Hurstpierpoint College

Infobox UK school
name = Hurstpierpoint College


size = 86px
latitude =
longitude =
dms =
motto = "Beati Mundo Corde"
(Latin:"Blessed are the pure in heart")
motto_pl =
established = 1849
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Public School
religion = Church of England
president =
head_label = Headmaster
head = Mr Tim Manly
r_head_label =
r_head =
chair_label = Chairman of Governors
chair = Rear Admiral Simon Moore
founder = Canon Nathaniel Woodard
founder_pl =
specialist =
street =
city = Hurstpierpoint
county = West Sussex
country = England flagicon|England
postcode =
LEA =
ofsted =
staff =
enrollment = c.500
gender = Mixed
lower_age = 3
upper_age = 18
houses = 10
colours = Red and White color box|Redcolor box|White
publication =
free_label_1 = Former pupils
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
free_label_3 = Affiliation
free_3 = Woodard Corporation
website = http://www.hppc.co.uk/
website_name = www.hppc.co.uk

Hurstpierpoint College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils aged 13-18, located in the village of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex. The College was founded in 1849 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard and is a member of the Woodard Corporation.

History & Overview

The school was originally established in 1849 as St John's Middle School, based in Shoreham. Its first headmaster, Rev. Edward Clarke Lowe, had worked with Woodard at Lancing College and stayed at Hurstpierpoint for 22 years until 1872. The school moved to Mansion House in Hurstpierpoint and then, thanks to the local benefactors the Campion Family, on the 21 June 1853 made its final move to its present site. Intended to resemble the collegiate system at Oxford and Cambridge, Nathaniel Woodard designed the College to have adjoining Inner and Outer quads and the chapel and dining hall adjacent to each other.

The college currently teaches pupils aged 13-18. In addition, the College has an adjoining Preparatory School, and Pre-Preparatory School consisting of about 220 pupils.

Traditions

The school still preserves a number of ceremonies, which for the most part were taken from other schools such as Winchester College, in order to give the school a feeling of tradition back in its early Victorian days.

During the year there are a number of banner processions, each house having a banner. St Etheldreda's (Æthelthryth) day - the day on which the chapel was dedicated - is Old Johnian day, the day when all the old Pupils are invited back to the school to participate in various events.

On Ascension Day, every member of the College climbs the nearby Wolstonbury Hill nicknamed Danny Hill - after the Campion family home, Danny House, located at the bottom of the hill on the South Downs. Once the whole school is assembled on top of the hill the choir sings the 17th century Hymnus Eucharisticus. After singing the hymn the Headmaster hands out the Lowe's Dole - money left by the first Headmaster, Canon Lowe, for the choir and sacristans.

The most exotic tradition is the boar's Head Procession and Feast this occurs at the end of the Michaelmas Term. The sacristans and the choir accompany a boar's head that is borne through the cloisters. As they go they sing the 15th century carol 'Caput Apri Defero' (Boar's Head Carol) and then attend the feast.

'Hurst' has traditionally performed a Shakespeare play every year since 1854, beginning with 'Richard III' after the first headmaster, Dr Lowe inspired the first players onto stage. This means that 'Hurstpierpoint College' boasts the oldest Shakespeare society in existence, older even than that of the Royal Shakespeare company which was not formed until 1875.

port

Hurstpierpoints main sports are rugby, hockey and cricket. Rugby is the primary sport of the Michaelmas term (September - December), hockey in the Lent term (January - March) and cricket in the Summer term (April - June).

Hurstpierpoint College enjoys a fierce rivalry with nearby Brighton College. The two schools regularly compete in a variety of sports, most notably rugby and cricket.

Notable Old Johnians

Past students of Hurstpierpoint College are referred to as Old Johnians. See also .

*The Most Reverend Walter Robert Adams, Primate of All Canada (1950-1951), former Archbishop of Yukon and of British Columbia. [cite web|url=http://aabc.bc.ca/WWW.angbc.archbc/display.ANGSYNOD-603|title=Anglican Archives - Walter Robert Adams|accessdate=2008-09-21]
* Admiral Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce GCB, OBE, former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy and Chief of Defence Staff
* Ben Broster, Welsh international rugby union player
* Sir Bryan Cartledge, British Ambassador to Hungary (1980-1983), British Ambassador to Russia (1985-1988)
* Noah Cato, England and Saracens winger
* Tony Church, Shakespearean stage actor
* Ronald Neame CBE, film cinematographer, producer, screenwriter and director
* Desmond Plummer, Baron Plummer of St Marylebone KBE, politician
* Jack Sangster, industrialist
* Martin Speight, cricketer
* Jamie Theakston, television and radio presenter and producer
* John Ware, BBC Panorama reporter
* Michael York OBE, actor

Houses

The school comprises 10 houses:

outhern Railway Schools Class

The School lent its name to the nineteenth steam locomotive (Engine 918) in the Southern Railway's Class V of which there were 40.cite web |url=http://www.semgonline.com/steam/v_classdat.html|title=Southern Railway Schools Class|accessdate=2008-06-29] This Class was also known as the Schools Class because all 40 of the class were named after prominent English Public Schools. 'Hurstpierpoint', as it was called, was built in 1934 and was withdrawn in 1961.cite web |url=http://www.semgonline.com/steam/v_classdat.html|title=Southern Railway Schools Class|accessdate=2008-06-29]

References

External links

* [http://www.hppc.co.uk Hurstpierpoint College website]