Ludgrove School
Encyclopedia
Ludgrove School is an independent
preparatory
boarding school
for about 200 boys, aged from seven or eight years to thirteen. It is situated in the civil parish
of Wokingham Without
, adjoining the town
of Wokingham
in the English
county of Berkshire
.
in north London
. Dunn, a noted footballer, recruited a number of eminent sportsmen to assist him as masters and was succeeded, on his premature death, by two England
international football captains, G.O. Smith
and William Oakley
, who became joint headmasters.
In 1937 the school was moved to its present location at Wixenford
, Wokingham
. Alan Barber
, a well known cricketer, was headmaster for many years. The school business was turned into a charitable trust
in 1972 and Alan Barber's son Gerald Barber together with Nichol Marston became joint headmasters. In July 2004, Nichol Marston retired. Since the start of the Michaelmas
term of 2008 Ludgrove's joint headmasters have been Andrew (Sid) Inglis and Gerald Barber's son Simon. The pupils perform plays and concerts, and sports matches are organised with other schools.
In 2004, Ludgrove was the victim of an arson attack which caused over ₤
100,000 in damage to the school's athletics facilities.
courts, two squash
courts, four tennis courts, and around eleven football/rugby
/hockey/cricket pitches, all set in 150 acre (0.607029 km²) of school land.
The fees are about £7,300 per term. The average class size varies and reduces to around eleven students as the boys get older. Most of the boys move on to independent schools such as Radley
, Eton
and Harrow
.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
preparatory
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for about 200 boys, aged from seven or eight years to thirteen. It is situated in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Wokingham Without
Wokingham Without
Wokingham Without is a civil parish in the Wokingham district of the English county of Berkshire. It was formed in 1894 when the parish of Wokingham was split into two parts — one rural and one urban....
, adjoining the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
History
The school was founded in 1892 by Arthur DunnArthur Dunn
Arthur Tempest Blakiston Dunn was a noted amateur footballer who founded the English boarding school Ludgrove in 1892.-Football career:...
in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Dunn, a noted footballer, recruited a number of eminent sportsmen to assist him as masters and was succeeded, on his premature death, by two England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international football captains, G.O. Smith
G.O. Smith
Gilbert Oswald Smith , familiarly known as G. O. Smith or simply as G...
and William Oakley
William Oakley
William John Oakley was a Victorian era footballer who played as a full back for the renowned amateur clubs the Corinthians and Casuals, and captained the England team once, in a match against Ireland in 1901....
, who became joint headmasters.
In 1937 the school was moved to its present location at Wixenford
Wixenford
Wixenford is an area of the civil parish of Wokingham Without in which Ludgrove School is built. It adjoins Wokingham and is in the English county of Berkshire....
, Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
. Alan Barber
Alan Barber (cricketer)
Alan Theodore Barber was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1929 to 1930...
, a well known cricketer, was headmaster for many years. The school business was turned into a charitable trust
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
in 1972 and Alan Barber's son Gerald Barber together with Nichol Marston became joint headmasters. In July 2004, Nichol Marston retired. Since the start of the Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
term of 2008 Ludgrove's joint headmasters have been Andrew (Sid) Inglis and Gerald Barber's son Simon. The pupils perform plays and concerts, and sports matches are organised with other schools.
In 2004, Ludgrove was the victim of an arson attack which caused over ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100,000 in damage to the school's athletics facilities.
The school today
The school buildings include a private chapel, two science laboratories, a music school, specialist art, carpentry, pottery, information technology departments, and a combined gymnasium and theatre. Its extensive sporting facilities include a 9-hole golf course, a swimming pool, two fivesFives
Fives is a British sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.-Background:...
courts, two squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts, four tennis courts, and around eleven football/rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
/hockey/cricket pitches, all set in 150 acre (0.607029 km²) of school land.
The fees are about £7,300 per term. The average class size varies and reduces to around eleven students as the boys get older. Most of the boys move on to independent schools such as Radley
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
, Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
.
Notable Old Ludgrovians
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (elder son of Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
) - Prince HarryPrince Harry of WalesPrince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
(younger son of Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
) - Peter AinsworthPeter AinsworthPeter Michael Ainsworth is a former Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for East Surrey from 1992 to 2010....
, MP East SurreyEast Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)East Surrey is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... - Rear Admiral Sir Nigel CecilNigel CecilRear Admiral Sir Oswald "Nigel" Amherst Cecil KBE, CB , is a retired naval officer.-Naval career:Cecil is a paternal grandson of Lord William Cecil and the 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney and a maternal grandson of the 1st Baron Cornwallis. He was educated at Ludgrove School and the Royal Naval...
- Charles CummingCharles CummingCharles Cumming is a British writer of spy fiction. The son of Ian Cumming and Caroline Pilkington , he was educated at Ludgrove School , Eton College and the University of Edinburgh , where he graduated with 1st Class Honours in English Literature...
- Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of HomeAlec Douglas-HomeAlexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
, as Sir Alec Douglas-Home Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
1963 to 1964 - John Spencer Dunville VCJohn DunvilleJohn Spencer Dunville VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of FifeJames Carnegie, 3rd Duke of FifeJames George Alexander Bannerman Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife is a great grandson of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and a member of the extended British Royal Family, in the line of succession to the British Throne...
- Prince Edward, Duke of KentPrince Edward, Duke of KentThe Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
- Paul FootPaul FootPaul Mackintosh Foot was a British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party...
, journalist - Bear GryllsBear GryllsEdward Michael "Bear" Grylls is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom...
, mountaineer and writer - George Lascelles, 7th Earl of HarewoodGeorge Lascelles, 7th Earl of HarewoodGeorge Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM , styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood , and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and...
- General Sir Oliver LeeseOliver LeeseLieutenant-General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, KCB, CBE, DSO was a British general during World War II.-Early years:...
- Sir Shane LeslieShane LeslieSir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet, generally known as Shane Leslie , was an Irish-born diplomat and writer. He was a first cousin of the British war time Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill...
- Robert R. McCormickRobert R. McCormickRobert Rutherford "Colonel" McCormick was a member of the McCormick family of Chicago who became owner and publisher of the Chicago Tribune newspaper...
- the Hon. Alexander Christopher Charles Nall-Cain (Eldest son of "Charlie" Lord Brocket)
- Nick Pretzlik, Fundraiser for the Palestinian cause
- Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Baronet
- Dick Smyly, portrait painter
- Sir Frederick WarnerFrederick Warner (diplomat)Sir Frederick Archibald Warner, GCVO, KCMG was British diplomat and businessman who at the end of his career was elected to the European Parliament.-Education:...
- Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of BathAlexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of BathAlexander George Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath , styled Viscount Weymouth between 1946 and 1992, is an English politician, artist and author...
- Thady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl Thady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-EarlThady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl was an Irish peer.He was educated at Ludgrove School and Institut Le Rosey, Switzerland...
- Archie Manners Magician, and Conservative Politician
Notable masters
- Alan BarberAlan BarberAlan Barber is a British-born theoretical physicist and works at the physics faculty at MIT Center for Theoretical Physics.He worked at the University of Cambridge until 2007. He is famous for the discovery of the Nambu-Goldstone boson...
(1905 - 1985), YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
cricket captain, headmaster - Arthur DunnArthur DunnArthur Tempest Blakiston Dunn was a noted amateur footballer who founded the English boarding school Ludgrove in 1892.-Football career:...
(1861 - 1902), founder of the school - William OakleyWilliam OakleyWilliam John Oakley was a Victorian era footballer who played as a full back for the renowned amateur clubs the Corinthians and Casuals, and captained the England team once, in a match against Ireland in 1901....
(1873 – 1934), EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
football captain, joint headmaster - Cecil SharpCecil SharpCecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
(1859 – 1924), founding father of the English folk music revival, part time music master 1893 - 1910 - G.O. SmithG.O. SmithGilbert Oswald Smith , familiarly known as G. O. Smith or simply as G...
(1872 - 1943), EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
football captain and centre-forward, joint headmaster - Robin MilfordRobin MilfordRobin Milford was an English composer.- Biography :Milford was born in Oxford, son of Sir Humphrey Milford, publisher with Oxford University Press. He attended Rugby School from 1916 where his musical talent for the piano, flute and theory was recognised, and studied at the Royal College of Music...
(1903 – 1959), composer, part-time music master
Further reading
- Richard Barber. The Story of Ludgrove. Guidon Publishing, 2004, pp304. ISBN: 0954361725