# Ellesmere College

Ellesmere College is a co-educational boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Shropshire, near the market town of Ellesmere. Belonging to the Woodard Corporation, it was founded in 1884 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard.
The Woodard Corporation is an Anglican educational charity which educates over 30,000 pupils across academy, private, and state-maintained schools.
The College consists of a Lower School (Years 3–8), a Middle School (Years 9–11) and a Sixth Form (Year 12–13) with A-Level, BTEC, and International Baccalaureate subjects.

## History

The College was founded in 1879 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard as a boys' school in association with the Church of England, with the 114-acre (46-hectare) land being provided by Lord Brownlow. Originally called St. Oswald's School, the building was designed by Richard Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow, and the College opened on 5 August 1884 with 70 boys and four masters. The College-based itself on Anglo-Catholic values within a traditional public school framework, with the aim of providing education at a low cost for the sons of families with limited finances.
Despite the school's Christian foundation, there was no permanent chapel until 1926, and a temporary chapel operated in the crypt beneath the dining hall. In 1926, an official chapel was designed by Sir Aston Webb, but only the first portion was built in 1928. Modified plans were then drawn up in 1932 by Sir Charles Nicholson, and the building was completed in 1959. In 1966, the newly completed chapel and dining hall were then destroyed by a fire. They were both reopened in 1969, and building work continued at the College throughout the 1970s, including new classrooms and additional boarding accommodation.
During World War II, the College stored a number of notable paintings from the Walker Art Gallery including Dante's Dream. Additionally, in 1978, the College became the location for the filming of Absolution, starring Richard Burton and was also the first film role for Billy Connolly, though the chapel scenes were filmed at Pinewood and Bradfield College.
Since 1980, the College has been home to a Schulze Organ, originally installed at St Mary's Parish Church, Tyne Dock.

## Coat of Arms

Coat of arms of Ellesmere College :
* NotesGranted 12 April 1954.
* CrestOn a wreath Or and Purpure, Standing on a Mount Vert a raven as in the Arms.
* EscutcheonPer chevron Purpure and Or, two celestial crowns fesswise of the last, in chief a cross flory also Gold, in base a raven Proper holding in the beak a golden annulet.
* Motto'Pro patria dimicans'
Arms were granted to "Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas Corporation Trustee" for the use of Ellesmere College on 12 April 1954, the cost of the grant being met by the Old Boys' Association. The grant is kept displayed in a case fastened to the wall of ante-chapel.
The blazon (heraldic description) means that the shield is divided per chevron, the upper part being purple (Purpure) and the lower part being gold (Or). The Celestial Crowns have eight points, five of which are conventionally shown in the illustration and each end in a star. They are "of the last" tincture mentioned, that is, gold, and are horizontally arranged (fesswise). At the top of the shield (In Chief), is a golden cross with each limb ending in a fleur-de-lis (Flory), and at the base of the shield is a raven in its natural colours (Proper) holding a golden ring (Annulet) in its beak. The wreath is the conventional representation of the twisted band of material that is the principal metal and colour of the shield, in this case, gold and purple, which was worn around the helmet and helped to bind the crest mantling to it. The mantling represents the cloth worn over the back of the helmet and body-armour to prevent overheating by the sun. The crest is a raven, as in the Arms, standing on a grassy mound.
The shield, crest and motto are all connected to the saintly King Oswald, to whom the School is dedicated and who fought a battle at nearby Oswestry. The Celestial Crowns represent Oswald's kingship and the heavenly crown gained by him; the cross stands for the cross which the king raised before his victory against the heathen Penda of Mercia at Heavenfield, ans for Oswald's saintly life. Purple and gold are royal colours, and the raven directly refers to the legend concerning Oswald's coronation, when the chrismatory was accidentally broken and a raven miraculously appeared with new oil, bearing in its beak a letter containing the assurance that the oil had been consecrated by St. Peter himself. The ring in the raven's beak refers to the story of Oswald sending the bird to a heathen princess whom he wished to convert and marry. This emblem is also used by the College Scout Group (by permission of the Headmaster and the Headquarters of the Boy Scouts' Association' as the Group emblem which is embroidered in black on the points of their scarves which are yellow bordered with purple. The motto, which may be translated as "Striving for One's Country", can also refer to Oswald's struggle to maintain the independence of Northumbria against heathen aggression. The motto was likely chosen by the School's first Custos, Sir Offley Wakeman.

## Boarding

The school has seven boarding houses. There are two boarding houses dedicated to Middle School boys; St. Cuthbert's and St. Patrick's. St. Aidan's is a boarding house for Middle School girls. There are two Sixth Form boys boarding houses; St. Bede's and St. Luke's. St. Oswald's & St. Hilda's are both Sixth Form girls boarding houses.

## Sport

Ellesmere College has been recognised as an Athlete Friendly Education Centre (AFEC) by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) in recognition of the way it helps student-athletes on the International Baccalaureate course balance sport and education as they follow an athletic pathway concurrently with their studies. Ellesmere College is one of only 22 schools in the world to receive this accreditation.

## Headmasters

* J. Bullock (1884 - 1890)
* J. Harrison (1890 - 1894)
* J. Beviss Thompson (1894 - 1903)
* E. Illiff Robson (1903 - 1907)
* H. Woolsey (1907 - 1910)
* T.H. Hedworth (1910 - 1927)
* A.V. Billen (1927 - 1935)
* R.A. Evans-Prosser (1935 - 1961)
* I.D.S. Beer (1961 - 1969)
* D.J. Skipper (1969 - 1982)
* F.E. Maidment (1982 - 1988)
* D.R. Du Cros (1988 - 1996)
* B.J. Wignall (1996 – 2024)
Ellesmere College's last headmaster, Mr. Brendan Wignall, was recognised in National Awards, being named one of the UK's best leaders of a public school, and was shortlisted in the best Headmaster category at the Tatler School Awards 2017.

## Notable Old Ellesmerians

* Martin Aitchison – Illustrator of over 70 Ladybird Books
* Freya Anderson, freestyle swimmer and Olympic gold medalist
* Bill Beaumont – Chair of World Rugby and Captain of the British Lions
* Ralph Benjamin – NATO scientist and member of Defence Scientific Advisory Council
* John Brunt – World War II recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Michael Chapman – Archdeacon of Northampton
* Noel Davies – Chief Executive of Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd
* Paul Dean, Baron Dean of Harptree – Conservative Member of Parliament
* Robert Godwin – author
* Lady Edwina Grosvenor – prison reformer and founder of The Clink Restaurants
* Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster
* Frederick Harvey – Ireland rugby player and World War I recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Chris Hawkins – DJ, television and radio presenter and reporter
* David Henderson – Chief Economist, OECD.
* Guy Home – Cricketer
* Michael Howard – Musician
* Peter Jones – actor, broadcaster and screenwriter
* Elfric Wells Chalmers Kearney – Australian inventor and railway engineer
* Mark Keyworth – rugby player
* James King – rugby player
* Dave Manby – slalom canoeist
* Peter McEnery – actor
* Chris Moncrieff – journalist
* Grenville Morris – footballer
* Marty Natalegawa – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
* Dewi Penrhyn Jones – professional cricketer
* Reginald Ryder – professional cricketer
* Frank Swindell – Archdeacon of Singapore
* Huw Thomas – broadcaster, ITN newscaster, barrister and Liberal Party politician
* Harry Herbert Trusted – British Colonial Attorney-General and Chief Justice