Tonbridge School
| Tonbridge School | |
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| File:Tonbridge School Logo.gif | |
| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public school |
| Motto | Deus Dat Incrementum (Latin: God Gives Growth) |
| Established | 1553 |
| Headmaster | Mr. Tim Haynes |
| Number of pupils | 750 |
| Website | www.tonbridge-school.co.uk |
Tonbridge School is a British independent all boys boarding school in Tonbridge, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde. It is a member of the Eton Group.
The school occupies an extensive site of about 150 acres (607,000 m²) on the northern edge of the town of Tonbridge, Kent, and is largely self-contained within that site. Since the foundation the school has been rebuilt twice on the original site. The school's chapel has been rebuilt once following a mysterious fire of 17th September 1988.
There are currently 750 boys in the school, aged between 13 and 18, with 429 boarders and 321 day pupils.
The current Headmaster is Tim Haynes, who has been in post since September 2005. He was previously Headmaster of Monmouth School. The previous Headmaster was Martin Hammond, a noted classicist and pipe-smoker.
History
The school was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde under the Letters Patent of King Edward VI.
The Charter ordained that the Governors of the school after the death of the Founder were to be the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest City Livery Companies.
Sir Andrew, himself a distinguished member of this Company, left property in the City of London and in the parish of St Pancras as an endowment for the school. The income from these estates is at the disposal of the Governors for the general benefit of the Foundation. The memory of Sir Andrew Judd and other benefactors is honoured in an annual Commemoration Service, held on Skinners' Day at the very end of the Summer Term.
World War II
In June 1941 a V1 bomb launched by the Nazis almost succeeded in killing Headmaster Eric Whitworth when it landed near Ferox Hall. A bomb dropped by a lone German bomber almost destroyed the Chapel earlier in the War.
However, papers found by the Allies after the fall of Berlin suggested that Hitler's staff intended to make Tonbridge School the Upper-Medway regional HQ for occupying forces, had Operation Sea Lion gone ahead.
During the War an anti-tank trench was dug alongside the Head (the school's main cricket pitch). The OTC (Officer Training Core) issued the groundsmen with grenades, rifles and German phrase-books.
On the recommendation of Field Marshal Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and an Old Tonbridgian, an evacuation plan was drawn up by the school in case of a German invasion. Boys were to disperse across the country whilst teachers formed resistance cells.
Notable alumni
This list may be incomplete and may contain inaccuracies. A list of confirmed notable Old Tonbridgians is available on this page of the school website.
- William Alexander (bishop) (1824-1911) Poet, Theologian and Anglican Primate of All Ireland
- John Bond, former chairman of HSBC
- Bill Bruford, Yes, King Crimson and others musician
- Tom Chaplin, Keane musician
- Sir M. C. Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge (1932-2000), Kent CCC and England cricketer and cricket administrator
- C. S. Cowdrey (born 1957), Kent, Glamorgan and England cricketer and broadcaster
- G. R. Cowdrey (born 1964), Kent cricketer
- Aleister Crowley, occultist, mystic, sexual revolutionary, and drug addict
- Maurice Denham (1909-2002), actor
- R. M. Ellison (born 1959), Kent CCC and England cricketer
- E. M. Forster, novelist
- Frederick Forsyth, novelist
- W. D. Hamilton
- Chris Hollins - BBC Breakfast sports presenter, son of footballer John Hollins
- C. W. H. Howard (born 1904), Middlesex CCC cricketer
- Richard Hughes, Keane musician
- Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff
- Sidney Keyes, poet
- Patrick Mayhew, QC, barrister and politician
- Sir John Nott-Bower, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
- Sir Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier (18591943), KCMG, statesman
- Christopher Reid, poet
- Tim Rice-Oxley, Keane musician
- Vikram Seth, novelist
- Dr Anthony Seldon, historian, political commentator and educationalist (current Master of Wellington College)
- Tim Severin - adventurer and writer
- David Sherwin, screenwriter, most famous for his work on the film 'If...', a study of sex and brutality in an English public school
- E. T. Smith (born 1977), Middlesex CCC, Kent CCC and England cricketer
- Sir Peter Tapsell, politician
- David Tomlinson (1917-2000), actor
- Arthur Tooth SSC, Anglo-Catholic clergyman prosecuted for using ritualist liturgical practices
- Benjamin Whitrow (born 1932), actor
- Tom May, Rugby Player, Newcastle Falcons
- Ollie Freeman, Athlete, Great Britain Tri-athlete
- Michael Marriott head of the British stock exhange
Houses
There are twelve houses at Tonbridge School; 7 boarding, and 5 day houses. They are, in order of foundation:
- School House (Boarding)
- Judde House (Boarding
- Park House (Boarding)
- Hill Side (Boarding)
- Parkside (Boarding)
- Ferox Hall (Boarding)
- Manor House (Boarding)
- Welldon House (Day)
- Smythe House (Day)
- Whitworth (Day)
- Cowdrey House (Day)
- Oakeshott House (Day)
Each house contains approximately 60 students. Some, at the whim of the Housemaster, are given the title of House Praepostor, which allows one the right to wear a coloured shirt. The Headmaster also has it in his power to create a Head of House. In Smythe the Head of House's main public role from 1998-2003 was to shout 'Stand Up!' before the Housemaster entered the dining hall. Anyone who did not stand up was subjected to punishments.
Buildings
Recent additions to the school's infrastructure have been the Vere Hodge Centre and the E.M. Forster theatre. Both are of modernist design, incorporating quantities of glass and steel.
The Chapel (reopened in October 1995) is endowed with a huge organ. It was built by Marcussen.
The Smythe Library, built in 1962, was designed by Sir William Holford in the brutalist style. It contains appoximately 26,000 volumes, including an almost complete set of 'Punch' magazine.