The Cathedral School, Llandaff

The Cathedral School, Llandaff Schola Ecclesia Cathedralis Landavensise
Location
Llandaff Cardiff, Wales , United Kingdom
Information
School type	Independent, co-educational & day prep school
Denomination	Church in Wales
Established	1880
Founder	Dean John Vaughan
Headteacher	Stephen Morris
Gender	Mixed
Age	3 to 16
Enrollment	660 pupils (approx.)
School Colour(s)
Website	http://www.cathedral-school.co.uk

The Cathedral School, Llandaff is a coeducational Welsh independent senior, prep and pre-prep day school. It is located in Llandaff, Cardiff. The school is part of the Woodard Schools foundation, as well as having many links to the neighbouring Llandaff Cathedral.

In 1880 Dean John Vaughan opened a school on Llandaff Green for the choristers of Llandaff Cathedral. Unfortunately, when a German bomb hit the cathedral in 1941, the school was found unsuitable for the growing number of pupils. In 1958, restoration work was finished on the Bishop's Palace, which then opened as a school. Since then, the Cathedral School has flourished, now accepting boys and girls aged 2.5–16.5. The school celebrated 50 years on the Bishop's Palace site in September 2008.

History

The main school building

Cathedral schools were established to educate the boys who sang treble in their choirs. There are still almost 40 schools, of which some are preparatory schools, and some are senior independent schools. The Cathedral School, Llandaff is the only surviving Anglican choir school in Wales.

Records are incomplete but we do know that a school of some kind has existed in Llandaff since the 9th Century and it carried on through the Middle Ages. In Henry VIII's reign, a great deal of Church property was disposed of and in 1553 the Manor of Llandaff was sold. This included Bryn-y-Gynnen which was the Bishop's Manor House and was situated close to the cathedral. During the reign of Elizabeth I the people of Glamorgan agreed to fund a teacher at £12 per annum.

The school chapel

The school survived an impoverished time during 1691, when it was called the Free School, and was housed in the Chapter House. Between 1744 and 1746, the present school, designed by John Wood of Bath, was built on the site of Bryn-y-Gynnen. It was known originally as Llandaff Court and was owned by Thomas Mathews. Admiral Matthews heartily disliked the building, comparing it to a "3 Decker" ship. In 1840 the office of Dean was revived and the Cathedral was restored by John Pritchard. The present School Chapel was designed by Iwan Christian in 1861.

An article in The Guardian in 1871, which carried an account of the start of a boarding school for choristers in Salisbury, gave the Reverend Fishbourne the idea for a similar establishment in Llandaff for some 20 boys—all potential choristers. The School was housed in a small house near Llandaff Bridge. Soon after, the Chapter cut down Fishbourne's original scheme—much to his disappointment.

In 1879, when Dr. Vaughan became Dean, he began plans for a school (now demolished) for around 50 boys at The Cathedral Green in Llandaff village and this was opened in 1880. Dean Vaughan had been headmaster at Harrow School and was a great scholar; the school was opened in the village in 1880 and remained on that site until 1958. Dean Vaughan died in 1897 leaving the school with firm foundations.

A German landmine severely damaged the nave of the cathedral in 1941 and, when restoration work was completed in 1955, the old school building was found to be "unsuitable", causing it to be moved to the present premises three years later, which had until then been used as the Bishop's Palace. The school then became a member of the Nathaniel Woodard Corporation.

In 1958 there were 190 boys in 9 forms. Today there are over 600 pupils in 29 forms, including a nursery. Girls were admitted in 1978 and there are now a considerable number studying there. A thriving group of girl choristers now sing Evensong in the cathedral each Monday and every other Wednesday, as well as singing at charitable events and concerts.

While Roald Dahl was a pupil at the school, he was involved in the Great Mouse Plot of 1924, which he later described in his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood. This is the first of numerous occasions in which he outlines in great detail the perceived cruelty of corporal punishment in schools. The headmaster at this time was Mr T R Coombes. The most recent independent assessment of this school is the 2005 Estyn report.

Music

Both boy and girl choristers have done work in the Wales Millennium Centre, with Welsh National Opera, Bryn Terfel and Carlo Rizzi, respectively. Music in general at the Cathedral School is very strong with numerous pupils at Grade 8 standard. The music department is housed in the Jubilee building, with a full range of instruments at one's disposal. There are also specialist teachers in 20 different instruments. There are numerous school groups as well, from School Orchestra to Swing Band, from Flute Group to Senior Chamber Choir. The senior chamber choir has recently undertaken works such as Carmina Burana and the Berlioz Te Deum.

Drama

Drama has thrived only recently in the Cathedral School but is rapidly expanding. Recent performances include Me and My Girl, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, Much Ado about Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Wizard of Oz. Pupils have begun writing their own work for 'gala evenings' and many pupils are on the books of National Youth Theatre.

Sport

There are over twenty different sports played at the Cathedral School, with pupils at international level in cricket, badminton and squash.

Rugby

The Cathedral School has enjoyed great success in rugby in recent years including the following successes:

• 2010 - Runners Up - The National Schools 7's Rosslyn Park Juniors 7-a-side
• 2010 - U13 Cardiff Schools Cup Winners
• 2010 - U13 Welsh Schools Rugby League Runners Up
• 2009 - U12 Cardiff Schools Cup Winners
• 2009 - U12 Welsh Schools Rugby League Runners Up
• 2008 - U11 Cardiff Schools Cup Winners
• 2007 - Runners Up - The National Schools 7's Rosslyn Park Prep Schools 7-a-side

Badminton

• 2010 - U16 Welsh Schools Champions

Cricket

• 2010 - U13 Ladies British Runners Up (Lady Taverners)
• 2010 - U13 Ladies Welsh Schools Champions (Lady Taverners)

Notable Old Llandavians

Former students of The Cathedral School, Llandaff are referred to as Old Llandavians.

• Roald Dahl, Author
• Simon Hughes, MP
• David Rowe-Beddoe, Baron Rowe-Beddoe, Chairman of the Wales Millennium Centre
• T. C. Worsley, Theatre & television critic
• Basil John Douglas Guy, (Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order)
• [David Mahoney], Member of Only Men Aloud
• David Bevan (Bevan David Sang in the choir at Westminster Abbey for the Queen's Coronation (1953) - received Coronation Medal for 'Personal Service to the Sovereign" - Dean's Scholar and Captain of Rugby in 1954)
• Donald Box, MP
• Charlotte Church Singer
• Davis (Played Cricket for Glamorgan (1966) )
• Colonel JC Gaskell
• LG Gibson (Played for Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893) )
• Rear Admiral CG Gladstone (In the Royal Navy (1953). Was a Dean's Scholar in 1915)
• Peter Graper (Sang in the choir at Westminster Abbey for the Queen's Coronation (1953) - received Coronation Medal for 'personal service to the Sovereign". Dean's Scholar and winner of Choir Cup 1953)
• WE Jayne (Played for Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893) - Captain of Football 1883)
• FC Jones (First Captain of Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893) )
• Dr Derek Llewellyn OBE
• JG McCormick (Played for Glamorgan v Devonshire at Swansea (7 & 8 July 1893). Captain of Football 1888 and 1889)
• John Morgan (bishop)
• J Nell (Played for Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893). Captain of Cricket 1889)
• GL Phillips (Dean of Llandaff (installed 18 June 1968), previously Rector of Bloomsbury and Senior Anglican Chaplain to London University. Also a Dean's Scholar in 1925)
• RL Rhys (Played for Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893))
• John Robbins (Cardiff and Wales rugby)
• HL Taylor (Played for Penarth Swifts, one of the earliest Association Football Clubs in South Wales (1893))
• Richard William Leslie Wain, Victoria Cross
• WB Wilkinson (Queen's Gold Medal on board HMS Conway. (1889) & Liverpool Humane Society's Silver Medal (for jumping in after a comrade fell overboard in a flood-tide) (1889), also first Old Llandavian to have sailed around the world (3 December 1891 - Calcutta, Liverpool, New York, San Francisco, Queenstown, Hull - May 4, 1894)
• Edward William Williamson, Bishop
• Rex Willis, Welsh Rugby player
• Peter Wingfield, actor

Headmasters

• The Revd C.E. Butler (1880–1883)
• The Revd E. Owen (1883–1889)
• The Revd J.E. Stevenson-More (1889–1905)
• The Revd P.R. Cleave (1905–1912)
• G.L. Robanthan & R. Brice-Smith (1912–1919)
• T.R. Coombes (1919–1946)
• N.L. Westbury-Jones (1946–1957)
• R.J.B. Hulland (1957–1975)
• G.L. Hill (1975–1983)
• J.C. Knapp (1983–1993)
• D.A. Evans (Acting Head) (1993–1994)
• P.L. Gray (1994–2008)
• S. Morris (2008– )

External links

• The Cathedral School website