Wargrave House
Encyclopedia
Wargrave House is one of the three boys boarding houses in the Eastbourne College
in Eastbourne
, East Sussex
, UK. It is run by Nick Russell (Housemaster), who lives in the house with his family. Apart from the Housemaster's family the house consists of 63 students, the Matron, house tutors, and cleaners. Although the majority of the students in the house are British, there are several students from overseas.
In Years 11, 12 and 13 the boys are in a range of single rooms all across the house. This encourages friendships across the year groups and gives House prefects responsibility for different areas of the house. Each room is slightly different and this gives the place real character. For Year 9 prep (7.00–8.30pm) is supervised by a Lower Sixth pupil and a teacher on duty. The older boys have their own study areas in their own rooms (prep 7.00–7.55pm, 8.05–9pm). Staff and house prefects make sure that prep is done quietly. There is also a Wargrave Learning Resources Centre where prep is supervised.
House: The house is well-appointed in terms of facilities. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. On each floor there is a galley where the boys can make snacks of their choice. There is a popular tuck shop (run by pupils and Matron), while fresh fruit, bread, milk and Alpen bars are made available for free.
The Common Room transforms into a cinema at the weekends: there is a projector and a Sky connection for big sport matches. In the recently revamped basement there is a TV room, a gym, a games rooms with table-tennis and table football, and an art studio. The Wargrave Learning Resources Centre has six computers with access to the school network, a wireless hub, and a bookcase full of books recommended by the boys themselves.
Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, situated on the south coast of England, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The College's current headmaster is Simon Davies. The College was founded by the Duke of Devonshire...
in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, UK. It is run by Nick Russell (Housemaster), who lives in the house with his family. Apart from the Housemaster's family the house consists of 63 students, the Matron, house tutors, and cleaners. Although the majority of the students in the house are British, there are several students from overseas.
Accommodation
Years 9 and 10 are in dormitories (two to four in each room). Each term the boys change rooms, following a careful consultation process with Mr Russell, so that they can build up many strong relationships with their peers.In Years 11, 12 and 13 the boys are in a range of single rooms all across the house. This encourages friendships across the year groups and gives House prefects responsibility for different areas of the house. Each room is slightly different and this gives the place real character. For Year 9 prep (7.00–8.30pm) is supervised by a Lower Sixth pupil and a teacher on duty. The older boys have their own study areas in their own rooms (prep 7.00–7.55pm, 8.05–9pm). Staff and house prefects make sure that prep is done quietly. There is also a Wargrave Learning Resources Centre where prep is supervised.
House: The house is well-appointed in terms of facilities. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. On each floor there is a galley where the boys can make snacks of their choice. There is a popular tuck shop (run by pupils and Matron), while fresh fruit, bread, milk and Alpen bars are made available for free.
The Common Room transforms into a cinema at the weekends: there is a projector and a Sky connection for big sport matches. In the recently revamped basement there is a TV room, a gym, a games rooms with table-tennis and table football, and an art studio. The Wargrave Learning Resources Centre has six computers with access to the school network, a wireless hub, and a bookcase full of books recommended by the boys themselves.
Events
We have a very lively and popular social calendar. Highlights are an annual house concert, in which everyone performs; a house dinner, with speeches from each year group; house charity events, such as a 24-hour row from Eastbourne to Dakar; concerts that involve performers from the local community; and a Bollywood Evening. There is also an annual parents' conference, a reading group, a film club and regular vertical group discussion forums.Other information
Every boy has a tutor who comes into the house to see boys about their eRc grades. Parents are able to view these grades from home via the school website. The overriding atmosphere provides a real sense of community where everyone is encouraged as an individual.Wargrave House (at 52 Blackwater Road)
- 1888 Sept. HF Matheson purchased 52 Blackwater Road, which had been built as a private house about ten years previously but never occupied. He named it Wargrave because his father-in-law was rector of WargraveWargraveWargrave is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, which encloses the confluence of the River Loddon and the River Thames. It is in the Borough of Wokingham...
in BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire 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...
. The purchase was precipitated by Dr Crowden’s appointment as headmaster. He had just moved into School House with most of the 90 boys who had come from CranbrookCranbrook CollegeCranbrook is an independent co-educational school, located in Ilford, Greater London, England. The Cognita Group own and operate the school. The academic years go up from junior to senior starting from reception then working the way up the academic ladder to Year 11. Pupils usually go on to other...
with him, so displacing Matheson who had been housemaster there. - 1940 17 June: evacuation to RadleyRadley CollegeRadley 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...
- 1939 Wargrave and Crosby closed for duration of the war
- 1945 Return to Eastbourne; Wargrave (no 52) occupied by School House for two terms because the Navy still occupied School House.
Crosby (at 50 Blackwater Road)
- 1891 50 Blackwater Road opened as Gonville House by the Rev WG Whittam
- 1892 House sold to CE Gathorne Orr and Rev EG Leverton (in partnership). The house continued as Gonville until 1912.
- 1914 Gonville moved to Carlisle Road and Crosby opened at 50 Blackwater Road under EC (Charlie) Lester as housemaster, who named it after his old school, Merchant Taylors’, Crosby. Crosby was a small house of about 30 boys. The house also became a hostel for day boys.
- 1936 Kem Bagnall-Oakeley housemaster. The College purchased the freehold and the ‘Hostel’ system was introduced.
- 1940 Council planned to combine Wargrave and Crosby in the newly acquired Ascham St. Vincent’sAscham St. Vincent's SchoolAscham St Vincent's School was an English preparatory school for boys at Eastbourne, East Sussex. Like other preparatory schools, its purpose was to train pupils to do well enough in the examinations to gain admission to leading "public schools" .-History:The school was founded by the Rev...
building but, before this could be done, St. Cyprians SchoolSt Cyprian's SchoolSt Cyprian's School was an English preparatory school for boys, which operated in the early 20th century in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Like other preparatory schools, its purpose was to train pupils to do well enough in the examinations to gain admission to leading public schools, and to provide an...
burned down and Ascham was lent to them for a year. Crosby later moved into Ascham, palatial accommodation when compared with the old, for less than three terms.
- 1940 June 17: College moved to RadleyRadley CollegeRadley 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...
.Here, Wargrave lived in Wick Hall, two miles from the school, and had to cycle to and fro. Crosby were lent two classrooms for dormitories, with the museum, the cricket pavilion and a room in the tower as day rooms, but with their housemaster 1½ miles away and not on the telephone. Wargrave and Crosby were disbanded in 1942, and Kem Bagnall-Oakeley and Vin Allom returned to Eastbourne to open an Eastbourne Branch with David Craig in the Gonville building. The Crosby boys joined Blackwater at Radley while the Wargrave boys went into other houses. Back in Eastbourne, with HMS MarlboroughHMS MarlboroughSix warships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Marlborough after the Duke of Marlborough:*Saint Michael, a second-rate, renamed Marlborough in 1706, fought in the Seven Years' War, present in Sir George Pocock's fleet at the taking of Havana from the Spanish in 1762, foundered at sea later in...
occupying the College buildings, WRNSWomen's Royal Naval ServiceThe Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
were quartered in Wargrave and Dutch marines in Crosby.
- 1945 On the return to Eastbourne, Wargrave was initially occupied by School House because the Navy was still using their accommodation, while Crosby was used by Granville (Prep School) boys under Guy Ross.
The New (combined) Wargrave House
- 1946 Re-opened as Wargrave including Crosby. Kem Bagnall-Oakeley housemaster. Numbers 50 and 52 were joined by a steel and concrete walkway. HKB-O later explained that holes were made in the two houses to take the RSJs for a bridge. The builders installed them upside down and so throughout the severe winter of 1947 washing accommodation was in Crosby and dormitories in Wargrave. Boys had to go out onto the pavements, sometimes in snow, to get from one to the other. Evelyn, his wife, was allowed by James Bowman, the bursar, just 8/9d per week per boy for food and cleaning materials
- 1990 The new linking structure was built in stages while half the boys moved into 12 Grange Road (now Watt House). It provided a good sized common room on the ground floor and more study bedrooms on the two floors above.
All-Time Housemasters
- 1905-1907 - Rev Francis Atkinson
- 1907-1930 - George Peacock (longest serving housemaster for 23 years)
- 1930-1939 - Vin Allom
- 1939-1945 - Wargrave House closed for the duration of the World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, students relocated to RadleyRadleyRadley is a village and civil parish about northwest of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
. - 1945-1951 - Kem Bagnall-Oakeley
- 1951-1962 - Tom Rodd
- 1962-1975 - Keith Norman-Smith
- 1975-1985 - Alan Gardner
- 1985-1989 - David Charman
- 1989-1998 - David Stewart
- 1998-2005 - Charlie Bostock
- 2005- Nick Russell (Current)
Heads of House
- 1968 C.R. Wood
- 1968 P.C.A. Colman
- 1969 J.H. Alma
- 1969-70 D.J. RichardsDavid RichardsDavid Richards may refer to:*David Richards , former NFL offensive lineman*David Richards , British general*David Richards , former CEO of the ICC...
- 1970-71 J.H. Seabrooke
- 1971-72 A.A. Venus
- 1972-73 M.N. Pyrgos
- 1973-74 M.J. Lermit
- 1975 R.C. Wiltshire
- 1975 R.N.W.L. Smart
- 1976 J.L. Wood
- 1976 J.B. Evison
- 1977 B. Alborzi
- 1977-78 D.G. Harrison
- 1978-79 P.A.J. Broadley
- 1979 S. Budzinski
- 1980 J.H.F. Bennett
- 1980-81 M.E. Hounsell
- 1981-82 J.R.E. Compton
- 1982 C.J.T. Morris
- 1983 R.D. Leishman
- 1983-84 A.B. Langlands
- 1984-85 D.S. Durrant
- 1985-86 J.H.M. Simon
- 1986-87 A.J.M. Crane
- 1987-88 G.S. Collins
- 1988-89 A.S. Teverson
- 1989-90 M.D. Warder
- 1990-91 C.J. Nowell
- 1991-92 A.P. Williamson
- 1992-93 J.A. Hossack
- 1993-94 R.O. Clinton
- 1994-95 J.H. Stroude
- 1995-96 C.L. Keene
- 1996-97 C.A. Sargent
- 1997-98 A.C.L. Ross
- 1998-99 T.S. Grover
- 1999-00 J.R. Alexander
- 2000-01 F.W.M. Southwell
- 2001-02 S.T. Cooke
- 2002-03 J.J Burbidge
- 2003-04 J.T. Burgess
- 2004-05 M.H. Sands
- 2005-06 P.D. Lunnon-Wood
- 2006-07 R.C. Reading
- 2007-08 R.C. Garratt
- 2008-09 C.B. Rhodes
- 2009-10 W.F. Attwood
- 2010-11 S.C. Garratt
- 2011-12 E. Down
Notable Wargravians
- Hugo SouthwellHugo SouthwellHugo Finlay Grant Southwell is a Scottish rugby union footballer. He plays as a fullback, centre, wing or scrum half....
- Edward Speelers
- Roland Beaumont
- David RichardsDavid RichardsDavid Richards may refer to:*David Richards , former NFL offensive lineman*David Richards , British general*David Richards , former CEO of the ICC...
Tutors
- BJ Sadler BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(resident) - TS Fisher MAMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
- GJL Kene BScBachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
- Mr Green
- SJ Mattingly
- S Lomon