St Albans School, Hertfordshire
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St Albans School | |
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Address | |
Abbey Gateway , , AL3 4HB England | |
Coordinates | 51°45′04″N 0°20′40″W / 51.7510°N 0.3445°W |
Information | |
Type | Public school Private day |
Motto | Non Nobis Nati |
Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
Established | 948 |
Founder | Wulsin (Abbot Ulsinus) |
Local authority | Hertfordshire |
Department for Education URN | 117647 Tables |
Headmaster | Jonathan Gillespie |
Gender | Boys (coeducational sixth form) |
Age | 11 to 18 |
Enrolment | 790 |
Houses | Hawking Marsh Hampson Renfrew |
Colour(s) | Black, blue, gold and red |
Publication | The Albanian |
Former pupils | Old Albanians |
Website | http://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/ |
St Albans School is a
Among its famous alumni are Pope Adrian IV, Colin Renfrew, Jack Goody, Stephen Hawking, and Ian Grant.
The current headmaster, Jonathan Gillespie, was appointed in 2014, and was previously headmaster of Lancing College.
School arms
The school coat of arms is composed of the cross of Saint Alban together with the School motto.
The cross of Saint Alban is a gold saltire (a cross, signifying that Alban was martyred, but diagonal, as he was beheaded, not crucified) on a blue field (or, in heraldic terms, Azure, a saltire Or).
The current school motto is Non nobis nati ("Born not for ourselves"). This dates back to the family of the 12th century Geoffrey de Gorham (Master and subsequently Abbot of
Non nobis nati replaced the previous motto Mediocria firma ("The middle road is best"), used between the 16th and 20th centuries. This was the motto of the Bacon family at Gorhambury (including Sir
History
Pre-Reformation history
The school was founded within
By the 12th century, the school was one of the largest in the British Isles. On 16 September 1309, the school was given new statutes, including scholarships for poor students.[6] The school and Abbey were sacked in 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt. (The revolt's leader John Ball, was also a former pupil of the school.) By the 15th century, the school was located in buildings in Romeland and inside the Abbey Gateway, which from 1479 housed schoolmaster's press.[7] The St Albans Press continues today, in a semi-dormant form, as "John Insomuch Schoolmaster Printer 1479 Ltd", making the school the oldest extant presses in the world.[8]
Post-Reformation history
After the
In 1570 Sir
Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Nicholas Bacon also founded the school's library in 1570, which moved from Sumpter Yard in the 19th century to the Abbey Gateway, and then in the 1980s to an impressive converted 19th century neo-Gothic hall, opened by Colin Renfrew, then Master of Jesus College, Cambridge. The library collection now holds over 16,000 volumes and Elizabeth I is still regarded as the 'Benefactor Royal' of the St Albans School Library.[12]
Other significant benefactions to the school include a gift of clay pits near St Albans made in 1582
In 1626, King Charles I visited the school in a royal inspection. His visit to St Albans was recorded by a royal crest being built into one of the fireplace surrounds in the Abbey Gateway and this room is still called the "King Charles Room" in honour of his visit.[14]
After over three centuries in the Lady Chapel, in 1871, due to the restoration of the Abbey and the re-instatement of the Lady Chapel, the school moved into the Abbey Gateway (which had been built in 1365 and, following the dissolution, had been used as a prison for 300 years; now a scheduled ancient monument).[15]
Between 1907 and 1976, it was a
Since the 19th century, there have been many additions to the school site, which now comprises a very interesting architectural mixture of buildings dating from the Roman-era cellar, where the archives are kept under the Abbey Gateway, to modern extensions built in the 1990s.[16] The school also includes the oldest room in the world regularly used as a classroom, the 12th century West Gate Room, which was incorporated from a previous gateway into the current Abbey Gateway in the 1360s.[16] Ptolemy Dean is the current school architect.[17]
The Woollam Playing Fields, a couple of miles away to the north of the city, provides an extensive, modern, outdoor sports facility for the School and the Old Albanian Sports Club.[18] At over 100 acres, it was the largest sporting development in Western Europe until the construction of the Olympic Park in East London for the 2012 games. The site was officially opened in October 2002 by Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester. Woollam's was built on part of a 400-acre farm owned by the school, which also contains a field studies centre used by the school's biology department. In 2003, the school opened a new Drama Department building and theatre in Romeland, on the site of the medieval school's building, called the "New Place".
The summer of 2012 saw the completion of a new sports centre on site, with sports hall, swimming pool, climbing wall, fitness suite and dance studio. Another recent development was the acquisition of Aquis Court, an office building adjacent to the school, which provides facilities for the sixth form, with a new common room, cafeteria and classrooms, while the art department also has new facilities.[19]
Religion and musical education
The school still maintains links with St Albans Cathedral, which doubles as the school's chapel. Services are held there every Monday and Friday morning during term time, and special events held there include the annual Founders' Day and two carol services, led by the school choir, who still wear black and blue gowns in the same style as worn by undergraduates at Trinity College, Cambridge and similar to those worn by monks at the Abbey in medieval times. In addition, the school's music staff are usually linked with the Abbey's musical staff. Andrew Parnell, organist and harpsichordist, was assistant master of music at the Abbey as well as being master of music and choirmaster at the school from 1976 to 2001. Simon Lindley also held these posts a few years earlier; John Rutter's 1974 carol Jesus Child bears a dedication "for Simon Lindley and the choir of St Albans School".[20]
Academic tradition
Scientific tradition
The school also has a long scientific tradition, stretching back to the Norman era, when Alexander Neckam became master of the school. Since the advent of modern science, the school has produced many famous scientists and mathematicians including cognitive scientist Colin Cherry, physicist Ian Grant, cosmologist Stephen Hawking (inspired by Dikran Tahta, a teacher at the school who later worked at the Open University), and mathematician Christopher Budd. In the light of its long scientific heritage, the school was awarded a large sum of money in 2007 by the Wolfson Foundation to rebuild its physics laboratories to university standards.[21] It has maintained a reputation for being a science and maths oriented school.
Historical tradition
St Albans School has also produced some notable historians and historiographers. In medieval times, the school and one of its alumni,
The school today
St Albans School is predominantly a single-sex school for boys, but has accepted girls into the sixth form since 1991. It is a member of the
In 1967 the School acquired what was then a derelict hill farm in the Brecon Beacons.[citation needed] The property, Pen Arthur, was restored and is now a Field Studies Centre. Academic departments use Pen Arthur for field trips and study weekends throughout the year, and it is a base for outdoor activities organised by the Combined Cadet Force and for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
Old Albanians/ Alumni
Former pupils of the School are known as OAs or 'Old Albanians'.[23]
12th century
- Cardinal Boso(d. c. 1181), third English Cardinal
- Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100–1159), who became Pope Adrian IV(1154–1159), the only English Pope.
- Alexander Neckam (1157–1217), scientist and teacher
13th century
- Matthew Paris, monk and historian
14th century
- John Ball, Christian radical political thinker and leader of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381
- William Grindcobbe, a leader in St Albans of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381[citation needed]
- horology
- Richard of Wallingford (late 14th century) a leader in St Albans of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381
15th century
- John Whethamstede (or Bostock) (c. 1392–1465), scholar, writer and Abbot of St Albans Abbey
16th century
- Walter Curle (1575–1647), Bishop of Winchester
- Robert Wright (1560–1643), first Warden of Wadham College, Oxford and Bishop of Lichfield & Coventry
17th century
- Henry Blount (1602–1682), traveller and writer
- William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c. 1665–1723), Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, grandfather of William Cowper, poet and hymnodist
- William Dobson (1611–1646), painter to Charles I
- Major-General John Hill (?c. 1680–1735), M.P., army officer, politician and courtier
- Francis Pemberton (1624–1697), Lord Chief Justice
18th century
- Lord Mayor of London1813
- Thomas Walsh(1776–1849), Roman Catholic Bishop and Vicar Apostolic, Midlands and London Districts
19th century
- Colonel Sir Hildred Carlile, 1st Bt, M.P. (1852–1942), army officer, politician and philanthropist
- Alfred Faulkner (1882–1963), civil servant – Permanent Under-Secretary for Mines
- Henry Montague Grover (1791–1866), writer and theologian
- Coulson Kernahan (1858–1943), essayist, novelist and editor
- Frank Toovey Lake (1849–1868) Naval Officer who was part of Richard Henry Brunton's team who surveyed lighthouse sites around Japan
- Max Pemberton (1863–1950), novelist and editor
- Aubrey George Spencer(1795–1872), first Anglican Bishop of Newfoundland
- Thomas Spencer Wells (1818–1897), surgeon
- William Whitaker, (1836–1925), geologist
- Charles Williams(1886–1945), poet, novelist, publisher and theological writer
20th century
- Rod Argent (b. 1945), musician, founder member of The Zombies
- Keith M. Ashman (b. 1963), theoretical physicist and globular clusters expert
- Paul Atkinson (1946–2004), musician, founder member of The Zombies
- Ian Bell (b. 1962), co-author of Elite
- Tolaji Bola (b. 1999), association footballer
- Christopher Budd (b. 1960), mathematician
- Johnson Cann (b. 1937), geologist
- Colin Cherry (1914–1975), cognitive scientist
- Ralph Chubb (1892–1960), poet, printer and artist
- Sally Connolly (b. 1976), literary critic, author, and academic
- Charles "Nick" Corfield(b. 1959), mathematician, computer programmer, and founder of several startup companies in Silicon Valley
- The Hilliard Ensemble
- Charles Crawford (b. 1954) British diplomat and speechwriter
- Graham Dow (b. 1942), Bishop of Carlisle
- Bruce Duncan (b. 1938), Anglican priest
- Chris Duffield (b. 1952), Town Clerk and Chief Executive of the Corporation of the City of London from 2003 to 2012.[24]
- Larry Elliott, Economics Editor of the Guardian
- Ernest Gellner (1925–1995), philosopher and social anthropologist
- Kirby Award winning comic book artist and co-creator of Watchmen
- Jack Goody, (1919–2015), social anthropologist[25]
- Andrew Grant (b. 1968), novelist[26][27]
- Ian Grant (b. 1930), mathematical physicist
- John Grimaldi (b. 1955), musician, songwriter, member of Argent
- David Grossman, political correspondent for Newsnight
- Hugh Grundy (b. 1945), musician, founder member of The Zombies
- Bishop of Southwell
- Tim Hart (1948–2009), musician, founder member of electric folk band Steeleye Span
- Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), cosmologist and theoretical physicist
- Tony Hendra (1941-2021), satirist and writer
- General Sir Richard Lawson (b. 1927), Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe 1982–96
- Yann Lovelock (b.1939), writer and interfaith worker
- Ed Macfarlane, member of the St Albans-based Indie band Friendly Fires
- Gregory Paul Martin (b. 1957), actor and writer[28]
- Christopher Morris (b. 1938), TV news presenter, journalist and author
- Herbert Mundin (1898–1939), Hollywood character actor
- Mike Newell (b. 1942), film director
- Ray Pahl (1935–2011), sociologist
- Tony Penikett (b. 1945), writer and Canadian politician
- Charles Pereira (1913–2004), tropical agriculturist and hydrologist
- Justin Pollard (b. 1968), writer and historian
- Colin Renfrew (b. 1937), archaeologist
- Tim Rice (b. 1944), lyricist
- Charlie Scott (b. 1999), cricketer
- Joss Sheldon (b. 1982), author
- Harry Solomon (b. 1937), businessman
- Arthur Swinson (c. 1915–70), army officer, writer, playwright and historian
- Nicholas Tarling (1931–2017), historian
- Bob Wilkinson (1951–2021), rugby union player
- Richard Yeoman-Clark (1944-2019), BBC Radiophonics Engineer
- Kane Vincent-Young (b. 1996), association footballer
21st century
- Josh de Caires (b. 2002), cricketer[29]
Notable teachers
- Hilary Davan Wetton, musician
- David Franklin, broadcaster
- St Albans Abbey1119–1146
- Tommy Hampson (1907–1965), runner - 800m Olympic Champion (1932 in Los Angeles) and World Record holder (1:49.7)
- John Harmar was headmaster from 1626 to 1635[30]
- Peter Hurford (1930-2019), organist
- Simon Lindley (b. 1948), organist
- Poetry Society's Poet in the City scheme)
- Alexander Neckam (1157–1217), scientist and teacher
- Herbert Edward Palmer (1880–1961), poet
- Andrew Parnell (b. 1954), organist (master of music, 1976–2001)
- James Shirley (1596–1666), playwright
- Dikran Tahta (taught at the school 1955–1961), mathematician who taught Stephen Hawking
- Alistair Jolly (b. 1948), literary Critic, writer, poet (Master of English, 1987-2019)
In popular culture
- Some scenes, including the opening croquet game, of the BBC comedy All Gas and Gaiters were filmed at the school.[citation needed]
- The school was used as a site of part of the film Incendiary (2008).[citation needed]
- The school was mentioned in the 2004 film Alfie.[citation needed]
- The school featured in episode of Anneka Rice's show Treasure Hunt[citation needed]
- The school and areas around it substitute for Oxford colleges in Morse[citation needed]
- The school and Cathedral feature in BBC children's programme Grange Hill (Series 6, Episode 6 1983)[citation needed]
See also
- List of the oldest schools in the world
References
- ^ St Albans School Archiveflickr.com Archived 28 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b N. Carlisle, "A concise description of the endowed grammar schools in England" (1818) p. 508
- ^ St Albans School | St Albans | LEA:Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire Archived 19 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine. The Good Schools Guide. Retrieved on 2011-12-13.
- ^ a b c F.J. Kilvington, A Short History of St Albans School (1986)
- ^ Houses of Benedictine monks – St Albans Abbey – After the Conquest | A History of the County of Hertford: Volume 4 (pp. 372–416). British-history.ac.uk (22 June 2003). Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ "St Albans School Statutes" [1309], in A. F. Leach, "Educational Charters and Documents 598 to 1909" pp. 241–253
- St Albans Abbey
- ^ a b DIRECTORS' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2007. ST ALBANS SCHOOL
- ^ a b c d Rickmansworth Historical Society – St Albans dissolution of monastery. Rickmansworthhistoricalsociety.btck.co.uk. Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ OXFORD AND ST. ALBANS WINE PRIVILEGES (ABOLITION) [MONEY]. (Hansard, 9 May 1922). api.parliament.uk (9 May 1922). Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ a b N. Carlisle, "A concise description of the endowed grammar schools in England" (1818)
- ^ See library boards dated c. 1570, St Albans School
- ^ Parks and Gardens UK. Parksandgardens.ac.uk. Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ Frank Kilvington’s Slide Collection. Tray Index. (DOC file). stalbanshistory.org
- ^ Character Area 2 Archived 28 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. (PDF) . Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ a b Hertfordshire HER & St Albans UAD. heritagegateway.org.uk
- ^ The Capital Development Programme – The Old Albanian Club Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Oaconnect.co.uk. Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ OA Sport Archived 13 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. OA Sport. Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ St Albans school reveals expansion plans (From St Albans & Harpenden Review). Stalbansreview.co.uk (26 September 2011). Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ J. Rutter (eds.), "Carols for Choirs I"
- ^ St Albans School Foundation Annual Report 2009-2010. Issuu.com (29 June 2011). Retrieved on 13 December 2011.
- ^ A. Gransden, "Historical Writing in England: c. 500 to c. 1307" (1996) pp. 355–360
- ^ Welcome. OA community, St Albans School. oaconnect.co.uk
- ^ "City & Financial Global – Leading research-based conference companies". City & Financial Global. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Professor Sir Jack Goody: 1919 - 2015 | St John's College, Cambridge". Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ "An Interview with Author, Andrew Grant". Trisha Sugarek, Writer at Play. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
He went to school in St Albans, Hertfordshire and later attended the University of Sheffield where he studied English Literature and Drama.
- ^ "Interview with Andrew Grant on Joy on Paper".
Grant was a featured guest with his wife, Tasha Alexander, on the syndicated radio program Joy on Paper's 4th Anniversary.
- ^ Information from archivist at St Albans School Archive.
- ^ "New twins give Toor happier end to Radlett season". Club Cricket Conference. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Kilvington 1970, pp. 128.