Wallingford Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Wallingford Grammr School was a grammar school
in the town of Wallingford, Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire
), England
, succeeded by Wallingford School
when comprehensive education was introduced in 1973.
, a Sheriff of London, Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
, and MP
for Wallingford
, died in 1659, he left £10 for the education of six poor boys at a school in Wallingford. The Wallingford Corporation Minute Book shows that the school was active in 1672. The school buildings were at St John's Green from 1717-80, through a lease bought with Bigg's endowment
. When the lease ended the school transferred to the headmaster's house, and later the upper room in the Town Hall was used a school room until 1863, when the school briefly closed.
. In 1958, Blackstone Secondary Modern was built near Blackstone Road on St George's Road. It was also known as Wallongford County Grammar School. It had a rowing team.
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in the town of Wallingford, Oxfordshire (formerly 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...
), England
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...
, succeeded by Wallingford School
Wallingford School
Wallingford School is a secondary school located in the town of Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. It was founded by Walter Bigg in 1659 in association with the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, formally succeeding Wallingford Grammar School when it merged with Blackstone Secondary Modern in...
when comprehensive education was introduced in 1973.
History
When Walter Bigg, thought to have been Innkeeper of St Giles in the FieldsSt Giles in the Fields
St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, is a church in the London Borough of Camden, in the West End. It is close to the Centre Point office tower and the Tottenham Court Road tube station. The church is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England...
, a Sheriff of London, Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors
The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London.The Company, originally known as the Guild and Fraternity of St...
, and MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wallingford
Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)
Wallingford was a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was a parliamentary borough created in 1295, centred on the market town Wallingford in Berkshire . It used to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons; this was cut to one in 1832, and...
, died in 1659, he left £10 for the education of six poor boys at a school in Wallingford. The Wallingford Corporation Minute Book shows that the school was active in 1672. The school buildings were at St John's Green from 1717-80, through a lease bought with Bigg's endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
. When the lease ended the school transferred to the headmaster's house, and later the upper room in the Town Hall was used a school room until 1863, when the school briefly closed.
School building
The school was revived under the Endowed Schools Act of 1872, and Wallingford School, which still benefits from the Bigg Charity was formally established when a grammar school building was built on the corner of St George’s Road and Station Road in 1877 by Sidney R. Stephenson. The boys’ and girls’ schools were amalgamated onto one site in 1904.Boys' school
In 1958 the girls were moved to Didcot Girls' Grammar School, the forerunner of Didcot Girls' SchoolDidcot Girls' School
Didcot Girls' School is a comprehensive secondary school for girls in Didcot, Oxfordshire and the surrounding rural area. The school has been awarded with Language College and Technology College status . The mixed Sixth Form is shared with St Birinus School...
. In 1958, Blackstone Secondary Modern was built near Blackstone Road on St George's Road. It was also known as Wallongford County Grammar School. It had a rowing team.
Dissolution
With the onset of comprehensive education in 1973, this was used as the lower school (taking age 11-13) and the old grammar school was the upper school (taking older children). In 1998 the school was centralised at the old secondary modern site, and the old grammar school converted to apartments.Alumni
- Prof Malcolm Clarke, Senior Principal Scientific Officer from 1978-87 of the Marine Biological Association of the United KingdomMarine Biological Association of the United KingdomThe Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom is a learned society with a scientific laboratory that undertakes research in marine biology. The organisation was founded in 1884 and has been based in Plymouth since the laboratory was opened in June 1888...
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Sir Frank KingFrank King (British Army officer)General Sir Frank Douglas King GCB MBE was a British Army officer who was General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles...
CB MBE, Colonel Commandant from 1974-9 of the Army Air Corps, and Director of Operations in Northern Ireland from 1973-5 - Maj-GenMajor-General (United Kingdom)Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
Norman Speller CB, Colonel Commandant from 1978-83 of the Royal Army Ordnance CorpsRoyal Army Ordnance CorpsThe Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
(RAOC) - Prof Michael Sheringham, Marshal Foch Professor of French LiteratureMarshal Foch Professor of French LiteratureThe Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature in the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford was founded in 1918. Basil Zaharoff, a Greek-born French arms trader and financier, gave £25,000 to the university to establish the chair and to support French studies in...
since 2004 at the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and President from 2002-4 of the Society for French StudiesSociety for French StudiesThe Society for French Studies, or SFS, is the oldest learned association for French Studies in the UK and Ireland. It aims to promote teaching and research in French Studies within higher education.... - Ann PackerAnn PackerAnn Elizabeth Packer MBE is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long jumper. She won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
, Olympic gold medalist, 800 metres 1964.