Canford School
Encyclopedia
Canford School is a coeducational independent school
for both day and boarding pupils, in the village of Canford Magna
, near to the market town
of Wimborne Minster
in Dorset
, in South West England
. The school was founded in 1923. There are approximately 600 pupils at Canford, organised into houses and ranging in age from thirteen to eighteen. John Lever is currently the Headmaster; Richard Knott is currently the Second Master. The school performs well academically and in the last four years has exceeded both the LA and national average for GCSE performance. The Good Schools Guide called the school "Hard to fault, kind, confident, enthusiastic, unpretentious and good all round."
In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's leading private schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times
, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.
Community Service plays an important role at Canford - every week over 100 6th formers help in local primary schools, special schools, hospitals and hospices, respite care centres and charity shops. Others visit the elderly, produce drama and organise activity projects for less fortunate children in the local area.
The school has achieved high sporting success over the years winning the national Rosslyn Park rugby sevens in 1997 (the team in which Old Canfordians and now rugby professionals Ben Gollings
and Nick Makin played) and several national hockey titles. In 2008, four pupils won national honours, representing the England Under 16 Hockey team, England Under 16 Rugby team, England Cricket Elite Player Development and Great Britain rowing. In 2007 the U15 cricket team reached the semi-final of the national Taverners Cup beating the favourites Millfield
in the process. Even more recently the U16 hockey team reached the finals of the national indoors and the semi-finals of the nationals.
In March 2006 the school suffered an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease though only two students were affected.
Boys' boarding houses:
Girls' boarding houses:
Day houses:
course run by Canford Golf Club which is a proprietary club owned by Canford School. The course sits within the school's 300 acres (1.2 km²) of mature parkland with many ancient trees and a stream providing the setting for some challenging holes of golf. There are grass tennis courts around the school grounds and during the summer months one of the two astro-turf hockey pitches is converted into tennis courts.
Canford also has one of the few real tennis
courts remaining in the United Kingdom
, in a complex which also includes four squash
courts. A large sports complex includes a fitness gym, resident physiotherapist, large sports hall with facilities for basketball, indoor football, netball and trampolining and facilities for the teaching of A-Level Physical Education.
Assyrian Frieze
In 1992 a lost Assyrian stone relief was rediscovered on the wall of "the Grubber" (the school tuck shop).[6] The relief was sold by Christie's at auction in 1994 for £ 7.7 million (US$ 11.9 million), by far the highest price ever paid for an antiquity. Although it is at first sight rather unlikely that such a valuable item should be found on the wall of a school tuck shop, the history of the school explains how the relief came to be there. It had been brought back from the site of Nimrud in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) by Sir Austen Henry Layard along with other antiquities which were displayed at Canford before it was a school. Originally Canford had been a private country house (known as Canford Manor), designed by Sir Charles Barry, and the residence of Layard's cousin and mother-in-law, Lady Charlotte Guest and her husband, Sir John Josiah Guest. At that time the building now known as the Grubber had been used to display antiquities and was known as "the Nineveh Porch". It was however believed by the school authorities to be a plaster copy of an original which had been lost overboard during river transit and little attention was paid to it after the school was established. A dartboard was even hung in the Grubber close to where the frieze was displayed. It was John Russell of Columbia University who identified the frieze as an original, one of a set of three relief slabs taken from the throne room of Assyrian King Assurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). A new plaster copy now stands in the foyer of the Layard Theatre at Canford and a number of "Assyrian Scholarships" are available, funded from the sale proceeds which also helped pay for the construction of a new sports facility.
The original relief is now part of the collection of the Miho Museum in Japan.[7]
John Malcolm Russell, From Nineveh to New York. The strange story of the Assyrian reliefs in the Metropolitan Museum and the hidden masterpiece at Canford School. New Haven/London: Yale University Press; New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1997.
Judith McKenzie, "Canford School", ch. 10 of Russell 1997 (above), pp. 173-189.
Samuel M. Paley, "A winged genius and royal attendant from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud". Bulletin of the Miho Museum 2 (1999), pp. 17-29, Pl. 1.
is situated inside Canford School and is open to the public. It seats 299 people and can also cater for those who are restricted to a wheelchair. It was opened by Sir Richard Eyre
in May 1999, and was part-funded from the £7.7 million achieved through the sale of an Assyria
n relief (see below), originally brought to Canford when it was a private house by Sir Austen Henry Layard
in the mid-nineteenth century.
In addition to housing Canford's drama department and student productions, the Layard theatre provides a venue for a wide range of professional entertainment, including top quality theatre and music. These productions are open to the public and are publicised in the theatre's seasonal programme. Parking for the theatre is free.
Since opening, the theatre programme has featured, amongst others, classical and modern drama (Actors of Dionysus, Compass Theatre
, English Shakespeare Company
, KAOS
, Kneehigh, Red Shift
, the Royal National Theatre
and Not the National Theatre); children's theatre (Nuffield Theatre
, Roundabout); music (classical, jazz, blues, folk, rock and even Taiko
drummers); comedy (Infinite Number of Monkeys, Chris Addison
and Dan Antopolski
); classical ballet (Swansea's Ballet Russe) and modern dance, opera and many well-known speakers.
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...
for both day and boarding pupils, in the village of Canford Magna
Canford Magna
Canford Magna is a village in Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies in between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The village is the site of the large boarding school - Canford School. The school was previously the mansion and estate of Lord Wimborne....
, near to the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, in South West 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...
. The school was founded in 1923. There are approximately 600 pupils at Canford, organised into houses and ranging in age from thirteen to eighteen. John Lever is currently the Headmaster; Richard Knott is currently the Second Master. The school performs well academically and in the last four years has exceeded both the LA and national average for GCSE performance. The Good Schools Guide called the school "Hard to fault, kind, confident, enthusiastic, unpretentious and good all round."
In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's leading private schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.
Community Service plays an important role at Canford - every week over 100 6th formers help in local primary schools, special schools, hospitals and hospices, respite care centres and charity shops. Others visit the elderly, produce drama and organise activity projects for less fortunate children in the local area.
The school has achieved high sporting success over the years winning the national Rosslyn Park rugby sevens in 1997 (the team in which Old Canfordians and now rugby professionals Ben Gollings
Ben Gollings
Ben Gollings is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Rugby Lions and formerly for England Sevens.-Career:...
and Nick Makin played) and several national hockey titles. In 2008, four pupils won national honours, representing the England Under 16 Hockey team, England Under 16 Rugby team, England Cricket Elite Player Development and Great Britain rowing. In 2007 the U15 cricket team reached the semi-final of the national Taverners Cup beating the favourites Millfield
Millfield
Millfield is an independent school in Street in Somerset, in south-west England.The school currently has a roll of 1,260 pupils, of whom 910 are boarders...
in the process. Even more recently the U16 hockey team reached the finals of the national indoors and the semi-finals of the nationals.
In March 2006 the school suffered an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease though only two students were affected.
House system
Canford has seven boarding houses and three day houses. Each house has a married housemaster/mistress, three tutors (one resident in each boarding house) and at least one house matron. House year groups vary between ten and fifteen pupils and each community numbers sixty to sixty-five.Boys' boarding houses:
- Court
- Franklin
- Monteacute
- School
Girls' boarding houses:
- Beaufort
- de Lacy
- Marriotts
Day houses:
- Lancaster
- Salisbury
- Wimborne
Facilities
The school has its own 9-hole golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course run by Canford Golf Club which is a proprietary club owned by Canford School. The course sits within the school's 300 acres (1.2 km²) of mature parkland with many ancient trees and a stream providing the setting for some challenging holes of golf. There are grass tennis courts around the school grounds and during the summer months one of the two astro-turf hockey pitches is converted into tennis courts.
Canford also has one of the few real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
courts remaining in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in a complex which also includes four 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. A large sports complex includes a fitness gym, resident physiotherapist, large sports hall with facilities for basketball, indoor football, netball and trampolining and facilities for the teaching of A-Level Physical Education.
- School grounds 300 acres (1.2 km²)
- 9-hole golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course - Tennis courts
- Real Tennis court
- Swimming pool
- Sports centre
- Theatre
- Boathouse with direct access to river StourRiver Stour, DorsetThe River Stour is a 60.5 mile long river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from rivers of the same name...
- Music Centre
- Sixth Form Centre
- Two all-weather playing fields
- Seven Boarding Houses and three Day Houses.
Assyrian Frieze
In 1992 a lost Assyrian stone relief was rediscovered on the wall of "the Grubber" (the school tuck shop).[6] The relief was sold by Christie's at auction in 1994 for £ 7.7 million (US$ 11.9 million), by far the highest price ever paid for an antiquity. Although it is at first sight rather unlikely that such a valuable item should be found on the wall of a school tuck shop, the history of the school explains how the relief came to be there. It had been brought back from the site of Nimrud in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) by Sir Austen Henry Layard along with other antiquities which were displayed at Canford before it was a school. Originally Canford had been a private country house (known as Canford Manor), designed by Sir Charles Barry, and the residence of Layard's cousin and mother-in-law, Lady Charlotte Guest and her husband, Sir John Josiah Guest. At that time the building now known as the Grubber had been used to display antiquities and was known as "the Nineveh Porch". It was however believed by the school authorities to be a plaster copy of an original which had been lost overboard during river transit and little attention was paid to it after the school was established. A dartboard was even hung in the Grubber close to where the frieze was displayed. It was John Russell of Columbia University who identified the frieze as an original, one of a set of three relief slabs taken from the throne room of Assyrian King Assurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). A new plaster copy now stands in the foyer of the Layard Theatre at Canford and a number of "Assyrian Scholarships" are available, funded from the sale proceeds which also helped pay for the construction of a new sports facility.
The original relief is now part of the collection of the Miho Museum in Japan.[7]
John Malcolm Russell, From Nineveh to New York. The strange story of the Assyrian reliefs in the Metropolitan Museum and the hidden masterpiece at Canford School. New Haven/London: Yale University Press; New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1997.
Judith McKenzie, "Canford School", ch. 10 of Russell 1997 (above), pp. 173-189.
Samuel M. Paley, "A winged genius and royal attendant from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud". Bulletin of the Miho Museum 2 (1999), pp. 17-29, Pl. 1.
The Layard Theatre
The Layard TheatreLayard Theatre
The Layard Theatre is situated inside Canford School and is open to the public. It seats 299 people and can also cater for people restricted to a wheelchair...
is situated inside Canford School and is open to the public. It seats 299 people and can also cater for those who are restricted to a wheelchair. It was opened by Sir Richard Eyre
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...
in May 1999, and was part-funded from the £7.7 million achieved through the sale of an Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n relief (see below), originally brought to Canford when it was a private house by Sir Austen Henry Layard
Austen Henry Layard
Sir Austen Henry Layard GCB, PC was a British traveller, archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, author, politician and diplomat, best known as the excavator of Nimrud.-Family:...
in the mid-nineteenth century.
In addition to housing Canford's drama department and student productions, the Layard theatre provides a venue for a wide range of professional entertainment, including top quality theatre and music. These productions are open to the public and are publicised in the theatre's seasonal programme. Parking for the theatre is free.
Since opening, the theatre programme has featured, amongst others, classical and modern drama (Actors of Dionysus, Compass Theatre
Compass Theatre
The Compass Theatre is a 158 seat theatre in Ickenham, in, and owned by, the London Borough of Hillingdon.Middlesex County Council bought Ickenham Hall and its grounds in 1948 in order to convert it into a youth centre. In 1968 a theatre was built behind the hall, later named the Compass Theatre by...
, English Shakespeare Company
English Shakespeare Company
The English Shakespeare Company was an English theatre company founded in 1986 by Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level....
, KAOS
KAOS
KAOS or Kaos may refer to:People:*Kaos of Iberia, an ancient king of Causasian Iberia*Kaos, professional wrestler Joey Munoz*Kaos or Kenny Kaos, professional wrestler Kenny Stasiowski...
, Kneehigh, Red Shift
Red shift
-Science:* Redshift, the increase of wavelength of detected electromagnetic radiation with respect to the original wavelength of the emission* Red shift, an informal term for a bathochromic shift...
, the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and Not the National Theatre); children's theatre (Nuffield Theatre
Nuffield Theatre
Nuffield Theatre may refer to:* The Nuffield Theatre at the Lancaster University* The Nuffield Theatre at the University of Southampton...
, Roundabout); music (classical, jazz, blues, folk, rock and even Taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drummers); comedy (Infinite Number of Monkeys, Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
and Dan Antopolski
Dan Antopolski
For the rowing coach and commentator, see Daniel TopolskiDan Antopolski is a British stand-up comic, actor and writer, mostly known for his surreal stand-up.- Stand-up comedy :Shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe include:...
); classical ballet (Swansea's Ballet Russe) and modern dance, opera and many well-known speakers.
Notable Old Canfordians
- Stephen WardStephen WardStephen Thomas Ward was an osteopath and artist who became notorious as one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British public scandal which profoundly affected the ruling Conservative Party government...
(1912–1963), osteopathOsteopathyOsteopathy and osteopathic medicine are often used interchangeably for the philosophy and system of alternative medical practice first proposed by A. T. Still MD, DO in 1874....
involved in the Profumo AffairProfumo AffairThe Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of... - Sir Ashley BramallAshley BramallSir Ashley Bramall was a British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Bexley from 1946 to 1950 and Leader of the Inner London Education Authority for 11 years.-Family and early career:...
(1916–1999), Leader of the Inner London Education AuthorityInner London Education AuthorityThe Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
, 1970–1981 - Charles Maclean of Duart, Baron MacleanCharles Maclean of Duart, Baron MacleanCharles Hector Fitzroy Maclean, Baron Maclean, Bt, KT, PC, GCVO, KBE, was Lord Chamberlain to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom from 1971 to 1984...
(1916–1990), Chief ScoutChief Scout (United Kingdom)The Chief Scout is the head of The Scout Association. The post originated with the appointment of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement, as Chief Scout. He was designated Chief Scout of the World in 1920 at the first World Scout Jamboree in Olympia, London...
of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 1959–1971, Chief Scout of the CommonwealthCommonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, 1959–1975, and Lord ChamberlainLord ChamberlainThe Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, 1971–1984 - Hilary HookHilary HookLieutenant-Colonel Hilary Hook was a soldier in armies of the British Empire in India and later in Africa.Hook was educated at Canford School, Dorset and after the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1938. He joined a cavalry regiment in India and...
(1917–1990), soldier - David SheldrickDavid SheldrickMajor David Leslie William Sheldrick, MBE was a Kenyan farmer and park warden, in memorium to whom the eponymous was created.-Early years:...
(1919-1977), Anglo-Kenyan conservationist - Hector Monro, Baron Monro of LangholmHector Monro, Baron Monro of LangholmHector Seymour Peter Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm, AE, PC , was a Conservative & Unionist Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Dumfries for 33 years, from 1964 to 1997, and then a life peer in the House of Lords....
(1922–2006), politician - Michael Medwin (born 1929), actor
- Captain Nick Barker (1933–1997), Captain of HMS EnduranceHMS Endurance (1967)HMS Endurance was a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel that served from 1967 to 1991. She came to public notice when she was involved in the Falklands War of 1982.-Service history:...
during the Falklands WarFalklands WarThe Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands... - David LittmanDavid Littman (historian)David Gerald Littman is a British historian and a human rights activist at the United Nations in Geneva, representing various NGOs.-Biography:David Littman was born on July 4, 1933, in London, England...
(born 1933), historian and human rights advocate - Sir John DrummondJohn Drummond (arts administrator)Sir John Richard Gray Drummond CBE was an English arts administrator who spent most of his career at the BBC. He was the son of a master mariner in the British India line and an Australian lieder singer....
(1934–2006), arts administrator, former controller of BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation... - General Sir Brian KennyBrian Kenny (British Army officer)General Sir Brian Leslie Graham Kenny GCB CBE is a British Army General who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Military career:Educated at Canford School, Brian Kenny was commissioned into the 4th Queen's Own Hussars in 1954....
(born 1934) - Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger PalinRoger PalinAir Chief Marshal Sir Roger Hewlett Palin KCB OBE RAF is a former senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:Educated at Canford School and St John's College, Cambridge, Palin was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1958. He later transferred to the Royal Air Force and became...
(born 1938) - Derek JarmanDerek JarmanMichael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
(1942–1994), film director, gay rights activist - Admiral Sir Ian GarnettIan GarnettAdmiral Sir Ian David Graham Garnett KCB is the Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies.-Early life:Born in Surrey, England, he was the son of Capt Ian Garnett, of the Royal Navy. He attended the independent Canford School near Wimborne Minster, Dorset...
(born 1944) - Alan HollinghurstAlan HollinghurstAlan Hollinghurst is a British novelist, and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty.-Biography:Hollinghurst was born on 26 May 1954 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the only child of James Hollinghurst, a bank manager, and his wife, Elizabeth...
(born 1954), author - Miranda CooperMiranda CooperMiranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
(born 1975), formerly the singer 'Moonbaby', songwriter and director of the company Xenomania - Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of ShaftesburyNicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of ShaftesburyNicholas Edmund Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, also known as Nick Ashley-Cooper, succeeded his brother as Earl of Shaftesbury...
(born 1979) - Ben GollingsBen GollingsBen Gollings is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Rugby Lions and formerly for England Sevens.-Career:...
(born 1980), England rugby sevensRugby sevensRugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
player - Alex HibbertAlex HibbertAlex Hibbert is a polar expedition leader, motivational speaker, author and photographer...
(born 1986), polar explorer - Giles DuleyGiles DuleyGiles Duley is a British documentary photographer and photojournalist. He is best known for his photography of humanitarian issues and the consequences of conflict...
(born 1971), photojournalist