Charterhouse School
| Charterhouse School | |
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| File:CharterhouseCrest.gif | |
| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Independent school |
| Motto | Deo Dante Dedi (Because God has Given, I Give) |
| Established | 1611 |
| Headmaster | John Witheridge |
| Number of students | 800 (approx.) |
| Website | charterhouse.org.uk |
Charterhouse School is a famous boys' English public school, located in Godalming in the county of Surrey. It was founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian Monastery in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield (see Charterhouse). It is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. Today, pupils are still referred to as Carthusians, and ex-pupils as Old Carthusians or OCs. As of 2007, Charterhouse is Britain's most expensive school with boarding and tuition fees of £25,000+ per annum.
History
The school was moved to its present site in 1872 by the then headmaster, the Revd. Dr. Haig Brown - a decision influenced by the findings of the Public Schools Commission of 1864.
The school bought a 68 acre (270,000 m²) site on top of a hill just outside Godalming. In addition to the main school buildings (designed by architect Philip Charles Hardwick), they constructed three boarding houses, known as Saunderites (once the headmaster's house), Verites and Gownboys (for scholars, who were entitled to wear gowns).
As pupil numbers grew, other houses were built alongside the approach road, now known as Charterhouse Hill. Each was titled with an adaptation of the name of their first housemaster, such as Weekites, Daviesites and Girdlestoneites. The last of these is still referred to as Duckites, reflecting the unusual gait of its original housemaster, even though he retired well over 100 years ago. There are now the original four 'old' houses plus seven 'new' houses, making eleven boarding houses in total. The eleven Houses have preserved a unique identity (each with its own tie and colours) and pupils compete against each other in both sports and the arts.
The school continued to expand over the 20th century. Further land was bought to the north and west, increasing the grounds to over 200 acres (809,000 m²), and a new school chapel was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (perhaps best known for designing the red telephone box) and consecrated in 1927 to commemorate almost 700 pupils who died in the First World War, making it the largest war memorial in England. Around 350 names have been subsequently added to commemorate those who died in the Second World War and other conflicts of the twentieth century. Pupils still attend a short chapel service there five times a week.
Charterhouse was all male until the 1970s when girls were first admitted in the sixth form (the final two years), and this continues to be the case today. Of over 300 sixth formers today, almost a third are girls.
The most significant addition to the campus was seven new Houses, built in the 1970s, replacing late Victorian boarding houses which were demolished in 1977. Other newer buildings include the Art Studio, the John Derry Technology Centre, the Ben Travers Theatre, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Music Centre, the Halford Hewitt Golf Course, the Queen’s Sports Centre, the Sir Greville Spratt athletics track and Chetwynd, a hall of residence for girls. In 2003, the School renovated its onsite Library and its contents and facilities could easily rival many University libraries.
Modern day
Today, pupils can take part in a wide range of sporting activities, including football, hockey, cricket, cross-country, tennis, fives, fencing, racquets, swimming, squash, water polo, horse riding, sub-aqua, climbing, basketball, shooting, badminton, rugby, and climbing. The 2005 first XI football team also performed extremely well, having an unbeaten season, barring a solitary defeat in the ISFA Cup. Cricket also continues to flourish and Charterhouse is famed for having one of the best batting tracks in the South of England. The school produced one of England's finest batsmen and captains in history, Peter May.
Charterhouse is one of the elite public schools in Britain. It has good examination results and was ranked 19th in the 2004 Times school league table of A level results.
In September 2005, Charterhouse Ampleforth was one of the leading British schools (including Ampleforth, Eton, Gresham's, Harrow, Haileybury, Marlborough, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Stowe, Wellington and Winchester) which were considered by the Office of Fair Trading to be operating a fee-fixing cartel in breach of the Competition Act 1998. All of the schools were ordered to abandon this practice.
Martin Bicknell, the former Surrey and England seam bowler joined the school as head of cricket following his retirement from the sport in 2006.
Charterhouse and the origins of football
Charterhouse has an historic joint claim to having founded Association Football, which remains the main Winter sport at the school. During the 1840s at both Charterhouse and Westminster School pupils' surroundings meant they were confined to playing their football in the cloisters, making the rough and tumble of the handling game that was developing at other schools such as Rugby impossible, and necessitating a new code of rules. During the formulation of the rules of the Association Football in the 1860s representatives of Charterhouse and Westminster School pushed for a passing game, in particular rules that allowed forward passing ("passing on"). Other schools (in particular Eton College and Harrow) favoured a dribbling game with a tight off-side rule. By 1867 the Football Association had chosen in favour of the Charterhouse and Westminster game and adopted an off-side rule that permitted forward passing [Marples, Morris. A History of Football, Secker and Warburg, London 1954, page 150]. The modern forward-passing game was a direct consequence of Charterhouse and Westminster Football. As such Charterhouse and Westminster School can be considered to have put the "beautiful" into the beautiful game.
In the early years of the FA Cup, teams formed of ex-pupils from these schools dominated the competition. The Old Carthusians F.C. (the name for the team comprised of Charterhouse alumni) won the cup in the 1880/81 season, beating the Old Etonians in the final, and were semi-finalists in the two years that followed. The public school system also provided many of the first England internationals. They included Charles Wreford-Brown, who is often credited for inventing the word ‘soccer’. He was a pupil at Charterhouse in the early 1880s, and played football for the Old Carthusians and for the national side in the 1890s, including several appearances as captain.
The Houses at Charterhouse
The are four old houses and seven new houses in White List (a directory of names) order.
The four old houses are
- Saunderites - Orange
- Verites - Silver, Blue and Black
- Gownboys - Dark Red (Gownboys was originally the Scholars house meaning its members could wear Gowns)
- Girdlestonites. - Silver
Girdlestonites is often referred to as Duckites to help confusion with Gownboys (also beginning with the letter 'G'). This name is reputed to derive from a nickname for Mr Girdlestone, the first housemaster of Girdlestonites, who was said to walk like a duck.
The seven new houses are:
- Daviesites - Green
- Pageites - Pink
- Robinites - Purple
- Bodites - Golden Yellow
- Hogdsonites - Blue
- Weekites - Red
- Lockites - Bog Green
(All of the houses are short-handed to their first letter for the inter-house postal system, but Gownboys uses a capital 'G' and Girdlestonites a 'g,' but on the school's computer system, due to limitations, it is referenced as a 'X.')
The four old houses have been around since the original founding of the school. Saunderites is named after its first Housemaster Mr. Saunders and it was the Headmaster's house, in that the headmaster would not only run the school but one of the houses. Unfortunately to the dramatic increase in the size of the school, and the increasing difficulties in running such a school has meant that the Headmaster can no longer do this. Gownboys was originally named not after a Mr. Gown but after the fact that Gownboys was the scholars house, and that scholars were allowed to wear gowns and also treated as superiors to other boys. That tradition is no longer so, and currently Gownboys has no specific tag. Verites was founded by an Oliver and Girdlestonites by a Mr. Girdlestone.
The Memorial Chapel
Memorial Chapel, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1927, commemorates Carthusians who died in action: 700 in the Great War and 350 in World War II. The whole School meets here three days each week for a short service at 8:30 am, and on Sundays for Evensong, Matins, or a School Eucharist. On Sundays when there is an Evening service Roman Catholic pupils may instead attend Mass in the Founder's Chapel. Parents are welcome at Sunday services but tickets are required for Remembrance Sunday and the Carol Service.
Chapel provides a variety of worship experience: enthusiastic hymn-singing; a good standard of congregational Psalm chanting; the choir performing a repertoire of fine Church Music to a high standard; the hushed, reflective atmosphere of Candle-lit Carols; the quiet intimacy of a Eucharist in Millennium Chapel; the solemnity of Remembrance Sunday with the sounding of The Last Post and The Silence.
A Glossary of some Charterhouse Terms
- ADSUM - A roll-call, taken in House (see also JIBS).
- BANCO - An evening period for academic work: First Banco: 6.30 - 7.30 pm; Second Banco: 8.00 - 9.00 pm
- BANTA - Something which is considered to be enjoyable or pleasing. e.g. "Football training was banta today!"
- BEAK - School speak for a Teacher, also used at Eton College
- BIG GROUND - The 1st XI football pitch which is situated opposite The Memorial Chapel.
- BROOKE HALL - The name refers both to the building and also, as a collective noun, to those who use it. The term 'members of Brooke Hall' is also current. (The Revd Robert Brooke was Headmaster 1628-43, but was ejected during the Commonwealth for his Royalist tendencies. After the restoration he was allowed to return to free quarters in Old Charterhouse, which was subsequently used as a common room by officers of Charterhouse and known as "Brooke Hall".) Brooke Hall is a club with a quarterly subscription. You will be "dined in" as a new member. Thereafter you pay, and you may bring your own guests. The Brooke Hall Office Secretary is very helpful.
- BTT - The Ben Travers Theatre on Queen's Drive, opened in 1983, and named after the playwright who was an Old Carthusian.
- CALLING OVER - An assembly, usually three times a Quarter, of each form in the Under School, at which its performance in school is reported to the Master of the Under School by the Form Master.
- CARTHUSIAN SOCIETY - Formed in 1939 by the Old Carthusian Club, with membership open to all. It has several objects, one of which is to make grants towards the purchase of equipment for the use of boys, the cost of which the Governing Body cannot reasonably be expected to meet. There is always a member of Brooke Hall on the Committee.
- CHAPEL - There are three chapels in the School. Memorial Chapel built as a memorial to Old Carthusians who were killed in the First World War, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1927, and Founder's Chapel (FC), constructed from part of the original chapel, which is approached from the east end of the South African Cloisters. The Millennium Chapel (MMC) is situated in the north-east corner of Memorial Chapel and was consecrated in 2000.
- CROWN - The School tuckshop. It is situated on the Long Walk facing under Green, between the Block Houses and the New Houses. It is also sometimes referred to as "Crack".
- EXEAT - Half term break in the middle of each Quarter when all pupils go away from Charterhouse. Exeat in LQ is known as 'Queen's Exeat'.
- FATHERS - Every new pupil is allotted a "father" (usually only slightly senior to him) to show him the ropes. There is a fortnight's grace before anyone is held accountable for sins of convention.
- GOIF - The term used to describe someone who is considered to be irreleveant or unimportant.
- HASH - Refers to school work, to the times when it is done, and to a school class. From it arises HASH ROOM.
- HEADMASTER'S ADDRESS - A gathering of all Beaks and Pupils in Hall at the end of each Quarter at which the Headmaster addresses the School and presents prizes.
- HEADMASTER'S ESSAY SOCIETY - An elite group of twelve Second Year Specialists invited by the Headmaster to present a paper on their chosen subject and discuss current affairs and issues.
- HOMEBILL - The pupils' evening meal.
- REMOVE - A boy in their second year at the school
- JDTC - The John Derry Technical Centre, situated between Studio and Armoury and opened in 1980. John Derry (the first British pilot to fly faster than sound) was an Old Carthusian.
- JIBS - Evening adsum in Houses.
- LONDON CHARTERHOUSE - The original buildings, not far from Smithfield Market, where Thomas Sutton founded his School and Hospital in 1611. When the School moved to Godalming in 1872 the Pensioners, or Brothers, of Sutton's Hospital remained.
- PONTIFEX - The annual inter-House cross-country races held in LQ.
- QUARTER - Terms are referred to as Quarters. There are three Quarters in the School year - Oration (September), Long (January) and Cricket (April). The 'quarter' refers to the mid-morning break, which is normally after the first two school periods.
- RVW - Music Centre (Music School) situated on the south side of Memorial Chapel and opened in 1984. Ralph Vaughan Williams was an Old Carthusian.
- SEND-UP - When a pupil does a piece of work that a Beak considers distinguished he is sent with his work and a sending-up card to the Deputy Headmaster (Under School) and to the Headmaster in the Sixth Form. For every third sent-up copy he/she is awarded a prize.
- SPECIALIST - A member of the sixth form (noticeable by their Navy Blazers)
- SUTTON'S HOSPITAL - Part of Thomas Sutton's dual foundation (Hospital and School), which is still housed in Old Charterhouse, London, providing for the Brothers, (see LONDON CHARTERHOUSE).
- TICS - See TURNING-UP.
- TURNING-UP - The general term for inter-House games which are organised on a league basis.
- UNDER SCHOOL - The first 3 years of the School (noticable by their Tweed Jackets)
- YEARLINGS - Boys in their first year in the School.
Notable Old Carthusians
Old Pupils are referred to as Old Carthusians, and current pupils as Carthusians.
External links
- Charterhouse School website
- Independent schools council information on Charterhouse School
- Lastest (2001) inspection report by the ISC
- Website in memory of the school's architect, P.C.Hardwick