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Ardingly College

Coordinates:51°02′26″N00°05′23″W/ 51.04056°N 0.08972°W/51.04056; -0.08972
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Ardingly College
St. Saviours's College at Ardingly
Address
Map
College Road

Ardingly
,
West Sussex

England
Information
TypePublic school
Privateboardingandday school
MottoLatin:Beati mundo corde
(Blessed are the pure in heart)
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1858
FounderNathaniel Woodard
Chairman of GovernorsRobert Haynes Brown
Head MasterBen Figgis
ProvostJonathan Meyrick
GenderCoeducational
Age13 to 18
Enrolment416
Houses8[1]
Colour(s)Ardingly Green, Brown & Mellowa
PublicationOld Ardinian
Ardingly Journal
Ardingly Annals
Logos
Wonderful Bird
Scientia
Former pupilsOld Ardinians
VisitorThe Bishop of Chichesterex officio
AffiliationWoodard Corporation
Websitewww.ardingly

Ardingly College(/ˈɑːrdɪŋlaɪ/)[2]is afee-chargingboardinganddayschool in the Englishpublic schooltradition located nearArdingly,West Sussex,England. The school is a member of theHeadmasters' and Headmistresses' Conferenceand of theWoodard Corporationof independent schools and as such has a strongAnglo-Catholictradition.[3]It was originally a boarding school for boys, and became fullyco-educationalin 1982.[4]

Ardingly played an important role in providing infantry throughout the 20th century conflicts, with around 1,200 Ardingly pupils going on to fight in theFirst World War,146 of whom were killed, along with two former members of staff.[5]In addition, 88Old Ardiniansdied inWorld War II;their names being recorded in a book of remembrance.[6]

The school's former pupils – or "Old Ardinians"– include fourConservativeMPs;[7]satiristIan Hislop;[8]actorTerry-Thomas;[9]Formula OneWorld ChampionMike Hawthorn;[10]authorNeil Gaiman;[11]InterscaninventorJohn Paul Wild;[12]andAllard Motor CompanyfounderSydney Allard.[13]

History[edit]

Ardingly College was founded as "St Saviour’s College",Shoreham,in 1858 by CanonNathaniel Woodardwhose aim was to provide education firmly grounded in theChristianfaith.[6]

St Saviour's College opened on 12 April 1858, occupying the New Shoreham buildings in the lee of the churchyard of St Mary de Haura which had been vacated by anotherWoodard School,Lancing College,when it moved to its permanent home in April 1858.[6]The site at Shoreham however was never intended to be permanent and it was left to Woodard to scour the South of England for a suitable permanent location for St Saviour's School.[6]

In 1861 Woodard came across the 196 acre (0.79 km²) Saucelands estate at the southern edge ofArdinglyvillage, which was acquired in 1862 for £6,000.[6]WoodardemployedRichard Carpenteras the school's architect, and the foundation stone at Ardingly was laid on 12 July 1864 byGranville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville.[6]St Saviour's College moved to the partially completed site atArdinglyon 14 June 1870 when the new school was officially opened by theBishop of Chichester,with the inaugural sermon delivered bySamuel Wilberforce.[6]

1909postcardof the 'Main Schools'

Today Ardingly occupies a 420-acre (1.7 km²) site situated in anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[14]Ardingly is divided into three autonomous schools, comprising a Pre-Preparatory School catering for pupils aged 2½ –7, Junior School catering for pupils aged 7–13 and Senior School for pupils aged 13–18.[15]Both Junior and Senior Schools accommodateboarderswho make up the majority of the Senior School student population.[16]All Junior and Senior School students are assigned to aboarding housein whichboarderslive and study and where day-pupils have study areas.

Mastersof Ardingly in 1904

The college'sCombined Cadet Forcewas established in 1902 in the wake of theSecond Boer War.[6]Around 1,200 Old Ardinians went on to fight in theFirst World War,146 of whom were killed, along with two former members of staff; their names are recorded on the war memorial in the college chapel.[6]In addition, 88 Old Ardinians died in theSecond World War;their names are recorded in a book of remembrance in thecryptand on the memorial board in the Under.[6]

In 1958, the school celebrated itscentenary.On 9 June 1958, as part of the celebrations,the Queenand theDuke of Edinburghvisited Ardingly.[6]A stone plaque on the terraceparapetcommemorates the visit, where she "beheld the view".[6]Later that week, on 14 June 1958, the thenPrime Minister,Harold Macmillan,visited the school to open the Centenary Building, which comprises the collegecricket pavilionand upstairs Centenary Room.[6]On 8 May 2008, theDuke of Kentvisited Ardingly as part of itssesquicentenarycelebrations and officially opened a new teaching block at the pre-preparatory school.[17]According to a Freedom of Information Request the school withdrew from the Teacher’s Pension Scheme on the 31st December 2020.[18]

School terms[edit]

Boys about to depart for theMichaelmasbreak at Ardingly in the early 1900s

There are three academic terms in the year:[19]

  • TheMichaelmasterm,from early September to mid December. New pupils are now admitted only at the start of the Michaelmas Half, unless in exceptional circumstances.
  • TheLentterm,from mid-January to late March.
  • TheTrinityterm,from late April to late June or early July.

Similarly, there are five academic years:[20]

  • "Shell", pupils in their first year at Ardingly (year 9).
  • "Remove", pupils in their second year at Ardingly (year 10).
  • "Fifth", pupils in their third year at Ardingly (year 11).
  • "Lower Sixth", pupils in their fourth year at Ardingly (year 12) which start studying for theirA levelsorIB.
  • "Upper Sixth", pupils in their fifth and last year at Ardingly (year 13).

Chapel of St Saviour[edit]

Main article:Ardingly College Chapel
Detail of thestained glasswindows at theChapel of St Saviour

The Grade II listed chapel bears the historical name of the school, being laid the foundation stone 12 July 1864. The architects wereR. H. CarpenterandWilliam Slater.The structures are inGothic Revivalstyle in red brick and tiled rooftops. The chapel possesses the east end of the mid block, having four bays each containing a glass-stained window of Decorated sort. It stretches out into a further two narrows east of the west wing. Over the rooftop there is a bell tower.[21]

In 1976, cartoonistNick Newmanwas expelled from Ardingly in his last term of Upper Sixth for wiring the Chapel to playrock musicduring a schoolMass.[22]

Houses[edit]

House Age Gender Boarding/Day
Mertens Year 9–12 M Boarding
Hilton Year 9–12 M Boarding
Crosse Year 9–12 M Day
Rhodes Year 9–12 M Day
Aberdeen Year 9–12 F Boarding
Toynbee Year 9–12 F Boarding
Neal Year 9–12 F Day
Woodard Year 13 M/F Boarding
Burgess Year 9–12 F Day
Bulteel Year 9–12 F Now Defunct

Headmasters[edit]

Frederick Mertens, Ardingly's first headmaster
  • 1858–1894 Frederick Mertens
  • 1894–1904 Francis Hilton
  • 1904–1911 Herbert Rhodes
  • 1911–1914 Marchant Pearson
  • 1915–1932 Thomas Wilson
  • 1933–1946 Ernest CrosseDSOMC
  • 1947–1961George Snow
  • 1962–1980 Christopher BulteelMC
  • 1980–1998 James Flecker
  • 1998–2007 John Franklin
  • 2007–2014 Peter Green
  • 2014–Present Ben Figgis

Ardingly College Lodge[edit]

The school has its ownMasonic lodge,Ardingly College Lodge, which is a member of the Public School Lodges council.[23]The lodge, which is open to male Old Ardinians as well as those with an affiliation to the college, was founded in 1922 by the then headmaster, Thomas Erskine Wilson, together with masters, theProvostof the school and theBishop of Lewes.[24]

Freemasonry at Ardingly takes its form from theEnlightenment in Englandduring the 18th century, and shares characteristics withcharitable organizations.It provides a common meeting place for Old Ardinian men with similar interests.[25]

Combined Cadet Force[edit]

Cadetboys of Ardingly at one of the school'srifle range'sin 1919

The Ardingly CollegeCombined Cadet Force,or CCF, has existed in its various forms since 1902, with the outbreak of theSecond Boer War.The Ardingly College CCF is split into six categories. These are Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Drum Corps and Marching Band. The Army section is affiliated to thePrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment,allowing cadets to take part in military and adventure training not readily available to non-cadets.[26]

Ardingly Solar Car[edit]

Ardingly takes part in theWorld Solar Challenge,a biennialsolar-powered car raceinAustralia.The school's students worked in the project for three years, achieving to complete the race 23 October 2015.[27]

The current patron of Ardingly Solar isPrince Albert II.[28]

Fees[edit]

Ardingly cricket pitch andpavilion

As of the academic year 2020/21, Shell–5thboardingfees are £34,935 per annum while Shell–5thdayfees are £23,985 per annum. Sixth formboardingfees are £35,865 per annum, while Sixth formdayfees are £23,985 per annum.[29]

Media coverage[edit]

Main article:Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip: An emotional history of Britain

The school was featured in the second episode of theBBCseriesStiff Upper Lip: An emotional History of Britain,where the protagonistIan Hislopreturns to Ardingly, his former school, to describe his experiences there as well as the impact of the Britishpublic schoolsystem in shaping men inVictorian era.[30]

Dinosaur findings[edit]

In February 2014, the BBC confirmed that several fossils had been discovered at the school grounds. The remains were found by staff and pupils during the construction of a new boarding house for girls. According to theNatural History MuseumandImperial CollegeinLondon,some of these bones were around 140 million years old.[31]

Notable alumni[edit]

Main article:List of Old Ardinians

Notable former pupils include four formerConservativeMPs,Private EyeeditorIan Hislop,[8]actorTerry-Thomas,[32]authorNeil Gaiman,band leaderVictor Silvester,[33]Formula OneWorld ChampionMike Hawthorn,andCruftsdog show founderCharles Cruft.

Fictional Old Ardinians includeTim Nice-But-DimfromThe Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything.[34][35]

Making a Splash:Ardinians running the school's renowned Steeplechase in 1935

Southern Railway V Schools class[edit]

Main article:SR V Schools class

The school lent its name to the eighteenth steamlocomotive(Engine 917) in theSouthern Railway'sClass Vof which there were 40.[36]This class was also known as the Schools Class because all40 of the classwere named after prominent Englishpublic schools.Ardingly,as it was called, was built in 1934 and withdrawn in 1962.[36]

Further reading[edit]

  • Argent, N; Ardingly College 1939–1990. Autolycus Press (1991)
  • Gibbs, D; A School with a View: A History of Ardingly College 1858–2008. James & James Publishers Ltd (2008)
  • Letts, S; Ardingly: Its Building and Buildings. Old Ardinians Society (1985)
  • Perry, R; Ardingly 1858–1946: A History of the School. Old Ardinians Society (1951)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • ^aArdingly Green (#01613a),seal brown(#59260B) andmellow yellow(#FDEE00).
  1. ^"Overview | Ardingly College".ardingly.
  2. ^Wells, John C. (2008),Longman Pronunciation Dictionary(3rd ed.), Longman,ISBN9781405881180
  3. ^"HMC Schools".Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2011.Retrieved12 May2008.
  4. ^"UK School Guide – Ardingly College".Archived fromthe originalon 12 April 2008.Retrieved12 May2008.
  5. ^Perry, R; Ardingly 1858–1946: A History of the School. Old Ardinians Society (1951)
  6. ^abcdefghijklmGibbs, David (2008).A School with a View: A History of Ardingly College 1858–2008.James & James Publishers Ltd.ISBN978-1-903942-83-3.
  7. ^"The Telegraph: Sports teacher at leading public school jailed for cocaine dealing (April 3, 2009)".telegraph.org.uk.
  8. ^ab'HISLOP, Ian David',Who's Who 2016,A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2016
  9. ^Flint, Peter B. (9 January 1990)."New York Times: Terry-Thomas, 78, Actor Who Satirized Britons (1990)".The New York Times.
  10. ^Bailey, Tony; Skilleter, Paul: Mike Hawthorn, Golden Boy – The life and death of Britain's first World Champion driver (2008)
  11. ^"Financial Times, The Inventory: Neil Gaiman (June 28, 2013)".Financial Times.28 June 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2022.Retrieved11 May2018.
  12. ^Wild, J. P. (John Paul); Bhathal, R.S. (interviewer) (7 February 1995),Paul Wild interviewed by Ragbir Bhathal for the Australian astronomers oral history project,Canberra: National Library of Australia., p. 2{{citation}}:|author2=has generic name (help)
  13. ^"Motorsport Magazine: The Mud-Plugger (September 1990)".motorsportmagazine.
  14. ^"Ardingly College".Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2008.Retrieved20 July2008.
  15. ^"Ardingly College – One College, Three Schools".Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2008.Retrieved29 June2008.
  16. ^"Woodard Schools – Ardingly College".Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2008.Retrieved20 July2008.
  17. ^"Ardingly College – 150th Anniversary Celebration".Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2008.Retrieved22 July2008.
  18. ^"Teachers Pension Scheme - Independent Schools - a Freedom of Information request to Department for Education"(PDF).6 June 2021.
  19. ^"The Michaelmas Half".Ardingly College. Archived fromthe originalon 17 September 2016.Retrieved9 September2016.
  20. ^"Years at Ardingly".Ardingly College.
  21. ^Letts, S; Ardingly: Its Building and Buildings. Old Ardinians Society (1985)
  22. ^"Collections Online | British Museum".
  23. ^"Public School Lodges' Council".Retrieved20 July2008.
  24. ^"Ardingly College Lodge".Archived fromthe originalon 23 November 2008.Retrieved7 February2007.
  25. ^"Welcome to Ardingly College Lodge".Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2017.Retrieved11 April2018.
  26. ^Charity and Service | Ardingly College
  27. ^UK school crosses Australia in solar car challenge – BBC Newsbeat
  28. ^"Solar Car Project".
  29. ^"Ardingly College Review: Fees, Courses, Ranking And More".Britannia StudyLink Malaysia: UK Study Expert.8 October 2020.Retrieved22 December2020.
  30. ^BBC Two – Ian Hislop's Stiff Upper Lip – An Emotional History of Britain, Heyday
  31. ^Ardingly College dinosaur find confirmed – BBC News
  32. ^'TERRY-THOMAS, (Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens)',Who Was Who,A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016
  33. ^'SILVESTER, Victor Marlborough',Who Was Who,A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016
  34. ^In defence of the 'Tim Nice-But-Dims' – Telegraph
  35. ^Ardinian creation – Telegraph
  36. ^ab"Southern Railway Schools Class".Retrieved29 June2008.

External links[edit]

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