Denstone College
Encyclopedia
Denstone College is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Denstone
,
Staffordshire
, England
and a member school of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
. It is also a Woodard school
and as such has a strong Anglo-Catholic
tradition. It has continued to show impressive academic improvement in recent years, with results about double the Staffordshire average. A range of academic and sporting scholarships are offered.
, provost of the midland district of the Woodard Corporation. It was originally called St. Chad's College. The buildings were designed by William Slater and Richard Carpenter
in a Gothic
style. The school buildings, hall, chapel and war memorial are all listed Grade II. The school's chapel was built in 1879-87 by Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow in a late 13th century Gothic style; it consists of a four bay nave with polygonal apse. Land for the school was given by Sir Thomas Percival Heywood who owned the nearby Riverside Doveleys mansion. Sir Thomas was the school's first bursar.
Denstone College opened a Preparatory School in 1902, which moved in 1938 to its present site of Smallwood Manor, becoming co-educational and opening a pre-school department in 1983, it also provided boarding accommodation until 1997 but now is a day school for ages 2–11.
The school is divided into the following houses, named after the founders and benefactors of the school: Heywood, Philips, Shrewsbury, Meynell, Woodard, and Selwyn. Previously, there were two other houses: Lonsdale & Lowe, which now no longer exist, and these are also named after benefactors of the school.
The war memorial, representing St George, stands in the Lonsdale quadrangle and was unveiled in 1925. The design was by Sir Aston Webb and Son and the sculptor Alfred Drury.
at Christmas. The members of the expedition managed to ring
3,000 birds during their stay on the island, and 17 research papers were produced. The hut that they built at Blenden Hall on the island was demolished in 2000.
.
Other Headmasters
Denstone
Denstone is a village and civil parish situated between the towns of Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire and Ashbourne in Derbyshire. It is located next to the River Churnet. The All Saints village church, vicarage and school were built by Sir Thomas Percival Heywood, 2nd Baronet in the mid nineteenth...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, 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 a member school of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
. It is also a Woodard school
Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools is a group of Anglican schools affiliated to the Woodard Corporation which has its origin in the work of Nathaniel Woodard, an Anglo-Catholic clergyman....
and as such has a strong Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
tradition. It has continued to show impressive academic improvement in recent years, with results about double the Staffordshire average. A range of academic and sporting scholarships are offered.
History
Work on the school began in 1868 and it opened in 1873 with 46 boys, under the direction of Edward Clarke LoweEdward Clarke Lowe
Edward Clarke Lowe was an English educator and a key participant in the foundation and development of the Woodard Schools.-Early life and education:...
, provost of the midland district of the Woodard Corporation. It was originally called St. Chad's College. The buildings were designed by William Slater and Richard Carpenter
Richard Carpenter (architect)
Richard Herbert Carpenter was an eminent Victorian architect from England.Richard was born 1841 in St. Pancras, London, Middlesex, England and died in 1893...
in a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. The school buildings, hall, chapel and war memorial are all listed Grade II. The school's chapel was built in 1879-87 by Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow in a late 13th century Gothic style; it consists of a four bay nave with polygonal apse. Land for the school was given by Sir Thomas Percival Heywood who owned the nearby Riverside Doveleys mansion. Sir Thomas was the school's first bursar.
Denstone College opened a Preparatory School in 1902, which moved in 1938 to its present site of Smallwood Manor, becoming co-educational and opening a pre-school department in 1983, it also provided boarding accommodation until 1997 but now is a day school for ages 2–11.
The school is divided into the following houses, named after the founders and benefactors of the school: Heywood, Philips, Shrewsbury, Meynell, Woodard, and Selwyn. Previously, there were two other houses: Lonsdale & Lowe, which now no longer exist, and these are also named after benefactors of the school.
The war memorial, representing St George, stands in the Lonsdale quadrangle and was unveiled in 1925. The design was by Sir Aston Webb and Son and the sculptor Alfred Drury.
Expedition to Inaccessible Island
Denstone College is noted for carrying out the most extensive scientific exploration of Inaccessible Island in the South Atlantic. A group of 16 teachers and pupils led by Michael Swales sailed to the island, landing on 25 October 1982 and remained on the island until 9 February 1983, apart from an excursion to the island of Tristan da CunhaTristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
at Christmas. The members of the expedition managed to ring
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
3,000 birds during their stay on the island, and 17 research papers were produced. The hut that they built at Blenden Hall on the island was demolished in 2000.
Film location
The exterior of the school was used as a location for the convent where Novice Joyce Fuddle lived for episode 4 of the 1985 BBC comedy series Happy FamiliesHappy Families (TV series)
Happy Families was a rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton which appeared on the BBC in 1985 and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family....
.
Masters
Notable staff- David Edwards, former physics teacher at the school who was the first man to win a million pounds on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
- Barry TrapnellBarry TrapnellBarry Maurice Waller Trapnell, born 18 May 1924 in Hampstead, London, played first-class cricket for Cambridge University in 1946 and later in the same year for Middlesex CCC.As a batsman, he was right-handed, and as a bowler, he was right-arm medium pace....
, cricketer, former Headmaster of Denstone College
Other Headmasters
- 1875-78 W. Bedell Stanford (died 1929)
- 1879-1903 D. Edwardes (died 1916)
- 1903-05 J. Ll. Dove
- 1905-19 F. A. Hibbert
- 1919-31 Roy M. GrierAlexander Roy MacGregor GrierThe Very Reverend Alexander Roy MacGregor Grier was an eminent Anglican priest in the first half of the 20th century. He was born in on 8 May 1877 and educated at Denstone College...
- 1931- T. A. Moxon
Further reading
- Greenwood, E. T., ed. (1932) The Denstone Register, 1873-1930. Shrewsbury: Wilding & Son [printers]
- The Denstonian. (School magazine: one volume a year, vols. 48-53 were published in 1924-1929)
- Form of Services to be Used in the Chapel of St. Chads [sic], Denstone. Shrewsbury: printed by Wilding & Son, 1922 (includes "Carmen Denstonense" (School hymn) Latin and English versions, pp. 58–59)