Stoke College
Encyclopedia
Stoke College near Haverhill, Suffolk
is a co-educational day school
for children aged 3 to 16, with boarding for children aged 9 to 16. It is built on the site of a major medieval monastic college.
in 1124. Under the patronage of the powerful de Clare family, it was one of the wealthiest monastic houses in Norman England, until a disastrous fire in the 1390s. The college annexed Chipley Priory
in about 1468.
In 1534 Dr Walter Haddon, writing in a letter from Cambridge, says of the College "how that place seemed in a manner to be made on purpose for scholars, both to learn themselves, and to teach others: and that its situation was such that above all others it is best suited for honest and ingenious pleasures." The last Dean was Matthew Parker, future Archbishop of Canterbury under Elizabeth I, and effectively the founder of the Anglican church.
The buildings were abandoned from the Dissolution of the monasteries
in the 1540s until the site was bought by the Elwes family around 1660, who created the surviving main house and stables. The Elwes did not always keep the premises in fine style – one member of the family was so mean that he served as Dickens' model for Scrooge in The Christmas Carol.
In 1897 the estate was bought by Henry Loch, 1st Baron Loch
, a Victorian army officer and colonial administrator. He brought in his wife's nephew, the noted architect Edwin Lutyens
, to add a wing in his distinctive Arts and Crafts style, as well as gardens in the style of his friend and co-designer Gertrude Jekyll
. The Lochs struggled to keep up the estate during and after World War Two, abandoning the house in 1950.
In 1954 it became a small independent school, reviving the historic name "Stoke College" a few years later. It now serves around 200 pupils.
This school was so successful that it quickly grew in size and new premises had to be found. The house recently vacated by the Loch family proved ideal and the school moved in 1954. In 1969, Miss Elliot retired and Martin Gedney became the first Headmaster of Stoke College. This was a time of great change and in 1973 it was decided that the name of the school should be changed to Stoke College.
Haverhill, Suffolk
Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...
is a co-educational day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
for children aged 3 to 16, with boarding for children aged 9 to 16. It is built on the site of a major medieval monastic college.
History of the site
The College traces its name back to 1415, when a college for priests was founded on the site. The medieval College had been founded on the earlier site of a Benedictine priory, originally located in Clare Castle, but moved to Stoke-by-ClareStoke-by-Clare
Stoke-by-Clare is a small village in Suffolk located in the valley of the River Stour, about two miles west of Clare.In 1124 Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford moved the Benedictine Priory that had been established at his castle in Clare to Stoke-by-Clare. The Priory, which was controlled by...
in 1124. Under the patronage of the powerful de Clare family, it was one of the wealthiest monastic houses in Norman England, until a disastrous fire in the 1390s. The college annexed Chipley Priory
Chipley Priory
Chipley Priory was a small Augustine religious house, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, located about north-west of the village of Poslingford in the English county of Suffolk. The date of it's foundation is unknown and the first references to it occur in 1235...
in about 1468.
In 1534 Dr Walter Haddon, writing in a letter from Cambridge, says of the College "how that place seemed in a manner to be made on purpose for scholars, both to learn themselves, and to teach others: and that its situation was such that above all others it is best suited for honest and ingenious pleasures." The last Dean was Matthew Parker, future Archbishop of Canterbury under Elizabeth I, and effectively the founder of the Anglican church.
The buildings were abandoned from the Dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in the 1540s until the site was bought by the Elwes family around 1660, who created the surviving main house and stables. The Elwes did not always keep the premises in fine style – one member of the family was so mean that he served as Dickens' model for Scrooge in The Christmas Carol.
In 1897 the estate was bought by Henry Loch, 1st Baron Loch
Henry Loch, 1st Baron Loch
Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch GCB, GCMG was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator.-Military service:He was the son of James Loch, Member of Parliament, of Drylaw, Midlothian...
, a Victorian army officer and colonial administrator. He brought in his wife's nephew, the noted architect Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
, to add a wing in his distinctive Arts and Crafts style, as well as gardens in the style of his friend and co-designer Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.-Early life:...
. The Lochs struggled to keep up the estate during and after World War Two, abandoning the house in 1950.
In 1954 it became a small independent school, reviving the historic name "Stoke College" a few years later. It now serves around 200 pupils.
Recent history
'Grenville' was the name chosen for the small school which was founded in Clare a little over 50 years ago. It existed in the building known as 'The Norfolks' for a while before being acquired by Miss Elliot and Miss McLoad, who had previously been senior lecturers, training teachers at Bingley College in Yorkshire, in 1951. They became joint Principals.This school was so successful that it quickly grew in size and new premises had to be found. The house recently vacated by the Loch family proved ideal and the school moved in 1954. In 1969, Miss Elliot retired and Martin Gedney became the first Headmaster of Stoke College. This was a time of great change and in 1973 it was decided that the name of the school should be changed to Stoke College.