A blue plaque will be unveiled this weekend to commemorate the 1836 founders of a former school in Kemp town.

The unveiling will take place tomorrow at St Mary’s Hall, Eastern Road, in memory of Henry Venn-Elliot and his sister, Charlotte Elliot.

Henry was vicar of St Mary’s Church in Upper Rock Gardens and St James’s Street. The school was built on land donated by the Marquis of Bristol. It was modelled on a similar school in Lancashire that was attended by the Bronte sisters and which was the model for Lowood School in Jane Eyre.

More than 100 former pupils are expected to gather for the event.

The school was one of the oldest girls’ schools in the country when it closed in 2009. Among former pupils are businesswoman Heather McGregor, presenter of Channel 4’s Superscrimpers, and Wombles author Elizabeth Beresford.

The school hymn, Just As I Am, was written by Charlotte and has since been recorded by country stars Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

John Carmichael, marketing manager at Visit Brighton, said: “Each new plaque reveals a fascinating, often untold, story about the city and this is no exception. It makes the city a more colourful place to live and more interesting for visitors.

“Who would imagine we have a building which links Jayne Eyre with the Wombles and Johnny Cash?”