Bruce Castle School
Encyclopedia
Bruce Castle
Bruce Castle is a Grade I listed 16th-century manor house in Lordship Lane, Tottenham, London. It is named after the House of Bruce who formerly owned the land on which it is built. Believed to stand on the site of an earlier building, about which little is known, the current house is one of the...
, Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, was a progressive school for boys established in 1827 as an extension of Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill (postal reformer)
Sir Rowland Hill KCB, FRS was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of penny postage and his solution of prepayment, facilitating the safe, speedy and cheap transfer of letters...
's Hazelwood School at Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
. It closed in 1891.
Origins
In 1819, Rowland Hill moved his father's Hill Top School from central BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, establishing a new school called Hazelwood at Edgbaston, an affluent suburb, as an "educational refraction of Priestley's ideas". Hazelwood soon became a model for the education of the new middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
es, aiming to give sufficient knowledge and skills to enable a boy to continue self-education throughout a life "most useful to society and most happy to himself". The new school, which Hill designed himself, had both a science laboratory and a swimming pool. In his Plans for the Government and Liberal Instruction of Boys, Hill argued that kindness, instead of corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
, and moral influence, rather than fear, should be to the fore in school discipline. Science should be a compulsory subject, and boys were to be self-governing. Hazelwood School gained international attention when Marc Antoine Jullien
Marc-Antoine Jullien de Paris
Marc-Antoine Jullien, called Jullien fils, was a French revolutionary and man of letters.-Life:...
visited the school and wrote about it in the issue of Revue encyclopédique for June 1823, then sent his own son there.
Foundation
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
that in 1827 a branch of the school was created at Bruce Castle in Tottenham, with Rowland Hill as its head master. Unfortunately for the old school, the new one proved much more popular than the old, with boys transferring to it in large numbers, and in 1833 the original Hazelwood School closed. Its educational system was continued at the new Bruce Castle School.
History
From its beginning Rowland Hill ran the school along radicalRadicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
lines, inspired by his friends Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
, Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
, and Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
. Its principle was that the role of the schoolmaster is to instill the desire to learn, more than to impart facts. There was no corporal punishment and alleged transgressions were tried by a court of pupils. The school's curriculum included foreign languages, science and engineering. At the time, most established schools focussed on Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, and for a school to include engineering in its curriculum was almost unheard of.
In 1829 and 1830, Hill employed Edward William Brayley
Edward William Brayley
Edward William Brayley FRS was an English geographer, librarian, and science author.-Early life:Brayley was born in London, the son of Edward Wedlake Brayley, a notable antiquary and his wife Anne . His early schooling, in the company of his brothers Henry and Horatio was private and sheltered...
to lecture on physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
s, both at Hazelwood and at Bruce Castle. In the biography of one early pupil, Sir Henry Barkly
Henry Barkly
Sir Henry Barkly, GCMG, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.-Early life and education:...
(1815–1898), the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that "...the school's particular curriculum endowed him with a lifetime interest in science and statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
.
The school taught the sons of Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
, the computing pioneer, and of many diplomats based in London, especially from the new nations of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. One such was the son of José Rufino Echenique
José Rufino Echenique
José Rufino Echenique Benavente was President of Peru in 1851.He participated in the Peruvian War of Independence. In 1851, Echenique won the presidential elections to succeed Ramón Castilla. Under his government, the first civil laws of Peru were promulgated...
, a former President of Peru.
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
, where he introduce the world's first postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s. He left the school in the hands of his younger brother, Arthur Hill, who continued as head master until 1868, when he was succeeded by his son Birkbeck Hill
George Birkbeck Norman Hill
George Birkbeck Norman Hill , English editor and author, son of Arthur Hill, headmaster of Bruce Castle School, was born at Bruce Castle, Tottenham, Middlesex. He dropped his third name, Norman, publishing as just George Birkbeck Hill; to family and friends he was known as Birkbeck, not as George...
. He retired in 1877, ending his family's long connection with the school. The Rev. William Almack succeeded him.
During the School's time, Tottenham's character changed. The construction of the Northern and Eastern Railway
Northern and Eastern Railway
The Northern & Eastern Railway operated one of the two main lines which eventually became the Great Eastern Railway: the other being the Eastern Counties Railway....
in 1840 made commuting to central London possible, and in 1872 the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
opened a line from Enfield
Enfield Town railway station
Enfield Town railway station is the most central of several stations in Enfield . It is the terminus of the line served by National Express East Anglia from Liverpool Street, one of the Lea Valley Lines. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by National Express East Anglia...
to Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
, with a station at Bruce Grove
Bruce Grove railway station
Bruce Grove railway station in the centre of Tottenham was originally a station on the Stoke Newington & Edmonton Railway which opened on 22 July 1872. It is part of the Seven Sisters branch of the Lea Valley Lines. The station is not far from Bruce Castle, and takes its name from Bruce Grove, a...
.
The Bruce Castle School was in some ways a victim of its own success. As its methods were adopted elsewhere, parents returned to traditional schools which had adapted themselves to a new age. The Rev. William Almack continued to run the school until 1891, when it was closed. The Municipal Borough of Tottenham
Municipal Borough of Tottenham
Tottenham was a local government district in north east Middlesex from 1850 to 1965. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District....
bought the house and grounds, which were opened to the public as Bruce Castle Park in June 1892. The Park is still in use, and is adjacent to Broadwater Farm
Broadwater Farm
Broadwater Farm, often referred to simply as "The Farm", is an area in Tottenham, North London, straddling the River Moselle. The eastern half of the area is dominated by the Broadwater Farm Estate , an experiment in high-density social housing built in the late 1960s...
.
A printing press designed by Rowland Hill and built by pupils of the school is on display at London's Science Museum
Science Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
.
Head masters
- 1827–1839: Rowland HillRowland Hill (postal reformer)Sir Rowland Hill KCB, FRS was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of penny postage and his solution of prepayment, facilitating the safe, speedy and cheap transfer of letters...
- 1839–1868: Arthur Hill
- 1868–1877: Birkbeck HillGeorge Birkbeck Norman HillGeorge Birkbeck Norman Hill , English editor and author, son of Arthur Hill, headmaster of Bruce Castle School, was born at Bruce Castle, Tottenham, Middlesex. He dropped his third name, Norman, publishing as just George Birkbeck Hill; to family and friends he was known as Birkbeck, not as George...
- 1877–1891: Rev. William Almack
Notable Old Brucastrians
- Sir Henry BarklyHenry BarklySir Henry Barkly, GCMG, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.-Early life and education:...
(1815–1898), politician and colonial governor - Sir William BirdWilliam Bird (UK politician)Sir William Barrott Montfort Bird was a British solicitor and Conservative Party politician.The son of William Frederic Wratislaw Bird, of Wilmington in Kent, he was educated at Bruce Castle School, and admitted as a solicitor 1880...
(1855–1950), solicitor and ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician - J. Comyns CarrJ. Comyns CarrJoseph William Comyns Carr was an English drama and art critic, gallery director, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager....
(1849–1916), drama and art critic, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager. - Sir Oscar ClaytonOscar ClaytonSir Oscar Moore Passey Clayton, KCMG, CB, FRCS was a British surgeon, courtier, and socialite. He was Surgeon-in-Ordinary to Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Extra Surgeon-in-Ordinary to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, and Surgeon to the Metropolitan Police and other bodies.-Early...
(1816–1892), surgeon and courtier - Frederic CreswellFrederic CreswellColonel Frederic Hugh Page Creswell was a British-born Labour Party politician in South Africa. He was Minister of Defence from 1924 to March 1933.-Early life:...
(1866–1948), mining engineer and South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Minister of Defence - Herbert James DraperHerbert James DraperHerbert James Draper was an English Classicist painter whose career began in the Victorian era and extended through the first two decades of the 20th century.-Life:...
(1863–1920), painter - Wilson FoxWilson FoxWilson Fox , was an English physician.Fox was the son of a manufacturer belonging to a well-known Quaker family in the west of England. He was born at Wellington, Somersetshire, on 2 November 1831. He was educated at Bruce Castle School, Tottenham, and University College, London, graduating B.A. in...
(1831–1887), physician - George Birkbeck HillGeorge Birkbeck Norman HillGeorge Birkbeck Norman Hill , English editor and author, son of Arthur Hill, headmaster of Bruce Castle School, was born at Bruce Castle, Tottenham, Middlesex. He dropped his third name, Norman, publishing as just George Birkbeck Hill; to family and friends he was known as Birkbeck, not as George...
, literary critic and head master of the school - Joseph Moses LevyJoseph Moses LevyJoseph Moses Levy was a newspaper editor and publisher.The son of Moses Levy and Helena Moses, he was educated at Bruce Castle School, after which he was sent to Germany to learn the printing trade. When he returned to England he established a printing company in Shoe Lane, Fleet Street...
(1812–1888), newspaper editor and publisher - Charles RobsonCharles RobsonCharles Robson was an English cricketer, who played as a wicket-keeper for Middlesex between 1881 and 1883, and for Hampshire from 1891 to 1906, for whom he served as captain for three years from 1900 to 1902....
(1859–1943), cricketer - Frederick SelousFrederick SelousFrederick Courteney Selous DSO was a British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist, famous for his exploits in south and east of Africa. His real-life adventures inspired Sir H. Rider Haggard to create the fictional Allan Quatermain character. Selous was also a good friend of Theodore...
(1851–1917), explorer - Henry Sweet (1845–1912)
- William TerrissWilliam TerrissWilliam Terriss was an English actor, known for his swashbuckling hero roles, such as Robin Hood, and in Shakespeare plays, and for his murder outside a London theatre. His daughter was the Edwardian musical comedy star Ellaline Terriss.-Life and career:Terriss's real name was William Charles...
(1847–1897), actor - James Glenny WilsonJames Glenny WilsonSir James Glenny Wilson was a New Zealand politician and farmer.Originally from Teviot in Scotland, Wilson was educated at Bruce Castle School, in London, and then at the Edinburgh Institution...
(1849–1929), New Zealand politician and farmer