Cheltenham College

Public school in Gloucestershire, EnglandTemplate:SHORTDESC:Public school in Gloucestershire, England

**Cheltenham College** is a public school (fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding classical, military, and sporting traditions.

## History

Two Cheltenham residents, G. S. Harcourt and J. S. Iredell, founded Cheltenham College in July 1841 to educate the sons of gentlemen. It originally opened in three houses along Bays Hill Terrace in the centre of the town.

Within two years it had moved to its present site — with Boyne House as the first College Boarding House and soon became known simply as Cheltenham College. Accepting both boarding and day boys, it was originally divided into Classical and Military sides until the mid-twentieth century. The 1893 book *Great Public Schools* by E. S. Skirving, S. R. James, and Henry Churchill Maxwell Lyte contained a chapter on each of what they considered England's ten greatest public schools; it included a chapter on Cheltenham College. It is now an independent fee paying school, governed by Cheltenham College Council. A few girls were admitted in 1969 and then in 1981 when the first girls' house opened, the Sixth Form became fully co-educational. In 1998, girls were admitted to all other years, making the College fully co-educational.

In 1865, a Junior Department was added to the main College buildings. In 1993 it opened its doors to girls and also opened a pre-Prep department, Kingfishers, for 3 to 7-year-olds.

## Work and service

In the First World War 702 Old Cheltonians (former pupils) were killed in the service of their country, and a further 363 died in World War II. Cheltenham's military past is recognised by the fact that it is one of only three schools in England (the others being Eton College, founded in 1440, and the Duke of York's Royal Military School, founded in 1803) to have its own military colours (last presented in 2000 by The Princess Royal). Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, Scotland, also has Colours.

The names of those Old Cheltonians killed in World War I are recorded in the College Chapel, completed in 1896, which to a degree resembles King's College Chapel, Cambridge and is typical of a chapel of an English public school. The names of those killed in the World War II are displayed on the memorial in the College's dining hall.

Cheltenham has approximately 720 pupils (a fifth being day pupils) between the ages of 13 and 18. The fees are between approximately £31,000 - £43,000 per annum, making it amongst the most expensive schools in the United Kingdom. The school is now co-educational and maintains a strong academic reputation, with the majority of pupils going to The Russell Group Universities, and around 7% going on to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Both GCSE and A Level results are among the highest in Gloucestershire.

There is also a prep school, Cheltenham College Preparatory School, most of whose pupils go on to the senior school. The current Head of the Prep School is Tom O'Sullivan.

### Partnerships and Links

Cheltenham has links with the Wynberg Boys' High School in Cape Town, South Africa—an all-boys boarding school coincidentally established in 1841, the same year as Cheltenham. The school also has numerous connections with other schools around the globe, including:

* Gogar Primary School in Rongai, Kenya
* Bradet Residential Home and School for Children and Young People with Special Needs in Bradet, Romania
* Shamrock School Nepal in Pokhara, Nepal

Inside of the United Kingdom, Cheltenham College has links with a variety of local schools and academies, including:

* Saint John's Church of England Primary School (A Prep School Link)
* All Saints' Academy, Cheltenham
* Battledown Centre, Cheltenham
* Gloucester Road Primary School, Cheltenham
* Gotherington Primary School, Cheltenham
* The Milestone School, Gloucester
* National Star College, Ullenwood

The College is also a member of the Cheltenham Education Partnership (CEP), a collection of secondary schools, local organisations, and charities in the Cheltenham area. As a member of this partnership, Cheltenham College takes part in Chelt 4 Change Student Debates as well as working with other members to ensure outstanding educational opportunities for all students.

## Structure

Cheltenham College consists of a preparatory school and senior school and educates students from ages 3 to 18. The boarding programme is also available to preparatory school students. The school offers the following courses:

* Third Form (Students 13 to 14 years old)
* Fourth Form (GCSEs and IGCSEs)
* Fifth Form (GCSEs and IGCSEs)
* Sixth Form (Upper College) – Sixth Form students generally choose two routes of study. The first route is to study three A Levels and complete an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the second route is to study four A Levels. A small minority of students are allowed to study four A Levels and complete an EPQ.

## Combined Cadet Force (CCF)

Cheltenham College has an affiliate tri-service Combined Cadet Force which has a history dating back to 1862.Template:CN

Cheltenham College CCF (Army Section) are attached to the Rifles Regiment, and subsequently Army cadets berets have the Rifles Bugle as their cap badge.

## Sport

### Rugby

The Rugby club dates back to 1844. Cheltenham competes with larger single gender schools. The first inter-school rugby football match was played between Rugby School and Cheltenham College, Cheltenham beating Rugby; and the "Cheltenham Rules" were adopted by the Rugby Football Union in 1887. Cheltenham's rugby XV was undefeated in the 1957, 2008 and 2017 seasons.
Eddie Butler, former Welsh, Barbarian and British Lions International Rugby player, taught French at the school.
The schools Director of Rugby is former Gloucester Rugby and England Rugby player Olly Morgan.

### Rowing

The Boat Club was founded in 1841. The Boat House itself is located at the foot of Tewkesbury Abbey on the banks of the River Severn. Key events in the rowing calendar are; Schools' Head of the River Race, The National Schools Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. At the 2013 National School's Head of River, the 1st IV+ came first in their division.

### Rackets

Cheltenham College plays Rackets where, at times, they have dominated the Queen's Club Public Schools Competition; Cheltenham has been National Champions three times from 2003 to 2011. Chris Stout won the Foster Cup (the individual championship for public schools) at Queen's Club in December 2011. The current World Champion, Jamie Stout (Chris's brother), is an Old Cheltonian as well.

### Polo

Cheltenham were National Schools Champions in 1997, 1998, 2004, & 2005 and Arena Champions in 2004, 2005 & 2006.

### Cricket

Cricket is one of the main sports that is played in summer. Cheltenham College enjoys a longstanding tradition of cricket and is the home of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club played its first game at the College cricket ground in 1872, making this the longest running cricket festival on an out-ground, in the world (Canterbury Cricket Week was first played in 1842, but the St Lawrence Ground is now Kent County Cricket Club's headquarters).

## Houses

There are eleven houses, two of which are day houses: Southwood for the boys and Queens for the girls. Ashmead, Chandos, College Lawn and Westal are the girls' boarding houses. The boys reside in Boyne House, Christowe, Hazelwell, Leconfield, and Newick House. Leconfield also hosts day students.

## *If....*

Cheltenham College was used to film the majority of the school scenes in the popular 1968 British film *If....*, starring Malcolm McDowell, although an agreement between the school's then Headmaster, David Ashcroft, and the film's director, Lindsay Anderson (who was a former pupil and Senior Prefect), prevented the filmmakers from crediting the school. Additional interior scenes were filmed at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire, which gained sole accreditation in the film's closing credit. Two Surrey public schools, Charterhouse School and Cranleigh School, had also negotiated to appear, but pulled out of negotiations once the subject matter of the film became clear.Template:Citation needed

## Old Cheltonians

### Nobel Prize recipient

* Patrick White (1912–1990) – 1973 Literature laureate

### Victoria Cross recipients

Fourteen Victoria Crosses (VCs) have been won by Old Cheltonians, with only Eton College (37), Harrow School (20), Haileybury College (17), and Wellington College (15), having higher totals.(Although it should be taken into account that the Duke of York's Royal Military School does not publish lists of recipients of bravery awards in order not to diminish the service of those several thousand former pupils who have fought in battle and not received the VC, but only lesser awards for gallantry).Template:Citation needed
The list of names, with age and rank at the time of the deed that merited the award of the VC, is as follows:

* Lieutenant Andrew Cathcart Bogle, 78th Regiment, Oonao, India, 29 July 1857, aged 28
* William Fraser McDonell, Bengal Civil Service, Arrah, India, 30 July 1857 aged 27
* Midshipman Duncan Gordon Boyes, HMS Euryalus, Japan, 6 September 1864, aged 17
* Captain George Nicolas Channer, 1st Gurkha Rifles, Perak Expedition, 20 December 1875, aged 32
* Lieutenant Teignmouth Melvill, 24th Regiment of Foot, Isandlwanha, Zululand, 22 January 1879, aged 36
* Lieutenant Reginald Clare Hart, Royal Engineers, Afghan War, 31 January 1879, aged 30
* Lieutenant John Duncan Grant, 8th Gurkha Rifles, Gyantse Jong, Tibet Expedition, 6 July 1904 aged 27
* Captain Douglas Reynolds, Royal Field Artillery, Le Cateau, France, 26 August 1914, aged 31
* Lieutenant Philip Neame, Royal Engineers, Neuve Chapelle, France, aged 26
* Lieut. Commander Edward Courtney Boyle, Submarine E14, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, 27 April 1915, aged 32
* Second Lieut. George Raymond Dallas Moor, Hampshire Regiment, Krithia, Dardanelles, 5 June 1915, aged 18
* Lieutenant Colonel James Forbes-Robertson (34)
* Sergeant Frederick Charles Booth, 1st Rhodesian Native Regiment, Johannes Bruck, East Africa, 12 February 1917, aged 26
* Commander Robert Edward Dudley Ryder, RN, St Nazaire, 27 March 1942, aged 34

### George Cross recipient

* André Gilbert Kempster (né Coccioletti). Royal Armoured Corps; Algeria, 21 August 1943

### Sport

* Nick Abendanon (1986–)– England international rugby player
* Michael Baines (1898–1990) – First-class cricketer and British Army officer
* Henry Baird (1878–1950)– First-class cricketer and British Army officer
* Jonah Barrington (1941-) - 6 times British Open Squash Champion
* Tom Beim (1975–)– England rugby international
* Francis Brandt (1840–1925) – First-class cricketer
* Thomas Bramwell (1850–1924) – First-class cricketer
* James Brettell (1962–) – First-class cricketer
* George Brooksbank (1981–) – Sportsperson
* Jamie Chadwick (1998–) – Racing driver
* Neville Cohen (1913–1987) – First-class cricketer
* Simon Danielli (born 1979-) – Scottish rugby player
* Charles Garnett (1840–1919) – First-class cricketer
* Leslie Hancock (1899–1944) – First-class cricketer
* Allan Heath (1865–1913) – First-class cricketer
* Allan Jay MBE (born 1931) – five-time-Olympian foil and épée fencer, and world champion.
* George Kennedy (1841–1869) – First-class cricketer
* Frank Kershaw (1879–1959) – First-class cricketer
* Reginald le Bas (1856–1938) – First-class cricketer
* Tom McEwan (1991-) – Olympic Silver and Team Gold Medalist Equestrian
* James Robertson (1844–1877) – First-class cricketer
* Chris Sandbach (born 1985—), cricketer
* Percival Sanger (1899—1968) – First-class cricketer and an officer in both the British Army and the British Indian Army
* James Stout – Rackets World Champion
* Hugh Thompson (1934–2021) – First-class cricketer
* Ollie Thorley (born 1996-) - Gloucester Rugby player
* Arthur Tyler (1907–1985) – First-class cricketer and British Army officer
* Geoffrey Wood (1891–1915) – cricketer

### Notable former pupils in other fields

* Lieut.-Col. J. D. H. Stewart (1845-1884) - accompanied Charles George Gordon to Khartoum in 1884 and was killed leading the last Europeans out of Khartoum when their steamer ran aground. He was awarded the Order of St. Michael and St. George.
* Major-General Sir Colin Gubbins (1896-1976) - prime mover of the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War. He received the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order.
* Lindsay Anderson (1923—1994) – film director
* Brigadier Charles Douglas Armstrong (1897—1985) – Head of the British Special Operations Executive liaison mission to the Chetniks in Yugoslavia, 1943-44
* Tim Bevan (1957–) – co-founder of Working Title Films
* Forde Everard de Wend Cayley (1915-2004) – MD, RAMC, MBE, FRCP, World War II POW camp survivor
* Houston Stewart Chamberlain, British-born philosopher and naturalised German citizen, highly influential in the pan-Germanic Völkisch movements of the early-20th century and later influenced the antisemitism of Nazi racial policy.
* Jack Davenport (born 1973), film and television actor
* Charles Eliot (1862—1931) – former British ambassador to Japan and the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong
* Lieutenant General Sir John Fowler (1864-1939) - Commander of British Forces in China, 1922-1925
* Sir Wyndham Charles Knight (1863–1942), Indian Army general
* Sir Alan Haselhurst, Baron Haselhurst (1937–) – former Deputy Speaker & MP, current Conservative Peer in House of Lords
* Adam Henson (1966–) – farmer and TV presenter
* Chris Hill (born 1971), businessman, CEO of Hargreaves Lansdown
* Hichamuddin Hussein (1961–) – Malaysian politician
* Lawrence Hugh Jenkins (1857–1928) – Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court and Bombay High Court
* Gavin Lambert (1924—2005), screenwriter, novelist and biographer
* Lieutenant Commander Mike Lithgow (1920–1963) – chief test pilot Vickers Supermarine and holder of absolute World Speed Record 1953
* Kenneth Mason (1887-1976), Himalayan explorer and first statutory Professor of Geography at Oxford University
* Philip Moore (1921-2009), The Lord Moore of Wolvercote, Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1977 to 1986.
* Rageh Omaar (born 1967), ITV News correspondent and presenter, formerly with BBC News and Al Jazeera English
* Endicott Peabody (1857-1944) – American clergyman and founder of Groton School
* Alfred Pullman (1916–1954) – RAF Officer killed in Mau Mau Uprising
* Ivor Richard (1932—2018), Former Labour Cabinet minister, British Ambassador to the United Nations and Shadow Leader of the House of Lords.
* Michael Rose (1940-), Commander UNPROFOR Bosnia in 1994 during the Yugoslav Wars.
* W. H. D. Rouse (1863–1950) – British teacher who advocated the use of the Direct Method of teaching Latin and Greek
* Iain Sinclair (born 1943), poet, novelist, editor, filmmaker, publisher, playwright and book-dealer
* Mark Stone (born 1979) - Journalist / Foreign Correspondent
* Sirichalerm Svasti or Chef McDang (born 1953–) – Thai TV Celebrity Chef
* Hugh Verity (1918-2001) - RAF pilot, veteran of many night landings in wartime France for the SOE
* Prince Vivadhanajaya (1899–1960) – First Governor of the Bank of Thailand and Finance minister of Thailand
* Ts'o Seen Wan (1868–1953) — Founder of St Stephen’s College, Hong Kong
* Edward Wilson (1872—1912), physician, polar explorer, natural historian, painter and ornithologist
* Ken Yeang (1948—) – Architect
* Chris Bryant (1962-) Member of Parliament (Labour) for Rhondda since 2001
* Martin Horwood (1962-) Former Member of Parliament (Liberal Democrat) for Cheltenham from 2005-2015

## Principals, headmasters and head

The current head of Cheltenham College is Nicola Huggett.

The full list of past principals and heads is contained in Cheltenham College Who's Who 5th edition, 2003, and is as follows:

* **Principals (1841–1919)**
	+ Alfred Phillips, 1841–44
	+ William Dobson, 1845–59
	+ Henry Highton, 1859–62
	+ Alfred Barry, 1862–68
	+ Thomas Jex-Blake, 1868–74
	+ Herbert Kynaston (né Snow), 1874–88
	+ Herbert Armitage James, 1889–95
	+ Robert Stuart de Courcy Laffan, 1895–99
	+ Reginald Waterfield, 1899–1919
* **Headmasters (1919–2019)**
	+ Henry Harrison Hardy, 1919–32
	+ Richard Victor Harley Roseveare 1932–37
	+ Arthur Goodhart Pite 1937–38
	+ John Bell 1938–40
	+ Alan Guy Elliott-Smith 1940–51
	+ Guy Pentreath 1952–59
	+ David Ashcroft 1959–78
	+ Richard Martin Morgan 1978–90
	+ Peter David Vaughan Wilkes 1990–97
	+ Paul Arthur Chamberlain 1997–2004
	+ John Stephen Richardson 2004–2010
	+ Alex Peterken 2010–2018
	+ Crispin Dawson (acting headmaster – 2018)
* **Head (2019- )**
	+ Nicola Huggett 2019 –
* **Heads of the Junior School (1863–2013)**
	+ Thomas Middlemore Middlemore-Whithard 1863–65
	+ Francis Joseph Cade 1896–1910
	+ Charles Thornton 1911–23
	+ Basil Allcot Bowers 1923–33
	+ William Donavan Johnston 1933–46
	+ Hugh Alan Clutton-Brock 1946–64
	+ William Philip Cathcart Davies 1964–86
	+ David John Allenby Cassell 1986–91
	+ Nigel Iain Archdale 1992–2008
	+ Adrian Morris 2008–2010
	+ Scott Bryan 2010–2012
	+ Noll Jenkins 2012–2013 (acting head)
* **Heads of the preparatory school (2013–present)**
	+ Jonathan Whybrow 2013–2018
	+ Tom O'Sullivan 2018 –

## See also

* Cheltonian Society
* College Ground, Cheltenham
* Thirlestaine House
* List of people educated at Cheltenham College

## References

1. ↑ Facts & figures. Cheltenham College.
2. ↑ Welcome. Cheltenham College.
3. ↑ [1] Template:Webarchive
4. ↑ Fees 2011/2012. Cheltenham College (10 September 2008).
5. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"2006 GCSE and A-level results: Gloucestershire | Schools special reports". EducationGuardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
6. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Education (25 September 2008). "Town vs Gown: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire". *The Daily Telegraph*. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
7. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>School Sport (15 December 2008). "Cheltenham College 1st XV remain undefeated throughout school rugby season". *The Daily Telegraph*. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
8. ↑ Rowing – Cheltenham College.
9. ↑ Rackets. Cheltenham College (10 September 2008).
10. ↑ Success for College Polo Teams. Cheltenham College (24 February 2011).
11. ↑ Cricket. Cheltenham College (10 September 2008).
12. ↑ Michael Croke Morgan, (1968), *Cheltenham College: The First Hundred Years*, page 219, (published for the Cheltonian Society by Sadler)
13. ↑ The Life of Duncan Boyes, V.C. Dhs.kyutech.ac.jp.
14. ↑ George Cross Database Recipient: Andre Gilbert KEMPSTER, GC (Posthumously) Template:Webarchive
15. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"GB win eventing gold, McEwen silver". *BBC Sport*. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 David Robson (25 September 2008). Town vs Gown – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. *The Daily Telegraph*.
17. ↑  *Who Was Who 1981-1990*. A & C Black, London. 1991. ISBN 0-7136-3336-0.
18. ↑ Forde Everard de Wend Cayley | RCP Museum.
19. ↑ Wyndham Charles Knight, Sir, janeaustensfamily.co.uk, accessed 5 June 2022
20. ↑ Insight into Hargreaves Lansdown's top talent acquisition as IG Group exec Christopher Hill becomes CFO – FinanceFeeds (29 October 2015).
21. ↑ C. Hayavadana Rao. The Indian Biographical Dictionary (1915).
22. ↑ Robinson, David (20 July 2005). Gavin Lambert: Incorrigibly witty Hollywood writer. *The Independent*.
23. ↑ Goudie, Andrew S. (2015). "Kenneth J. Mason 1887-1976". *Geographers: Bibliographical Studies, Volume 18*. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 67–72. ISBN 9781474226738. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/geographers-9781474226738/.
24. ↑ Purser, Philip (2009-05-05). Lord Moore of Wolvercote. *The Guardian*.
25. ↑ ”Posthumous Kenya Award” in *Flight*, 9 July 1954, p. 64
26. ↑ Politics - Lord Richard obituary. *The Guardian* (22 March 2018).
27. ↑ General Sir Michael Rose Honorary Fellow. *St Edmund Hall, Oxford*.
28. ↑ Iain Sinclair – poet, novelist, editor, filmmaker, publisher, playwright, book-dealer. *Anachron.org*.

## Bibliography

* *Cheltenham College: The First Hundred Years* by Michael C. Morgan [Chalfont St. Giles: Richard Sadler, for the Cheltonian Society, 1968]. A formal history, starting with the meeting on 9 November 1840 of Cheltenham residents (presided over by Major-General George Swiney) who decided to set up a 'Proprietary Grammar School' and appointed a committee to achieve this. ISBN unknown/unavailable.
* *Then & Now: An Anniversary Celebration of Cheltenham College 1841–1991* by Tim Pearce, (Cheltonian Society, 1991). The author explains in the Preface that this is "more of a scrap book than a formal history, and like all scrap books it reflects the tastes and interests of its compilers and depends on what in the way of pictures and documents may be available to them". Template:ISBN
* *Cheltenham College Who's Who*, 5th edition ed. John Bowes, (Cheltonian Society, 2003) No ISBN on book.
* *Floreat*, A collection of photographs of College life from the 1960s and early 1970s compiled by the late M.F. Miller, a Physics master at the school

## External links

* Cheltenham College website

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