Place Name
Named in honour of the Dutch Monarchy, the House of Orange-Nassau. In 1858 Professor Henry Attwell opened Nassau House School, teaching boys aged six to 18, which stood to the north of Church Road. Attwell had been a tutor to the Prince of Orange-Nassau, at The Hague, and held on to this connection with royalty to attract well-to-do families. The House of Orange-Nassau dynasty was established as a result of the marriage of Henry III of Nassau-Breda from Germany and Claudia of Châlon-Orange from French Burgundy in 1515. In turn this was inherited by William I of Orange, who became the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau, who became monarchs. Williams I’s son William II married Mary, the daughter of Charles II of England, and led the bloodless coup against the Catholic King James II. When the school closed in 1890, Attwell retired to a small residence across the road. meanwhile the former house and grounds were sold to John Norton, a local builder, who built a row of houses on the site. The rest of Nassau Road continued later being developed across a cricket field.
