Dorrie Nossiter was born on 29th June 1893 to Philip Nossiter and Charlotte Mary Nossiter (formerly Middleton) at Cateswell House, St Oswald’s Road, Aston, Birmingham. The family moved out of the Nossiter family home to Yardley after Phillip’s death in 1894.
Dorrie lived her early life in Birmingham and lived at 21 Church Road, Hall Green (Yardley) with her widowed mother, Aunt Kate Nossiter and elder sister Helen Charlotte Nossiter (Nellie). Record from 1901 Census.
Dorrie attended Camp Hill School for Girls from December 1906 - July 1908 while she was living at Church Road, Hall Green. Her elder sister Helen was at the same school from November 1902 till December 1905.
King Edward VI, Camp Hill School for Girls in Birmingham celebrated its centenary in 1983. The building on Stratford Road, Camp Hill, shown above, is now owned by the Yemeni Community Centre formerly Camp Hill School for Girls. and run as an educational and cultural centre.
While at Camp Hill School for Girls Dorrie was given the book “Plant Forms & Design” as a prize for Drawing (Midgley 1907). As a designer she drew on the book for inspiration and her annotations in the book can clearly be seen, see Chapter on Design inspiration.
The drawing teachers for King Edward’s School came from the Municipal School of Art, Central School in Margaret Street. There was one teacher supervising a number of student art teachers (cf Minutes of Municipal School of Art).