Stowe School
Stowe School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Stowe, England. It opened on 11 May 1923, initially with 99 schoolboys, and with J. F. Roxburgh as the first headmaster. The school is a member of the 18 member Rugby Group, the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and the G30 Schools' Group. Originally for boys only, the school is now coeducational, with some ~550 boys and ~300 girls, with 837 students enrolled in the school as of September 2021.
| Stowe School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| , , MK18 5EH England | |
| Coordinates | 52°01′57″N 1°01′08″W / 52.0326°N 1.0190°WCoordinates: 52°01′57″N 1°01′08″W / 52.0326°N 1.0190°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school Independent school, day & boarding |
| Motto | Latin: Persto et Praesto (I stand firm and I stand first) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 11 May 1923 |
| Local authority | Buckinghamshire |
| Department for Education URN | 110548 Tables |
| Chairman of governors | Simon Creedy-Smith[3] |
| Headmaster | Dr Anthony Wallersteiner[1][2] |
| Staff | 207 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Age | 13 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 781[1] |
| Houses | Bruce Chandos Chatham Cheshire Cobham Grafton Grenville Temple Walpole Lyttelton Nugent Queen's Stanhope West Winton |
| Publication | The Stoic |
| Former pupils | Old Stoics |
| Website | stowe |
Stowe charges up to £38,853 a year, (£12,951 per term, three terms per academic year for 2022).[4] However the school provides bursaries and other means of financial assistance to admitted students. A typical Scholarship at Stowe is worth 5% of the School Fee. [5]
The school has been based since its beginnings at Stowe House, formerly the country seat of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos. Along with many of the other buildings on the school's estate, the main house is now a Grade I Listed Building and is maintained by the Stowe House Preservation Trust.
History
Stowe School opened in 1923. Funding for the school came through the Rev. Percy Warrington and the Martyrs Memorial Trust.[6] The school's first architect was Clough Williams-Ellis.
The first Headmaster was J. F. Roxburgh. He aimed to focus on the individual child and introduce them to beauty and learning; he wanted a civilised school founded on Christian values.[7]
Today
The school's cricket ground is used as a first class ground by Northamptonshire CCC.
The Stowe Corner of Silverstone Circuit is named after the school.[8]
A Southern Railway "Schools Class" steam locomotive, No. 928, which was built in 1934 was named after the school, and is preserved at the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex.[9]
In 2016, a Daily Telegraph investigator posing as a parent of a Russian pupil was told by the then school registrar that while pupils would always be expected to pass the entrance exam, it would help secure a place if a borderline child's parents were able to donate "about £100,000 or something like that."[10]
Boarding houses
There are 13 boarding houses: 8 boys' houses, 4 girls' houses and 1 mixed Sixth Form house. These boarding houses are mostly named after members of the family of Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. Each house has a number or letter assigned to it.
| Name | Named After | House Number/Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce | Lady Mary Bruce (1710–1738), the daughter of Charles Bruce, 4th Earl of Elgin, and the wife of Henry Brydges, 2nd Duke of Chandos. | 1 |
| Temple | Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham; Earl Temple | 2 |
| Grenville | George Grenville, the husband of Hester Temple, 1st Countess Temple, mother of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, and sister of Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham | 3 |
| Chandos | Duke of Buckingham and Chandos; Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos | 4 |
| Cobham | Viscount Cobham;Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, had a large renovation after construction of a new building, opened in early 2019, with the old Cobham location being used as the site for Winton and Cheshire | 5 |
| Chatham | William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, husband of Hester Grenville, sister of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple | 6 |
| Grafton | There is no known family connection, the name coming from the local fox hunt, the Grafton Hunt, which takes its name in turn from the Duke of Grafton. Grafton also has a history of supplying the Stowe Beagles with talented Masters and Hunt Staff, many of whom have continued to become Masters of packs around the Country. | 7 |
| Walpole | This is not a family name. Named after Horace Walpole, who wrote some famous letters about his visits to Stowe in the 18th century. It was his father, Robert Walpole, who was the more notable Walpole in Britain's and Stowe's history, however. Viscount Cobham's political life started under Walpole but his subsequent opposition to him led Cobham to found a political dynasty that played a major part in politics until Victorian times (producing four Prime Ministers). To be named "Nugent" originally. | 8 |
| Nugent (Girls) | Lady Mary Nugent, daughter of Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent, married to George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham. Nugent was originally the 'waiting house' that some new boys entered until their preferred house had a space. (In the late 1960s, during the "boys only" era, there was a quiet joke to the effect that Nugent was for the "new gents".) | N |
| Lyttelton (Girls – formerly Boys) | Baron Lyttelton,succeeded to the Viscounty of Cobham since Charles George Lyttelton, 5th Baron Lyttelton, after the death of the Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, and into which title the Barony is now merged. Originally "Stanhope House", which became the Careers, International, and Skills Development departments of the school. Named after Lady Hester Stanhope, niece of William Pitt the Younger, who was the niece of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple | 0 |
| Queen's (Girls) | Opened in September 2007 and officially opened by the Queen in November 2007 and thus named after her. | A |
| Stanhope (Girls) | Opened in May 2009 and officially opened by Sir Nicholas Winton. | B |
| West (Girls - formerly mixed)[11] | Opened in September 2014 as a Sixth Form House. | W |
| Winton (Boys) | Opened in September 2019 as a day house for boys. Named after Sir Nicholas Winton. | 9 |
| Cheshire (Girls) | Opened in September 2019 as a day house for girls. Named after Leonard Cheshire. | C |
Headmasters
- 1923–1949: J. F. Roxburgh
- 1949–1958: Eric Reynolds
- 1958–1964: Donald Crichton-Miller
- 1964–1979: Robert Drayson
- 1979–1989: Christopher Turner
- 1989–2003: Jeremy Nichols
- 2003–present: Anthony Wallersteiner
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (September 2019) |
Former pupils of Stowe School are known as Old Stoics. Matthew Vaughn is currently the President of the Old Stoic Society. [2] Old Stoics include:
- Michael Alexander (1920–2004), prisoner of war
- Major Jack Anderson (1918–1943), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Lord Annan, (1916-2000), author and Provost of King's College, Cambridge
- 3rd Earl Attlee, (born 1956), grandson of Clement Attlee
- George Barclay, (1920-1942), Battle of Britain pilot
- Alexander Bernstein, Baron Bernstein of Craigweil, (1936-2010), television executive, Labour Party member of the House of Lords
- Oliver Bertram, (1910-1975), motor racing driver
- Richard Boston, (1938-2006), English journalist and author
- John Boyd-Carpenter, Baron Boyd-Carpenter, British Conservative Party (1908-1998), politician
- Sir Richard Branson, (born 1950), businessman
- Lyndon Brook, (1926-2004), actor
- Jack Brooksbank, (born 1986), husband of Princess Eugenie
- Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, (born 1937), law lord
- Florence Brudenell-Bruce, (born 1985), actress and model
- Martin Buckmaster, 3rd Viscount Buckmaster (1921-2007)
- James Burnell-Nugent, (born 1949), Admiral
- Henry Cavill, (born 1983), actor
- Leonard Cheshire, VC (1917-1992), airman and founder of the Cheshire Foundation
- Oliver Churchill, (1914-1997), SOE officer during World War II
- Simon Clegg, (born 1959), former CEO of the British Olympic Association and former CEO of Ipswich Town Football Club
- Peter Coke, (1913-2008), playwright
- Oliver Colvile, (born 1959), Conservative Member of Parliament
- John C. Corlette, (1911-1977), architect and later teacher at Gordonstoun, founder Aiglon College, Switzerland, in 1949
- John Cornford, (1915-1936), poet
- Andrew Croft, (1906-1998), explorer and SOE agent
- Chelsy Davy, (born 1985), former girlfriend of Prince Harry
- Michael Deeley, (born 1932), Academy Award-winning film producer
- Simon Digby, (1932-2010), oriental scholar
- Roly Drower, (1953-2008), poet, musician, satirist, broadcaster and activist
- Ben Duckett, (born 1994), English cricketer (Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire).
- John David Eaton, (1909-1973), Canadian merchant
- Hugh Dundas (1920–1995), RAF Wing Commander
- John Dundas (RAF officer), (1915-1945), RAF Officer
- Alex Farquharson, Curator and Director of Tate Britain
- Thomas Firbank, originator of P company
- Gareth Forwood (1945–2007), British stage, film and television actor, only child of actors Glynis Johns and Anthony Forwood
- David Foster, British Royal Navy pilot and business executive
- Reg Gadney, (1941-2018), thriller-writer, painter and screenplay-writer[12]
- Howard Goodall, (born 1958), musician
- Michael Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 1943), TV executive
- Harry Gregson-Williams, (born 1961), composer and 1st music scholar 1975
- George Haig, 2nd Earl Haig (1918-2009)
- Edward Hardwicke, (1932-2011), actor
- Peter Hayman, (1914-1992), British diplomat and paedophile[13]
- Sir Jack Hayward, (1923-2015), entrepreneur and former owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Robert Heber-Percy (1911–1987), eccentric
- Sir Nicholas Henderson, (1919-2009), British diplomat
- Nigel Henderson, (1917-1985), artist, asked to leave after burning a Union Flag
- John Henniker-Major, 8th Baron Henniker, (1916-2004), British diplomat
- Annabel Heseltine, (born 1963), journalist and broadcaster
- Roger Hodgson, (born 1950), founding member and vocalist of Supertramp
- Oscar Humphries, (born 1981), journalist
- Robert Kee, (1919-2013), broadcaster, journalist and Ireland historian
- Danny Kinahan, (born 1958), Ulster Unionist Member of UK Parliament for South Antrim
- Adam King (born 1999), cricketer
- Marc Koska, (born 1961), designer K1 auto-disable syringe and credited with saving in excess of one million lives
- Laddie Lucas, (1915-1998), airman, golfer, author and Member of UK Parliament
- Nicholas Walter Lyell, Baron Lyell of Markyate, (1938-2010), former Solicitor-General and Attorney-General
- Gavin Maxwell, (1914-1969), author and naturalist
- Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine (1942-2014), businessman, politician and author
- George Melly, (1926-2007), jazz singer and art historian
- Crispian Mills, (born 1973), musician
- Christopher Robin Milne, (1920-1996), bookseller and son of A. A. Milne
- George Monbiot (born 1963), journalist and political activist
- Iain Moncreiffe (1919-1985), herald
- Chandos Morgan (1920-1993), priest
- David Niven (1910-1983), actor and author
- Toby O'Brien (1909-1979), journalist and public relations expert
- Marilyn Okoro (born 1984), athlete
- Dalton Philips (born 1968), chief executive of Morrisons
- Anthony Quinton (1925-2010), philosopher
- Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1923-2005)
- Miranda Raison (born 1977), actress
- James Reeves (1909-1978), poet
- Graham Riddick (born 1955), Conservative Party politician
- Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill (1921-2011)
- John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover (1927-2022), grocer
- David Shepherd, (1931-2017), artist
- Tilly Smith (born 1994), 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake tsunami rescuer
- David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate (born 1936), UKIP peer
- Henrik Takkenberg (1967-2006), singer and songwriter
- Karan Thapar, (born 1955), journalist
- Matthew Vaughn (born 1971), director and producer
- Michael Ventris (1922-1956), linguist who deciphered Linear B
- J. O. N. Vickers (1916-2008), trade unionist
- Rollo Weeks, (born 1987), businessman and actor
- Laurence Whistler, (1912-2000), artist
- Graeme White, (born 1987), cricketer, Northamptonshire
- Sir Nicholas Winton, (1909-2015), humanitarian, nicknamed the British Schindler
- Sir Peregrine Worsthorne, (1923-2020), journalist
- David Wynne,[14] (1926-2014), sculptor
- George Zambellas, (born 1958), Royal Navy Admiral
Notable masters
- Theodore Acland, housemaster 1924–30, later headmaster of Norwich School
- T.H. White, English Teacher 1932–36, known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.
- Harry Gregson-Williams, Composer in Residence 2012–13, Old Stoic and Hollywood composer.
Cricket ground
The first recorded match on the school cricket ground came in 1928 when Stowe School played St Paul's School.[15] Buckinghamshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match there in 1947, when the opponents were Berkshire. Between 1947 and 1982 the ground held five Minor Counties Championship matches, the last of which saw Buckinghamshire draw against Bedfordshire.[16] The ground has also hosted a single MCCA Knockout Trophy match which saw Buckinghamshire play Bedfordshire.[17]
The ground has also held a single List A match for Northamptonshire in the 2005 totesport League, against Gloucestershire.[18] and has held fourteen Second XI fixtures for the Northamptonshire Second XI in the Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.[19][20]
See also
Further reading
- Alasdair MacDonald, Stowe: House and School, London: W. S. Cowell, 1951[ISBN missing]
References
- ^ a b "URN 110548 Stowe School". Edubase/DfE. from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Stowe School – Headmaster's Introduction". Stowe.co.uk. from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "Stowe School – Staff Directory". Stowe.co.uk. from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ Stowe, School (17 November 2021). "How much does Stowe School Cost". www.buckinghamshirelive.com. Jenna Outhwaite. Buckinghamshire Live.
- ^ Stowe, School. "Stowe School Bursaries and Scholarships". Stowe School. Stowe School. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ W. A. Evershed, Party and Patronage in the Church of England 1800–1945, D. Phil. thesis, Oxford University,1985, gives a detailed and well-referenced account of the questionable methods employed by Warrington. The Martyr's Memorial Trust appointed the first Governing Body, whose Chairman from August 1922 was Lord Gisborough.
- ^ Outrageous Fortune: Growing Up at Leeds Castle By Anthony Russell
- ^ [1] 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bluebell Railway Locomotives – Stowe". bluebell-railway.co.uk. from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ Claire Newell; Luke Heighton; Edward Malnick; Camilla Turner (9 December 2016). "The inside story:How to buy a place at a top school". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Stowe School – West". Stowe School. Stowe.co.uk. from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ Witherow, John, ed. (21 June 2018). "Obituary – Reg Gadney". The Times. No. 72567. p. 54. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ Denis Greenhill (11 April 1992). "Obituary: Sir Peter Hayman". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 22 September 2020.
- ^ Other matches played on Stowe School Ground 4 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com.
- ^ Minor Counties Championship Matches played on Stowe School Ground 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com.
- ^ Minor Counties Trophy Matches played on Stowe School Ground 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com (7 August 1983).
- ^ List-A Matches played on Stowe School Ground 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com (19 June 2005)
- ^ Second XI Championship Matches played on Stowe School Ground 4 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com.
- ^ Second XI Trophy Matches played on Stowe School Ground 4 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Cricketarchive.com.