Aldenham School

Infobox UK school
name = Aldenham School


size =
latitude = 51.663529
longitude = -0.328152
dms =
motto = "In God Is All Our Trust"
motto_pl =
established = 1597
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Independent
religion =
president =
head_label = Headmaster
head = Mr James Fowler
r_head_label =
r_head =
chair_label = Chairman of Governors
chair = JS Lewis DL, FCIS
founder = Richard Platt
founder_pl =
specialist =
specialist_pl =
street =
city = Elstree
county = Hertfordshire
country = England flagicon|England
postcode = WD6 3AJ
LEA =
ofsted =
staff =
enrollment = c.600
gender = Coeducational
lower_age = 3
upper_age = 18
houses = 7 houses
colours = Black and Gold color box|Black color box|Gold
publication =
free_label_1 =
free_1 =
free_label_2 =
free_2 =
free_label_3 =
free_3 =
website = http://www.aldenham.com
website_name = www.aldenham.com

Aldenham School is a public school and preparatory school located in Hertfordshire, England, near the village of Aldenham.

History

The school was founded in 1596 by Richard Platt, a proprietor of a London brewery and Master of the Brewers' Company in 1576 and 1581. In 1596 Queen Elizabeth I granted him letters patent to build "the Free Grammar School and Almshouses" at Aldenham; the foundation stone was laid in 1597. Before Platt died in 1600 he obtained an endowment for the School by a covenant between himself and the Brewers' Company. It became a village elementary school, taking in private pupils. [cite book
title = A History of the County of Hertford: volume 2
author = William Page (ed.)
date = 1908
series = Victoria County History
chapter = Aldenham
chapterurl = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43264
pages = pp149-161
url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=305
accessdate = 2008-04-23]

In the early 19th century an investigation by the Education Charities Commission of the Poor led to the Tudor Grammar School being demolished and replaced by two new schools: a lower school providing an elementary education for the local population, and a grammar school for fee paying boarders.cite book
title = The History and Register of Aldenham School
author = R.J. Evans | coauthors = J.K. Waddell
edition = 10th edition | year = 1969
publisher = Hazel Watson & Viney | location = Aylesbury]

In the 1860s, the Platt estate in St Pancras, London, which provided the endowment of the school, was compulsorily purchased for the construction of St Pancras railway station.In a measure described by the headmaster of the time as "a violent act of confiscation", more than half of the £81,000 paid in compensation was diverted by the Charity Commissioners, acting under the Endowed Schools Act 1869.In the scheme approved in 1875, £20,000 went to the North London Collegiate School and Camden School for Girls, £13,333/6/8d to support secondary education in Watford (see Watford Grammar School for Boys), and £8000 to local elementary schools.

The school has expanded and girls have been admitted throughout, thus paving the way for the school to become fully co-educational.

In November 2000 a new music school was opened by Dame Janet Baker. In September 2005 the new classroom block was opened.

The renovation of the theatre is the latest project to be completed at the school. The modernisation and improvements included a new control room, racked seating and classroom, with an extension built to accommodate learning support with five new tuition rooms, which also double up as dressing room during major productions. Several thousand pounds have also been used to purchase brand new technical equipment for the theatre, including new lanterns, digital effect lights, a followspot and a new sound system.

The current project, due to be completed in time for September 2008, is the upgrade of Kennedy’s boarding house. The main part of the conversion is to the ground floor of Kennedy’s, to allow Martineau’s house (years 7 & 8) to move in, and allow more younger students to board should they wish to.

Quatercentenary

In 1997, Aldenham celebrated its 400th anniversary, or Quatercentenary, which led to what was know at 'The 400 Appeal' being established. Through different events the appeal aimed to raise as much money as possible, to help the school expand ready for the 21st century.

The Quatercentenary began with a launch party with fireworks and a re-enactment of Richard Platt receiving the letters patent from Elizabeth I to build the school. The guest for the evening was Cilla Black.

There was also an OA Reunion Day and a 'Festival of the Car', along with a football match: Aldenham vs Watford F.C.

The school was also visited during the year by HRH The Princess Royal, who came to open the new artificial turf pitch that had been built as a result of money raised by the appeal.

port

Sport is a major part of the extra-curricular activities at the school. The "Good Schools Guide" called the Aldenham "A seriously sporty school", as well as "Intensely competitive." [ [http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/aldenham-school.html Aldenham School] , "The Good Schools Guide".]

Houses

Aldenham has seven Houses: three boarding houses, two day houses, one girls' house, and one junior house.

*McGill's - (Gold)
*Beevor's - (Red)
*Paull's - (Sky Blue)
*Kennedy's - (Orange)
*Leeman's - (Pink)
*Riding's - (Blue)
*Martineau's - (Green)

The three oldest houses (McGill's, Beevor's and Paull's) are each named after their first Housemaster. Before 1991 there was also School House, split into Odds and Evens, but in 1991 School House was divided into Leeman's (Evens) and Riding's (Odds). In 2003, Paull's became the girls' house in preparation for the conversion to co-education.

Headmasters

*James Fowler (2006-Present)
*Richard Harman (2000-2006)
*Stephen Borthwick (1994-2000)
*Michael Higginbottom (1983-1994)
*Peter Boorman (1974-1983)
*Paul Griffin (1962-1974)
*Geoffrey Mason (1949-1961)
*George Riding (1933-1949)
*Harvey Beck (1920-1933)
*Alfred Cooke (1900-1920)
*John Kennedy (1877-1899)
*Alfred Leeman (1843-1876)
*Thomas Spyers (1836-1842)
*Richard Foster (1834-1836)
*Jonathan Wilkinson (1824-1833)

Prior to 1824, before the school was rebuilt, the Headmaster was known as the Master:
*Joseph Summersby (1823-1825)
*Methusalem Davies (1800-1823)
*John Griffin (1792-1799)
*Rice Hughes (1785-1792)
*Samuel White (1774-1785)
*Joseph Cantrell (1767-1774)
*William Ellis (1757-1767)
*Gilber Allenson (1738-1757)
*Allen Allenson (1714-1738)
*Francis Thompson (1703-1714)
*John Button (1703-1703)
*Randolph Nicoll (1678-1703)
*William Swayne (1673-1678)
*Andrew Campion (1663-1673)
*William Elliot (1653-1663)
*Jeremy Collier (1648-1653)
*Robert Cresswell (1643-1648)
*Christopher Smyth (1634-1643)
*Roland Greenwood (1623-1634)
*Thomas Neale (1598-1623)

Notable Old Aldenhamians

*William Josiah Sumner Hammersley (1826–1886), journalist, sportsman, co-founder of Australian rules football
*Colonel Sir Robert Edis (1839–1927), architect
*Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854–1934), sculptor and goldsmith
*Sir William Laird Clowes (1856–1905), naval writer
*Stanley Owen Buckmaster, 1st Viscount Buckmaster (1861–1934), politician, judge and Lord Chancellor, 1915–1916
*Sir Michael McCorkell - Northern Irish soldier.
*Arnold McNair, 1st Baron McNair (1885–1975), legal scholar, judge of the International Court of Justice, 1946–1959, and first President of the European Court of Human Rights, 1959–1965
*Sir Wallace Akers (1888–1954), chemist and Director of Research, ICI, 1944–1953
*Sir Kenneth Pickthorn, 1st Baronet (1892–1975), historian, politician, and President of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 1937–1944
*General Sir Richard Gale (1896–1982), General Officer Commanding 6th Airborne Division, 1943–1945, GOC British Airborne Corps, 1945, and Commander-in-Chief, British Army of the Rhine, 1952–1956
*Sir Bryan Sharwood-Smith (1899–1983), Governor of Northern Nigeria, 1954–1957
*Thomas Rice Henn (1901–1974), literary scholar and writer
*Bill Williams (1905–1996), film production designer
*Raleigh Ashlin Skelton (1906–1970), cartographical historian
*Jack de Manio (1914–1988), radio broadcaster
*Sir Michael Kerr (1921–2002), High Court Judge and Lord Justice of Appeal
*Peter Haigh (BBC Television presenter) (1925–2001)
*Sir Kenneth Warren (born 1926), politician
*Sir Denys Roberts, Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong, 1973–1978, and Chief Justice of Hong Kong, 1978–1988
*Sir David Mitchell (born 1928), politician
*Field Marshal Richard Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill (born 1931), Chief of the Defence Staff, 1991–1992
*Peter Dawes, Bishop of Derby, 1988–1995
*Geoffrey Hewlett Thompson, Bishop of Exeter, 1985–1999
*Sir Hugh Laddie (born 1946), High Court Judge
*Sir Martin Sweeting, Director of the Surrey Space Centre and Chief Execuutive Officer of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
*Dale Winton (born 1955), television presenter
*Karren Brady (born 1969), Managing Director of Birmingham City FC
*Adrian Nicholas (1962–2005), skydiver

"If...."

Aldenham was used to film some of the inside scenes in the 1968 classic British film "If....", starring Malcolm McDowell and directed by Lindsay Anderson. The most frequently used room was the main school Dining Room containing the portrait of Aldenham's founder Richard Platt.

References

External links

* [http://www.aldenham.com Aldenham School Website]
* [http://www.oldaldenhamian.org Old Aldenhamian Society Website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/04/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/919_6003.stm BBC School Profile]
* [http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/aldenham-school.html Profile at the Good Schools Guide]