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Uppingham School

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Uppingham School
Location
Map
Uppingham
,
Rutland
,
LE15 9QE

England England
Information
TypePublic boarding school
Established1584
FounderArchdeacon Robert Johnson
HeadmasterRichard S Harman, MA
GenderCoeducational
Age13 to 18
Enrollmentc.750 pupils and students
Houses15 Boarding houses
Colour(s)Blue and white    
Websitehttp://www.uppingham.co.uk

Uppingham School is a co-educational public school situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England.

The school's current Headmaster, Richard Harman MA, is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the school is a member of the Rugby Group of independent schools in the United Kingdom.

Reverend Edward Thring 1853–87 is perhaps the school's best-known headmaster. He made many innovative changes to the school's curriculum which were later adopted in other English schools. During his headship the school was forced to move temporarily to Borth in Wales after an outbreak of typhoid ravaged the student body. The move to Borth is commemorated in an annual service, held in the school chapel.

Uppingham has a tradition for high musical standards and has recently opened a new state-of-the-art music school, named after the first Director of Music, Paul David. Its current Director of Music is Stephen Williams.

Uppingham has the greatest area of playing fields of any school in England. [1]

History

In 1584 Uppingham School was founded with a hospital, or almshouse, by Archdeacon Robert Johnson. The original 1584 Schoolroom still exists in Uppingham churchyard. The original hospital building is now incorporated in the School Library.

The first recorded Uppingham schoolboy was Henry Ferne from York, who was Chaplain to Charles I.

In the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries Uppingham remained a small school of 30-60 pupils, with two staff. Despite its small size pupils then, as now, regularly gained places and scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

During that period, various features of life in the School developed which are still in evidence today. Uppingham became a full boarding school, with all pupils having individual studies, and this pattern was established around 1800 - some of these original studies still survive (though not now in use!). Today Uppingham has a thriving theatre, and it is interesting to note that the first recorded School play was performed in 1794. The main recreation in the 19th century was cricket - the first recorded cricket match, described in the school magazine, was in 1815 - and the game still thrives at Uppingham. In 1846 the Institution of School Praepostors, or Prefects, was established and still operates.

As now, certain pupils were to gain distinction in later life, an early example being Professor Thomas Bonney, at Uppingham in the 1850s, the most distinguished geologist of his time, and President of the Alpine Club.

Edward Thring transformed the School from a small, high-quality local grammar school into a large, well-known public school, with 330 pupils. He moved the whole school (of around this number) temporarily to Borth in Wales to escape typhoid fever as a result of the poorly-maintained water system. This was successful in saving the school from a serious epidemic. He also won national and transatlantic reputation as an original thinker and writer on education. His ideas are still important today: - Every pupil must receive full and equal attention; as much time should be spent in class on an ordinary as on a brilliant pupil; those not intellectually gifted should have opportunities to succeed in other occupations; scattered boarding house enshrine a different and higher life; each pupil must have a small study of his own. At a time when Maths and Classics dominated the curriculum he encouraged many ‘extra’ subjects - French, German, Science, History, Art, Carpentry and Music. In particular Thring was a pioneer in his introduction of Music into the regular system of education; thus were the foundations laid for Uppingham’s present flourishing musical life.

He also opened the first gymnasium in an English school, the forerunner of the present Sports Hall, and later added a heated indoor swimming pool. He also commissioned a number of impressive buildings, notably the Chapel designed by the famous Gothic Revival architect G E Street.

Ernest William Hornung was at the School in the 1880s; he wrote several novels but his fame rests upon his creation of the character A.J. Raffles.

During this period the School continued to grow, with numbers reaching well over 400. These years saw the formation in 1889 of the Combined Cadet Force; the creation in 1890 of the first School Orchestra; in 1896 the re-introduction of hockey; and the adoption of rugby football, with the first match being against Rugby. Uppingham pupils still take part in all these activities today.

The buildings of the School also continued to grow with the construction of the Tower block, through which you still enter the School, and the combined gymnasium and concert hall - which in 1972 was converted into the School Theatre.

Pupils continued to go on to later fame - Patrick Abercrombie, pioneer Town Planner; Sir Malcolm Campbell, motor racer; James Elroy Flecker, poet and playwright: CRW Nevinson, official war artist in both wars; WH Pratt (Boris Karloff), film actor; EJ Moeran, composer; Lt General Sir Brian Horrocks, Commander of the XXX Corps under Montgomery, and later a TV lecturer on battles and war; and Percy Chapman, captain of the England cricket team 1926-30, who won the Ashes.

The growth of the School continued with numbers of well over 600 pupils being reached in the 1960s. In 1973 the first girl attended Uppingham, as a day-girl; with a few more added in 1974. Then in 1975 the first Sixth Form Girls’ House, Fairfield, was opened, with its full complement of 50 girls achieved by 1976. This venture proved so successful that in 1986 a second Girls’ House, Johnson’s, was opened; and in 1994 the Lodge House (formerly a Boys’ House) was converted into the third Girls’ House. In 2001 the first 13-year-old girls entered the School, with the opening of a new house, Samworths’, the first house for girls aged 13-18; followed in 2002 by the conversion of Fairfield into a second House for 13-18 year-old girls and another new house, New House, opened in 2004.

The buildings of the School continued to expand. Four hundred and fifty ex-pupils died in the First World War and the School Hall was built in their memory. Also built in this period were the main classroom block in the centre of the School, the Cricket and Rugby pavilions, and a school sanatorium. In 1956 the new Science Block was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh; it was extended in the 1960s. In 1989 a new Maths Block, to house Mathematics and Computing was opened by Professor Stephen Hawking. New squash courts were built and in 1970 the Sports Centre, incorporating the old swimming pool was opened, with the later addition of a climbing wall and a well-equipped weights room. In 1981 a new Music School and a new Buttery, where the pupils can buy snacks, were built. In 1995 the new Arts and Design Centre was built, the Leonardo Centre, designed by old pupil Piers Gough. In 2003 The Language Centre opened, built in the gardens of the boys' boarding house, Constables. Finally in 2006 a New Music Centre, the Paul David Music School, opened on School Lane, incorporating all the old houses that were there, to accommodate the growing demand for music at the School.

In the post-War period sports other than the main ones of rugby, hockey, cricket, athletics, swimming and shooting began to be introduced including tennis, basketball, badminton, fencing, squash, sailing, soccer and golf.

In 1945 Douglas Guest became Director of Music and this area of School life developed even further. The concert choir was increased until it contained over half the School: a bandmaster was appointed; music scholarships were introduced; and various music societies were created. All these innovations still flourish.

In the 1960s Uppingham pioneered the introduction of Design and Technology into the curriculum, with Uppingham being the first independent school, and one of the first 5 schools in Britain, to evolve and introduce A-level Design. Design was taught in the Thring Centre, opened in 1965. These subjects were then transferred with Art, Woodwork and Metalwork to the Leonardo Centre, opened in 1995.

The years since the 1970s have also seen a considerable expansion in the subjects taught, particularly at A-level, with the introduction of Politics, Ancient History, Design, Business Studies, Theatre Studies, Classical Civilisation, Spanish, Italian, Philosophy & Religious Studies, ICT, and Physical Education.

The school's music facilities have been improved considerably and Uppingham is now considered one of Britain's best schools for music. This is mainly down to the completion of the New Music Center in the summer of 2006. Currently the chapel organ is under refurbishment. The old organ was removed and the school briefly operated with a three manual digital Copeman Hart organ. The new organ is expected to be completed by September of this year 2007.

Despite the fact that Uppingham already owns the largest private theatre in the country, an extension has been completed. The new annexe, which adjoins the main theatre and links it with Woodfield, houses a Drama studio to be used for the teaching of Theatre Studies as well as for performances of smaller productions. There is also a large workshop to provide storage and workspace for technical equipment.

Houses

The nine boys' boarding houses at Uppingham are: Brooklands, Farleigh, Fircroft, Highfield, Lorne House, Meadhurst, School House, West Bank and West Deyne.

These houses are split up into three different groups known as the country, hill and town houses.

The six girls' boarding houses at Uppingham are: Johnson's (sixth form only), The Lodge (sixth form only), Fairfield, New House, Constables and Samworths'. Samworths' was built in 2001 as the first house for girls aged 13 to 18. It was named for the Samworth Brothers, Old Uppinghamians who helped to finance the construction.

Quatercentenary

Queen Elizabeth II visited the school on the occasion of the Quatercentenary, November 16, 1984.

Notable alumni (Old Uppinghamians)

See also Category:Old Uppinghamians.

Notable alumni include:

Military

Victoria Cross Holders

At least two Old Uppinghamians have won the Victoria Cross:

Southern Railway School's Class

The twentyfourth steam locomotive (Engine 923) in the Southern Railway's Class V (of which there were 40) was originally named Uppingham, but the name was changed following objections from the school.[4] This Class was also known as the Schools Class because all 40 of the class were named after prominent English public schools. 'Uppingham', as it was called, was built in 1934 and had its name changed to Bradfield.

References

  1. ^ I Never Knew That About England, by Christopher Winn, Ebury Press, 2005
  2. ^ Uppingham School, (1906), Uppingham School Roll, 1824 to 1905, page 314, ((E. Stanford)
  3. ^ Uppingham School, (1906), Uppingham School Roll, 1824 to 1905, page 385, ((E. Stanford)
  4. ^ Burridge, Frank: Nameplates of the Big Four (Oxford Publishing Company: Oxford, 1975) ISBN 0-90288-843-9


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