The Origin of the Penn Wynn Foundation

Charles Winn, a beloved vicar and visionary, dedicated his life to the spiritual and educational growth of children in Penn. Serving at St Bartholomew’s church for 23 years, he recognized the lack of educational opportunities and took it upon himself to teach children to read, write, and count. His profound love for children and commitment to their future led him to leave money in his will for the first school to be built in Penn.  Today the Penn Wynn Foundation continues, ensuring his educational initiatives would endure beyond his lifetime.

In 1646 Charles Winn, a devoted vicar of St Bartholomew’s church, laid the principles that led to the Penn Wynn Foundation being formed. Over his long 23 years of service, driven by his passion for nurturing young minds, transformed his church into a place of learning, teaching children essential skills and Christian values. His legacy lives on through the foundation, which continues to uphold his commitment to education and community development.

This is St Bartholomew’s Parish Church where the Revd. Charles Winn was vicar from 1646-1669. The building is much larger than it was then and the land around it that was fields, woodland and marshes is now covered in houses.

During the Industrial Revolution, lots of people moved into the Penn Fields part of the parish and more churches were built over time with St Philip’s in 1859, St Anne’s covering Lower Penn in 1888, St Aidan’s 1902 and most recently St Joseph’s in 1955 for Warstones & Merry Hill. 

Charles lived an exciting and dangerous time when the Civil War was being fought in England. He had only been in Penn for two years when the King, Charles I, was executed and Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth ruled the country. During that time vicars had to change the church services. In 1662 King Charles II was restored to the throne and services were set out in a new Prayer Book.

In those days there was no school in Penn, but Charles Winn loved children and wanted to help them all he could so he invited them to church and taught them to read, write and count, as well as how to grow as Christians. Charles Winn wanted this children’s work to continue so, he left money in his will to build a school. He also left some farmland and the rent from it was to pay for a teacher and a Bible for each child when they left school.

In 1669 a book of any sort would have been an expensive and precious item – even more desirable than the latest ipad! But a Bible is a treasure.
The Bibles are given so that we can learn about God and about how he wants us to live for him. The Bible is a very precious book, and a gift of one can be very significant. 

The Trustees of the Penn Winn foundation built the school in 1714. If you walk up Springhill Lane from Warstones Road, at the top of the hill you come to Wynne Crescent on the left. That is where the first school in Penn was built and why it is called Wynne Crescent. Penn was a small village and the school was small. In 1871 the school was rebuilt by the church which is the current St Bartholomew’s school, where the original foundation stone from the first school is displayed in the entrance hall.