Eltham College
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This article is about the school in London, England. For the school in Research, Australia see Eltham College of Education.
Eltham College is an independent school situated in Mottingham in south-east London. Eltham and Mottingham once formed part of the same parish, hence its name.[1]
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[edit] Early history
The school dates back to 1842 when it was founded as the London Missionary Society's School for the Sons and Orphans of Missionaries. A girls' school had been established in Walthamstow in 1837 and a boys' school was opened in the same place at the beginning of 1842. The boys' school later relocated to Mornington Crescent in 1852 and then to a purpose-built location in the centre of Blackheath in 1857[2] (the old school building is now the headquarters of the Church Army). Missionary David Livingstone sent his sons to the school while it was in Blackheath[3].
[edit] Current site
It moved to its present site of 36 acres - centred around an elegant 18th century mansion (Fairy Hall) in Mottingham - in 1912. The building had previously been used by the Royal Naval School from 1889 to the end of the summer term in 1910.
Eltham College began life as a small boarding school catering for children of missionaries serving overseas, mainly in India, China and Africa. Since the 1950s the college has become primarily a day school for boys with a co-educational sixth form since 1981. The pupils are split into four houses, named Carey, Livingstone, Chalmers and Moffat; coloured blue, green, red and yellow respectively.
Its buildings have been progressively modernised and extended over the last few decades, with the addition of new sports facilities, science labs, theatre, a music school and Junior School facilities. In 2005, a "drop-off and pick-up zone" was constructed on the foremost playing field of the school, due to the overcrowding of the original carpark.
The school is highly regarded for the educational attainment of its students, regularly appearing highly in rankings of exam performance and Oxbridge entry.
[edit] Headmasters
The school's headmasters at Blackheath[4] were:
- 1852-1866: William George Lemon
- 1866-1868: James Scott
- 1869-1870: Charles Dugard Makepeace
- 1870-1875: Revd Edward J Chinnock
- 1875-1892: Revd Edward Waite
- 1893-1914: Walter Branerd Haward
The College's current headmaster is Paul J. Henderson, who took over from Malcolm Green in September 2000.
[edit] Redevelopment
Henderson has continued the school's programme of building and development started by Malcolm Green, including a controversial major redevelopment to the front of the College, the Junior School and Music School.
[edit] Notable alumni
(in alphabetical order)
- Statistician Philip Bailey
- Historian Stuart Ball
- Politician Fenner Brockway - one of the last pupils to attend the school when it was located in Blackheath[5]
- Author and broadcaster Charlie Connelly
- Physicist Frank Farmer[6]
- Jamie Harris Newport Gwent Dragons and Welsh international rugby union player
- Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools in the UK Government
- Olympic athlete Eric Liddell, after whom the sports hall is named.
- Mathematician Paul Mansfield
- Chemist Philip Page
- Gormenghast author Mervyn Peake after whom the library is named
- Geographer, geo-scientist and author Thomas Edward Robinson OBE
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10040589
- ^ Rhind, N. (1993) Blackheath Village & Environs, 1790-1990, Vol.1 The Village and Blackheath Vale (Bookshop Blackheath, London), p.117.
- ^ Rhind, N. (1993) Blackheath Village & Environs, 1790-1990, Vol.1 The Village and Blackheath Vale (Bookshop Blackheath, London), p.118.
- ^ Rhind, N. (1993) Blackheath Village & Environs, 1790-1990, Vol.1 The Village and Blackheath Vale (Bookshop Blackheath, London), p.119.
- ^ Rhind, N. (1993) Blackheath Village & Environs, 1790-1990, Vol.1 The Village and Blackheath Vale (Bookshop Blackheath, London), p.118.
- ^ Obituary from The Independent
