Wimbledon College
Encyclopedia
Wimbledon College is a government-maintained voluntary-aided Jesuit Roman Catholic high school
for boys aged 11 to 19. The school is based at Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London
. It was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning to the greater glory of God
and the common good
". Its seal says in Latin, "College of the Most Sacred Heart".
and Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens
the son of Charles Dickens
.
Father Holman's main contributions to the school, around the turn of the century, include an entire renovation of the old gym and swimming pool into a new Sports Hall, Learning Resources Centre (LRC) and IT Suite. Shortly after leaving the post of headmaster at the College, Father Holman was appointed the Jesuit Provincial for Great Britain.
The school became a grammar school in 1944 and a comprehensive school from 1969.
Since Father Porter's appointment as headmaster, the College has undergone further changes, including a new visitors' entrance; refurbished classrooms, the addition of an electronic registration system which is used in parallel with the traditional registration system, and the movement of the LRC and IT Department to the location of the Sixth Form Centre. The Centre has been relocated to the former LRC/IT Department site. Adrian Lang was appointed Headmaster from September 2011
, viola
, cello
or the double bass
.
The College encourages students to take part in at least two of its wide selection of extracurricular activities. These range from a Drama club to the Chess club, and also from a Debating club to numerous optional school trips over the year. The College also has a selection of major and minor sports. Rugby is the biggest major sport and is played up to Christmas. During the lent term rugby is still played along with football. In the summer term rugby is no longer played. Instead cricket and athletics become the major sports. Athletics is practised at Wimbledon Park athletics track and cricket is played on the usual playing field at Coombe Lane.
In the last week of the academic school year there is House Cricket tournament where all the best cricketers from the four different houses(More, Fisher, Southwell and Campion)play. Also in the last week of the school year this a Sports day. All students participate. Years 7 and 8 have their sports day a day before years 9 and 10. The sports takes place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium. Most track and field events are practised. The winner of the "A" team races get medals. The boy with the most medals on the day also get the "Victor Ludorum"
Science and Medicine
Sport
Entertainment, media and the arts
Military
Politics, public service and the law
Religion
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
for boys aged 11 to 19. The school is based at Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
. It was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning to the greater glory of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the common good
Common good
The common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts. In the popular meaning, the common good describes a specific "good" that is shared and beneficial for all members of a given community...
". Its seal says in Latin, "College of the Most Sacred Heart".
Developments
The school stands on a site where in 1860 John Brackenbury had purchased two large meadows below the Ridgway known as Tree and Boggy Fields. Brackenbury had helped to run Nelson House School, in Eagle House, Wimbledon High Street. His success there was such that in 1859 he took out a mortgage on the land below the Ridgway and founded in 1860 the Anglican Preparatory Military Academy, also known as “Brackenbury’s”. The grounds of this college were so attractive that the College used to be opened to the public once a week. Initially a successful school, Brackenbury’s declined under the control of the Rev. Charles Wynn, and closed down in 1887. In 1892 it was purchased by the Jesuits and reopened as Wimbledon College. Among the alumni of the former school were the rugby union international Henry BrydenHenry Bryden
Henry Bryden was a rugby union international who represented England in 1874 and was also a noted natural historian.-Early life:Henry Bryden was born on 3 May 1854 in Banbury, the third son of W.A. Bryden, , and Maria, daughter of William Cowper. He attended Brackenbury’s Anglican Preparatory...
and Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens
Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens
Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens was the sixth child and fourth son of British novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine...
the son of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Father Holman's main contributions to the school, around the turn of the century, include an entire renovation of the old gym and swimming pool into a new Sports Hall, Learning Resources Centre (LRC) and IT Suite. Shortly after leaving the post of headmaster at the College, Father Holman was appointed the Jesuit Provincial for Great Britain.
The school became a grammar school in 1944 and a comprehensive school from 1969.
Since Father Porter's appointment as headmaster, the College has undergone further changes, including a new visitors' entrance; refurbished classrooms, the addition of an electronic registration system which is used in parallel with the traditional registration system, and the movement of the LRC and IT Department to the location of the Sixth Form Centre. The Centre has been relocated to the former LRC/IT Department site. Adrian Lang was appointed Headmaster from September 2011
Activities
The College specialises in sports (especially rugby), extracurricular activities and Drama. A new music department was constructed in 2005. It is notable for its school productions and to assist in these a revolving stage has been built in the auditorium. At least one dramatic or musical show has been produced every year since 1972. The Strings Project was activated in 2005 to give 50 boys in Figures the opportunity to learn the violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
or the double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
.
The College encourages students to take part in at least two of its wide selection of extracurricular activities. These range from a Drama club to the Chess club, and also from a Debating club to numerous optional school trips over the year. The College also has a selection of major and minor sports. Rugby is the biggest major sport and is played up to Christmas. During the lent term rugby is still played along with football. In the summer term rugby is no longer played. Instead cricket and athletics become the major sports. Athletics is practised at Wimbledon Park athletics track and cricket is played on the usual playing field at Coombe Lane.
In the last week of the academic school year there is House Cricket tournament where all the best cricketers from the four different houses(More, Fisher, Southwell and Campion)play. Also in the last week of the school year this a Sports day. All students participate. Years 7 and 8 have their sports day a day before years 9 and 10. The sports takes place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium. Most track and field events are practised. The winner of the "A" team races get medals. The boy with the most medals on the day also get the "Victor Ludorum"
The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship
The school has its first student attain a place on the prestigious Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme in 2009.Notable alumni
Academic- Sir Anthony Leggett - winner of 2003 Nobel Prize in PhysicsNobel Prize in PhysicsThe Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
- Peter MilwardPeter MilwardPeter Milward is a Jesuit priest and literary scholar. He is emeritus professor of English Literature at Sophia University in Tokyo and a leading figure in scholarship on English Renaissance literature. He has been chair of the Renaissance Institute at Sophia University since its inception in 1974...
S.J., Shakespeare scholar and emeritus professor of English Literature at Sophia UniversitySophia UniversityThere are several rankings below related to Sophia University.-General Rankings:The university was ranked 61st in 2010 in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai...
, Tokyo
Science and Medicine
- Prof. David Allison - Diagnostic Radiology & Imaging
- Prof. Tom Connors - "Father of anti-cancer drug development'
- Prof. Donal BradleyDonal BradleyDonal Donat Conor Bradley, CBE, FRS, FRSA, is Lee-Lucas Professor of Experimental Physics at Imperial College London. He is director of the Centre for Plastic Electronics and from October 2011 will also be a pro rector at the college....
, CBE FRS - Molecular Electronic Devices and Applications - Director of the Centre for Plastic Electronics at Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
Sport
- Jay TabbJay TabbJay Anthony Tabb is an English-born Irish professional footballer who plays for Reading.Tabb has played as right back, on both wings, in central midfield, and as centre forward...
- footballer - Ben RyanBen RyanBen Ryan is the England Rugby Union Sevens head coach and also a National Academy Coach, looking specifically after scrum halves....
- England Rugby Sevens Head Coach - Joe McPartlin - Rugby - Oxford,Harlequins and Scotland
- Brain Mullen - Rugby - Montferrand and London Irish
Entertainment, media and the arts
- Christopher HewettChristopher HewettChristopher Michael Hewett was an English actor and theatre director best known for his role as Lynn Belvedere on the ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere.-Career:...
- actor - Des KellyDes KellyDes Kelly is a British journalist and broadcaster. The award-winning sports columnist for The Daily Mail appears In the paper every Saturday, having joined in 2004....
- journalist and columnist - George MalcolmGeorge Malcolm (musician)George Malcolm CBE was an English harpsichordist and conductor.Malcolm's first instrument was the piano, and his first teacher was a nun who recognised his talent and recommended him to the Royal College of Music. Malcolm went on to study at Balliol College, Oxford...
- musician - Paul MertonPaul MertonPaul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
- comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, writer and TV presenter - Mike ParadinasMike ParadinasMichael Paradinas , who works primarily under the name μ-Ziq in addition to a large number of aliases, is a British musician in the field of electronic music.-History:...
- musician - Eric PorterEric PorterEric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
- actor - Philip Stephens - journalist
- Patrick BishopPatrick BishopFor the 19th-century baseball player, see Frank Bishop .Sir Patrick Bishop, MBE was a British advertising copywriter, Barrister, businessman, and Conservative Party politician.-Early career:...
- journalist and author - Christopher Howse - journalist
- Victor KeeganVictor KeeganVictor Keegan is a British journalist and author focusing on economics and technology issues. Born in London in 1940, he has spent most of his working life at The Guardian as reporter, financial correspondent, deputy financial editor, economics editor, business editor, duty editor, Chief Leader...
- journalist - Andre BarreauAndre Barreau-The Bootleg Beatles:Following the final show of the West End musical Beatlemania, Barreau formed The Bootleg Beatles with fellow cast members Neil Harrison and David Catlin-Birch...
- Musician
Military
- Eugene EsmondeEugene EsmondeLieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde VC DSO, F/Lt, RAF, Lt-Cdr RN was a distinguished pilot who was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to members of Commonwealth forces...
- WWIIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
naval pilot, led attack on BismarckGerman battleship BismarckBismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
, awarded the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
after Channel Dash - Sir John KeeganJohn KeeganSir John Keegan OBE FRSL is a British military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. He has published many works on the nature of combat between the 14th and 21st centuries concerning land, air, maritime, and intelligence warfare, as well as the psychology of battle.-Life and career:John...
- military historian - Gerald Robert O'SullivanGerald Robert O'SullivanGerald Robert O'Sullivan VC was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.He was 26 years old, and a captain in the 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers,...
- WWIWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Victoria Cross holder - Patrick Reid - Colditz CastleColditz CastleColditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
escaper (WWII) and author
Politics, public service and the law
- Peter Duffy (QC)Peter DuffyPeter Duffy QC was a British barrister. Educated at Wimbledon College, London, he read law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he received a first class degree. He went on to Queen Mary College, London, where he taught from 1979 to 1989. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1978...
- barrister - John Patten, Baron PattenJohn Patten, Baron PattenJohn Haggitt Charles Patten, Baron Patten, PC is a former Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons...
- politician - Sir Michael Quinlan - civil servant
- Sir Nicolas BratzaNicolas BratzaSir Nicolas Dušan Bratza is a British lawyer of Serbian descent and one of two Vice-Presidents of the European Court of Human Rights...
- judge
Religion
- Father Michael Holman, SJMichael Holman (priest)Father Michael Holman SJ is the current principle of Heythrop College, University of London and former Headmaster of Wimbledon College and the of the Jesuits in the British Province...
, head of the British Jesuits
See also
- Sacred Heart Church, WimbledonSacred Heart Church WimbledonSacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Wimbledon, South West London run by the Jesuits, that serves the Catholic community of Wimbledon and surrounding areas.-General:...
- DonheadDonheadDonhead is a Roman Catholic independent school taking boys from ages 4 to 11, based in south-west London.The school is situated at 33 Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London SW19 4NP, with its Sports Ground at 143 Coombe Lane, London SW20 0QX.It was founded by the Jesuits in 1933.ORIGINSThe building known...
- Ursuline High School (Wimbledon)
- List of Victoria Crosses by School