Pangbourne College
Encyclopedia
Pangbourne College is a coeducational independent school
located in the civil parish of Pangbourne
, just South West of the village
, in the English
County of Berkshire
.
The College was originally founded by Thomas Lane Devitt in 1917 as The Nautical College, Pangbourne with the purpose of preparing boys to be Officers in the Merchant Navy through the shipping company, 'Devitt and Moore
'. In 1969 the College became "Pangbourne College" in a move that saw a shift in focus to the provision of a traditional academic programme. Many of the founding traditions of the College continue to reinforce the values that lie at the core of the College today.
Values promoted strongly by the College include: kindness, moral courage, selflessness, integrity, industry, initiative, resilience and open-mindedness.
The school has won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
four times at the Henley Royal Regatta
, a record exceeded only by Eton
. Despite the size of the College, the performance of its rowing crews towards the upper years is exceptional. The College held the record for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
from 1992 to 2011, when the record was beaten by Abingdon College.
The Headmaster, Mr Thomas Garnier
, served in the Royal Navy
before switching to a career in teaching. He has taught Physics and was a Housemaster before becoming Headmaster, following the departure of Dr Kenneth Greig in 2005.
.
The shape of the building was designed to resemble that of a ship, reflecting the College's naval history. It was due to this history that the College was chosen as the site for the Chapel.
The Queen returned to Pangbourne College in 2007.
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 the civil parish of Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
, just South West of the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, in the English
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...
County of 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...
.
The College was originally founded by Thomas Lane Devitt in 1917 as The Nautical College, Pangbourne with the purpose of preparing boys to be Officers in the Merchant Navy through the shipping company, 'Devitt and Moore
Devitt and Moore
Devitt and Moore were a British shipping company formed by Thomas Henry Devitt and Joseph Moore in 1836. They became shipowners and entered the passenger and cargo trade to Australia managing and owning many clipper ships such as the City of Adelaide and the South Australian. With the advent of...
'. In 1969 the College became "Pangbourne College" in a move that saw a shift in focus to the provision of a traditional academic programme. Many of the founding traditions of the College continue to reinforce the values that lie at the core of the College today.
Values promoted strongly by the College include: kindness, moral courage, selflessness, integrity, industry, initiative, resilience and open-mindedness.
The school has won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup is a rowing event at Henley Royal Regatta open to school 1st VIIIs.-History:The event was instituted in 1946 for public schools in the United Kingdom...
four times at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
, a record exceeded only by Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. Despite the size of the College, the performance of its rowing crews towards the upper years is exceptional. The College held the record for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup is a rowing event at Henley Royal Regatta open to school 1st VIIIs.-History:The event was instituted in 1946 for public schools in the United Kingdom...
from 1992 to 2011, when the record was beaten by Abingdon College.
The Headmaster, Mr Thomas Garnier
Garnier
Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L'Oréal that produces hair care and skin care products. Much like other brands from L'Oréal, it is sold in several markets around the world.- Advertising Slogans :...
, served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
before switching to a career in teaching. He has taught Physics and was a Housemaster before becoming Headmaster, following the departure of Dr Kenneth Greig in 2005.
Divisions
The boarding houses at Pangbourne are known as Divisions. They are: Harbinger, Port Jackson, Macquarie, Hesperus, Illawarra, St. George and Dunbar. All of the divisions are named after ships operated at various times by the Devitt and Moore Line.Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel
The Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel at Pangbourne College was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in March 2000. It was built to commemorate the lives and sacrifice of all those who died during the Falklands War of 1982, and the courage of those who served with them to protect the sovereignty of the Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
The shape of the building was designed to resemble that of a ship, reflecting the College's naval history. It was due to this history that the College was chosen as the site for the Chapel.
The Queen returned to Pangbourne College in 2007.
Notable Old Pangbournians
- Jeffrey BernardJeffrey BernardJeffrey Bernard was a British journalist, best known for his weekly column "Low Life" in the Spectator magazine, and also notorious for a feckless and chaotic career and life of alcohol abuse. He became associated with the louche and bohemian atmosphere that existed in London's Soho district...
, journalist - Beverley CrossBeverley CrossBeverley Cross was an English playwright, librettist and screenwriter.Born in London into a theatrical family, Cross started off by writing children's plays in the 1950s. He achieved instant success with his first play One More River, which dealt with a mutiny in which a crew puts its first...
, playwright - HonThe HonourableThe prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
Jeffrey EvansJeffrey Richard de Corban EvansJeffrey Richard de Corban Evans is a shipbroker and Alderman for the Ward of Cheap in the City of London.- Biography :Evans is the younger brother of the present Lord Mountevans, and is heir presumptive to the title. He was educated at Pangbourne College, before going up to Pembroke College,...
, Past Prime WardenWarden (college)A warden is the head of some colleges and other educational institutions. This applies especially at some colleges and institutions at the University of Oxford:* All Souls College* Greyfriars* Keble College* Merton College* New College* Nuffield College...
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- Mike HailwoodMike HailwoodStanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability...
, motorcycle racer - Rodney PattissonRodney PattissonRodney Stuart Pattisson, MBE is a double olympic gold medalist in sailing won at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and 1972 Munich Olympics all in the Flying Dutchman class...
, yachtsman and Olympic Gold medallist - John RidgwayJohn Ridgway (sailor)John Ridgway, MBE, , is a British yachtsman and rower.-Biography:Ridgway was educated at Pangbourne Nautical College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 1966, whilst a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, Ridgway, together with Chay Blyth, rowed across the North Atlantic in a 20 ft open...
, yachtsman and rower - Ken RussellKen RussellHenry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
, director - Andrew SimpsonAndrew Simpson (sailor)Andrew James Simpson MBE , nicknamed Bart Simpson, is a British sailor. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as crew for skipper Iain Percy in the Star class...
, sailor and Olympic Gold medallist - David SmileyDavid SmileyColonel David de Crespigny Smiley, LVO, OBE, MC & Bar was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in Palestine, Iraq, Persia, Syria, Western Desert and with Special Operations Executive in Albania and Thailand.- Background :Smiley was the 4th and...
, ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
officer, SOE and MI6 Agent - James Sorel-Cameron, English teacher and novelist
- Very RevVery ReverendThe Very Reverend is a style given to certain religious figures.*In the Roman Catholic Church, by custom, priests who hold positions of particular note: e.g...
Richard Shuttleworth Wingfield-DigbyRichard Shuttleworth Wingfield-DigbyRichard Shuttleworth "Dick" Wingfield Digby was the Dean of Peterborough in the Church of England from 1966 until 1980. He was educated at the Nautical College, Pangbourne and Christ's College, Cambridge, he was ordained in 1937 and began his career with a curacy at St Andrew’s, Rugby...
, Dean of Peterborough - Jefferson HackJefferson HackJefferson Winston Hack is a journalist and magazine editor. He co-founded Dazed & Confused with photographer Rankin in 1991. Hack has been a contributor to The Daily Telegraph on men’s style and has guest-edited The Independent...
, journalist and magazine editor, co-founder of Dazed & ConfusedDazed & Confused (magazine)Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin... - Sir William Garth MorrisonGarth MorrisonSir William Garth Morrison, was the Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories from 1988 to 1996. He also spent twelve years in the Royal Navy.- Education and Military service :...
- former Chief Scout