton Local studies areas.

I wonder what the Audlem folk made of this foreigner in their midst?

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