Bablake School
Encyclopedia
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...
located in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, 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...
and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom (List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom). Bablake is part of the Coventry School Foundation, a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, along with King Henry VIII School, King Henry VIII Preparatory School and Cheshunt School. The current headmaster is John Watson, who succeeded Dr Stuart Nuttall following his retirement in 2006. Today Bablake is a selective, fee-paying independent school and a member of the HMC.
History
Started by Edward IIEdward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's wife Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
in 1344, Bablake (or Babbelak in Middle English) was a public school first sited at Hill Street in Coventry. Isabella endowed the Guild of St John with the Babbelak land on which was founded the St John's chapel and the Bablake school linked to it. Bablake church, now known as St John's, still stands adjacent to the school's original buildings. The school and the church shared a long history which continues to this day. The Bablake Carole service is still held in the church, a custom which has continued since medieval times. Many of the pupils were originally choristers of the church. The relationship continued through the figure of Edward Jackson, who from 1734 was both vicar of the church and headmaster of the school. The expansion of the Bablake site continued throughout the 14th century with the aid of further land granted by the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
. In 1563 the school's principal benefactor, Thomas Wheatley, who had been mayor of Coventry in 1556, endowed it with much of his estate.
Wheatley had ordered some steel wedges from Spain. In their place, he received by mistake a chest of silver ingots. Unable to discover to whom this cargo rightly belonged, Wheatley decided to bestow it upon the school. In 1833 a new schoolroom (now the headquarters of the Coventry School Former Pupils’ Association) and a house for the master were added. Two years later, after much mismanagement and extravagant spending, administration of the charities was removed from the Corporation, and Bablake came under the control of the General Charity Trustees. At this time there were twenty boys in the school. In 1855 this number increased to seventy. Even under the great F. W. Humberstone, who took over as headmaster in 1870, Bablake boys were largely confined to the premises and a most monotonous routine. Shortly after this Bablake expanded rapidly, incorporating three other local schools: Baker, Billing and Crow’s School (Black Gift), Katherine Bayley’s Charity School (Blue Gift) and Fairfax Charity School (Green Gift) These, along with Wheatley, comprised the school's six principal benefactors, and gave their names to its six houses thereafter. In the 1890s, Bablake began to move to its current site in Coundon Road, where it continued as a public school with six all-boys boarding houses.
In the 1930s fifty acres of land on Hollyfast Road were purchased to expand the playing fields of the school. During the war, the school was evacuated to Lincoln, and in the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, the new library was bombed so badly that the only thing to remain intact was a page from a German dictionary . In the 1970s the first female pupil was admitted. The school had long ceased taking boarders; what had been the bedrooms became the Mathematics department, and the headmaster's house became the Geography department. In the late 1980s the school built its Modern Languages block; a few years later Bablake Junior School opened and in 2000 the English, Drama and Music block was completed, sited on what was originally the headmaster's garden.
Coat of arms
The arms of Bablake School are those of its principal benefactor, Thomas Wheatley: Sanguine a Lion Rampant Argent, on a Chief Or, Three Mullets of the second.Layout
The Bablake site houses two schools: a junior school that takes children between year 3 and year 6, and a senior school that takes children between year 7 and sixth form. Although the junior school is formally independent, its intake generally move up as a group to the senior school. In the main school, there are blocks allocated to specific subjects, such as science, art, design and technology, music and English combined, and a languages block. The school has a swimming pool and indoor sporting facilities on site including an indoor artificial climbing wall and fully equipped gym. It also has four tennis courts, which are used as netball courts at other times in the year. Off site there are four rugby pitches, hockey astroturf (with floodlights) and a cricket square. The cricket pavilion, which housed the changing rooms, was hit by lightning on 28 June 2005, and was out of use until spring 2006. In the EDM - English/Drama/Music block - there is a large theatre and a rehearsal room which are both used for plays and music recitals.Houses
The four modern-day houses of Bablake are:| House name | Date of establishment | Crest | House colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatley | 1563 | Sanguine a Stag's Head Or | Maroon and gold |
| Bayley | 1900 | Gules a Motte Argent | Red and white |
| Fairfax | 1896 | Azure a Crosslet Argent | Sky blue and gold |
| Crow | 1894 | Sable a Corvus Argent | Black and white |
The two houses which are no longer extant are:
- Baker (est. 1896)
- Billing (est. 1894)
Notable former pupils
Former students, known as Old Wheatleyans, include:- Paul BestPaul BestPaul Best was one of the first British converts to the "Socinian" Polish Brethren, and one of the first Unitarians to be imprisoned....
(born 1991), cricketer for Warwickshire - Robert CliftRobert CliftRobert John Clift is a former field hockey player, who was a member of the golden winning Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul...
(born 1962), hockey player, [Olympic gold medallist] - Martine CroxallMartine CroxallMartine Sarah Croxall is an English journalist and television news presenter.-Education:Croxall was educated at St Margaret's, Church of England Primary School in the village of Stoke Golding, Leicestershire. The school is situated near to the exact place where King Henry VII was crowned...
, BBC News presenter - Sir John EganJohn Egan (industrialist)Sir John Egan is a notable British industrialist, associated with businesses in the automotive, airports, construction and water industries. He was chief executive of Jaguar Cars from 1984 to 1990, and then served as chief executive of BAA from 1990 to 1999...
, (born 1939), Executive, Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Warwickshire - Tony FairbrotherTony FairbrotherAnthony James Fairbrother was an English engineer who was the flight-test engineer on the maiden flight of the de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1, the world's first jet airliner, in 1949....
(1926–2004), aeronautical engineer, flight test engineering on the maiden flight of the de Havilland CometDe Havilland CometThe de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
, the first jet airliner - Shane GeraghtyShane GeraghtyShane Geraghty is an English rugby union player who plays for CA Brive in the Top 14.Geraghty's position of choice is as a Centre or at Fly-half.-Early life:...
(born 1986), rugby union player - Courtenay GriffithsCourtenay GriffithsCourtenay Griffiths QC is a Jamaican-born British barrister, notable for his defence within a number of high-profile cases, and a member of London-based Garden Court Chambers.-Early life:...
QC, criminal barrister - Kenneth HeganKenneth HeganKenneth Edward "Jackie" Hegan OBE was an English amateur footballer who played on the wing and made four appearances for England in 1923, scoring four goals. He was a member of the Corinthian amateur club, and a professional soldier.-Career:Hegan was born in Coventry, and attended Bablake School...
OBE (1901–1989), England international footballer - Leonard LordLeonard LordLeonard Percy Lord, 1st Baron Lambury KBE was a captain of the British motor industry.-Background and education:...
(1896–1967), industrialist - Tony Mottram (born 1920), tennis player, British number 1 & Davis Cup
- Brian MatthewBrian MatthewBrian Matthew is a veteran English broadcaster, who became well known in the 1960s. He is still broadcasting on radio for the BBC, having presented Sounds of the 60s since 1990, often employing the same vocabulary and the same measured delivery he used in previous decades.-Early life and...
(born 1928), broadcaster - Simon OverSimon OverSimon Over studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, The Royal Academy of Music and Oxford University.From 1992 to 2002 Simon was a member of the music staff of Westminster Abbey, and Director of Music at both St Margaret’s Church and the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster...
(born 1964), pianist and conductor - Jack ParsonsJack Parsons (cricketer)John Henry Parsons was an English first class cricketer for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman, he made 17969 runs at 35.72 in his 355 game career which lasted 26 years. He became a Church of England clergyman.-External links:...
(1890–1981), cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er - Nick SkeltonNick SkeltonNicholas "Nick" Skelton is a British Showjumper with over 30 years experience.-Biography:...
(born 1957), showjumper - Donald TrelfordDonald TrelfordDonald Trelford is a British journalist and academic, who was editor of The Observer newspaper from 1975 to 1993. He was also a director of The Observer from 1975 to 1993 and Chief Executive from 1992 to 1993....
, former editor of The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,... - Melissa WaltonMelissa WaltonMelissa Walton is a British actress best known for playing Loretta Jones in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Early life:...
, Hollyoaks actress, as Loretta Jones - Fiona Hodgson, (1979-2009), Keyboard Player, West Midlands band Miss Halliwell
Former headmasters
- Rev. Edward JacksonEdward JacksonEdward Jackson or Ed Jackson is the name of:* Edward Jackson , former American college football head coach* Edward Jackson , British diplomat...
(1734–1758) - Sir William MooreWilliam MooreWilliam Moore, often known as Billy Moore , was an Ulster loyalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was a member of the Shankill Butchers, an Ulster Volunteer Force gang...
(1822–1824) - Dr. Henry Mander (1824–1870)
- F. W. Humberstone MA (1870–1890)
- E. A. Seaborne MA (1937–1962)
- E. H. Burrough MA (1962–1977)
- M. W. Barker MA (1977–1991)
- Dr Stuart Nuttall (1991–2006)
- J.W. Watson MA (2006–present)
Nativity!
Part of the 2009 Christmas film Nativity! was filmed at the school.Further reading
- Peter Burden, The Lion and the Stars: A History of Bablake School, Coventry (Coventry: Coventry School Foundation, 1990)