History

Joseph Stear Carlyon Cole (1832-1916) was born in England and migrated to Adelaide to join his uncle who lived at Penwortham. He married Hannah Peacock in Adelaide and they had one boy and five girls. Cole was a headmaster at Pulteney Street School, Adelaide and also taught at Auburn Public School. He came to Watervale to open a public school and built his Stanley Grammar on thirty acres costing £4,000.

In 1859 the citizens of Watervale built the Watervale School which is still operating to this day as a Primary School.

In 1868 construction began on the rear section of the Stanley Grammar School to provide four dormitories for boarders attending the school next door.

Expansion took place in 1871 in the middle section where the kitchen, lobbies, slate floored dining room and upper two dormitories were built. The slate can still be seen in the dining room today.

During 1874, the front of school was constructed with three dormitories above. The Cole family is believed to have moved into the rear section at this time.

Stanley Grammar was a private boarding school. Subjects included chemistry, surveying, book-keeping, brokerage discount and commissions, assaying, linear and perspective drawing. There were 1000 volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica and night school was also provided.

Although Stanley Grammar School graduates did not qualify to enter the University of Adelaide, many later matriculated and went on to prominent positions in the State and parliament. Ex pupils being Sir David Gordon, Dr Willaim Torr, Sir John Duncan, Dr W. Jethro Brown and Emile Sobels. The schools motto were "Without learning, life to man is death" and "let the boy so learn that he may teach".

Cole retired in 1904 and the school closed in 1917. The family continued to live in the house. Cole died at age 85 on October 15, 1916 at Watervale and was buried in St Marks’s churchyard, Penwortham.

Eventually the building lay uninhabited for over 30 years. The school became derelict and the grounds overgrown with weed, bushes and trees. In the late 1960s Stanley Grammar was auctioned. It almost went to a potential bidder wanting to demolish the building for the stone, except that person was running late, as fate would have it. Fortunately the building was saved and State Heritage-listed, to which all owners have gradually restored the property. The home predominantly has been occupied as private residence; it has also been a successful restaurant called the Three Roses and a Bed and Breakfast many years ago.

Reference: Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition