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Wellington College, Berkshire

Coordinates:51°21′51″N0°48′24″W/ 51.3643°N 0.8067°W/51.3643; -0.8067
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Not to be confused withWellington School, Somerset.

Wellington College
Address
Map
Dukes Ride

Crowthorne
,
Berkshire
,
RG45 7PU

England
Coordinates51°21′51″N0°48′24″W/ 51.3643°N 0.8067°W/51.3643; -0.8067
Information
TypePublic school
Privateboardingandday school
MottoVirtutis Fortuna Comes
('Fortune favours the bold')
Heroum Filii
('The children of heroes')
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established1859
FounderQueen Victoria
Department for EducationURN110125Tables
Chairman of the
board of governors		William Jackson
MasterJames E. L. Dahl
Second MasterCressida Henderson
Staff150 (approx.)
GenderCo-educationalThe school will have a 50%-50% split of girls and boys by 2025
Age13 to 18
Enrolment1100 pupils (approx.)
Houses17 (15 boarding, 2 day)
Colour(s)Yellow
Light blue
Orange
PublicationThe Wellingtonian
Former pupilsOld Wellingtonians
(most commonly) OWs
Campus400-acre (1.6 km2) rural campus
AffiliationsG30 Schools
HMC
The Rugby Group
Websitewww.wellingtoncollege.org.uk
View of some of the College buildings from the South Front.

Wellington Collegeis aprivate school(Englishfee-chargingboardingandday school) in the village ofCrowthorne,Berkshire,England.Wellington is aregistered charity[1]and currently educates roughly 1,100 pupils, between the ages of 13 and 18.[2]The college was built as a national monument to the firstDuke of Wellington(1769–1852), in whose honour it is named.[3]Queen Victorialaid the foundation stone in 1856 and inaugurated the School's public opening on 29 January 1859.

Many former Wellington pupils fought in the trenches during theFirst World War,a conflict in which 707 of them lost their lives, many volunteering for military service immediately after leaving school.[4]A further 501 former pupils were killed in action in theSecond World War.[citation needed]

The school is a member of theRugby Groupof 18 British public schools and is also a member of theG20 Schoolsgroup. For the academic year 2023/24, Wellington charged boarders up to £18,310 per term, or £50,930 per annum.[5]

Since 2020 the school has continuously been listed byThe Schools Indexas one of the world's leading 150 schools and one of the top 30 UK senior schools.[6]

History[edit]

Wellington College was granted aroyal charterin 1853 asThe Royal and Religious Foundation of the Wellington College,and was opened in 1859. Its first Master, which is the title of the headmaster, wasEdward White Benson,who later becameArchbishop of Canterbury.The college'sVisitorwasH.M. the Queen.[7]

Originally, the school educated sons of deceased officers who had held commissions in the Army. In 1952 a Supplementary Royal Charter extended the privilege of eligibility to the orphan sons of deceased officers of theRoyal Navy,Royal MarinesandRoyal Air Force.By the 1960s, the school was considering becoming co-educational, but for some years the lack of financial resources prevented it from doing so. The first girls were admitted into theSixth Formin the 1970s, and the school became fully co-educational in 2005. A recent change to the scheme of reduced fees early in 2006 extended the privilege to the orphan children of deceased servicemen or servicewomen of His Majesty's Armed Forces irrespective of rank, and to the orphan children of persons who, in the sole opinion of the Governors, have died in acts of selfless bravery. However, only a minority of the children at the school now come from military families.

On 6 September 2013, readers ofThe Weekmagazine voted Wellington College "The Most Forward-Thinking School in the UK", and four days laterTatlermagazine chose Wellington College as the "Best Senior School in Britain", at its Schools Awards evening in London.[8]

The Wellington Academy[edit]

Wellington has sponsored the founding of a new independent state school in Wiltshire,The Wellington Academy,[9]which opened in 2009.

Wellington College International[edit]

Wellington is in partnership withWellington College International Tianjin,in the city ofTianjinin mainlandChina,modelled on the buildings and ethos of the college, and which opened in August 2011. Wellington is also partnered withWellington College International Shanghaiand Huili School Shanghai in the city ofShanghai,and Wellington College International Hangzhou and Huili School Hangzhou in the city ofHangzhou(also in mainland China), and Wellington College International Bangkok inThailand.[citation needed]

Architecture[edit]

The college buildings were designed byJohn Shaw, Jr.,who had previously worked as an architect forEton College.For its time, the design of the College was unusual compared to the popular form, butPrince Albert,who assisted in choosing the architect, was more interested in Shaw's classical approach, having already seen the architect's design for the oldRoyal Naval SchoolinNew Cross,London.[10]The main buildings were designed in a style loosely termed "French GrandRococo",.[11]The chapel, notably only half its originally intended size, was designed bySir Gilbert Scott.[12]There have been several modern buildings, the best of which follow Shaw's grand rococo style: for example, the new Nicholson modern foreign-languages building. In 2019 the GWA Performing Arts Centre was opened, housing an auditorium with 900 seats for use by pupils and to raise funds for the Wellington College Arts Fund.[13]

The college was used as a filming location for the Netflix seriesThe Crownas a stand-in forKensington Palace(designed by Sir Christopher Wren) in seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5 first as the home of Princess Margaret and then of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of the college's original mottosHeroum Filiiis visible in a scene of the Queen arriving at the palace, and the college's official motto,Virtutis Fortuna Comes,is visible in a scene of the Queen leaving the palace.

Location[edit]

Wellington College stands on a 400-acre (160 ha) estate inSouth-East England,nearReadingandSandhurst.The grounds of the college includea 9-hole golf course,extensive woodland, and many playing fields, particularly those forcricketandrugby.The woodland area of the college is listed as alocal nature reservecalledEdgbarrow Woods.[14]The grounds also contain aSite of Special Scientific Interest,Wellington College Bog.[15]

Academic results[edit]

In 2022, 84.2% of pupils scored A*-A or 7/6 for their A-Level or IB examinations, with 97.6% scoring A*-B or 7-5 grades. In the same year, 75% of pupils scored 9 or 8 grades in their GCSEs. The school had an average IB score of 41.3 in 2022, the highest recorded in the College's history.[citation needed]

Masters of Wellington College[edit]

The first Master,E. W. Benson,
byHubert von Herkomer.

Former pupils[edit]

Main article:List of Old Wellingtonians

Sport[edit]

Wellington College was one of the 21founding membersof theRugby Football Union,and pupils at the school have historically played schoolboyrugbyto the highest standard. In 2008, the College became the first school to win theDaily Mail Cupat both U15 and U18 level in the same year, beatingMillfield SchoolandSt Benedict's School, Ealingin their respective finals atTwickenhamon 2 April 2008.[31]

A number of Old Wellingtonians play professional rugby union, including:James Haskell(England),Paul Doran-Jones(England),Max Lahiff(Bath Rugby),Max EvansandThom Evans(Scotland),Sam Aspland-Robinson(Harlequins),Rory Brand(London Irish),Max Lahiff(Bristol Bears), andMadison Hughes(USA 7s).[citation needed]

The school has one of only around 20racquetscourts in the UK,[32]one of 27real tenniscourts in the UK and until recently[when?]threeEton Fivescourts, now a café bar as part of the sports club.[33]

Controversies[edit]

The school has been the subject of reports onbullying.[34]In response to criticism, in 2006, it introduced 'well-being lessons' to the curriculum, in conjunction with a team atCambridge University.

In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools found guilty of running anillegal price-fi xing cartel,exposed byThe Timesnewspaper, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.[35]Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.[36]

Mrs Jean Scott, the head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, were following a long-established procedure in sharing the information with each other, and were unaware of the change in the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the OFT director-general, saying, "They are not a group of businessmen meeting behind closed doors to fix the price of their products to the disadvantage of the consumer. They are schools that have quite openly continued to follow a long-established practice because they were unaware that the law had changed."[37]

Houses[edit]

There are 17housesat Wellington. The majority are composed of boarders with a small number of day pupils also, although two, Wellesley and Raglan, are day-pupil exclusive.[38]Each house is either an 'in-house' or an 'out-house': in-houses are located within the main school buildings and quads while out-houses are located elsewhere on the college grounds. Each house has aspects distinguishing it from other houses, such as its own colours, insignia, andcrest(with the crest of each house being incorporated into one of each of the stained glass windows of the college chapel). Each house was named in honour of a significant figure in history, usually although not exclusively figures associated with theDuke of Wellington.

House Colours Insignia Gender Boarding or Day Housemaster or Housemistress Named for
Anglesey Maroon and Blue A Star F Boarding E-J Haining Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
Apsley Blue and Black A Pineapple F Boarding A. C. Christodoulou Henry Bathurst, Lord Apsley,later the 2nd Earl Bathurst
Benson Blue and Silver A Rose M Boarding S. Allcock Edward White Benson
Beresford Medium Blue and Black A Horseshoe M Boarding G. M. Bilclough William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
Blücher Black and White A Fleur-de-lis M Boarding S. A. S. Owen Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prince of Wahlstatt
Combermere Gold and Brown A Lion F Boarding S. M. L. Mackenzie Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere
Hardinge Green and Brown An Anchor F Boarding (Sixth Formonly) S. N. Y. Jobson Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge
Hill Purple and White A Skull and Crossbones M Boarding A. J. Adams Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill
Hopetoun Yellow and Blue A Moon and Star F Boarding P. P. & S. C. D. Gutteridge John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun
Lynedoch Navy Blue and Black An Iron Cross M Boarding M. J. Cawdron Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch
Murray Purple and Black A Moon M Boarding M. E. Denhart Sir George Murray
Orange Orange and Black A Double-headed Eagle F Boarding N. C. & E. M. Hughan William, Prince of Orange,later William II of the Netherlands
Picton Pink and Brown An Eagle M Boarding J. D. Murray Sir Thomas Picton
Raglan Red and Grey A Panther M Day G. D. Carr FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan
Stanley Maroon and Light Blue A Unicorn M Boarding C. M. Sutton Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Talbot Maroon and White An Iron Cross M & F Boarding A. E. Brown Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot
Wellesley Pink and White A Pelican F Day S. L. F. Candappa Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

The Orange, Combermere, Hopetoun, and Anglesey were all formerly boys' houses but converted to girls' houses between 2005 and 2011. The Talbot is currently converting from a boys' to girls' house.[39]

The Old Wellingtonian Society[edit]

The Old Wellingtonian Society is thealumnisociety for the college and was founded in 1890. The Old Wellingtonian Society was set up to further the interests of the college and its past and present members, and to keep former pupils in touch with each other and with the school.[40]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"The Wellington College".Charity Commission.Retrieved30 March2013.
  2. ^"Wellington's History".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2012.Retrieved16 March2011.
  3. ^Roberts, Andrew (17 February 2011)."The Duke of Wellington: Soldiering to Glory".BBC History. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  4. ^"Wellington College pupils lie down in tribute to WWI fallen".BBC News.8 November 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  5. ^"College Fees".Retrieved22 April2024.
  6. ^Outhwaite, Jenna (27 September 2022)."Prestigious Berkshire school named among best in the world".Berkshire Live.Retrieved5 April2024.
  7. ^"Visit by Her Majesty the Queen".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2010.Retrieved10 August2010.
  8. ^Two Awards in One Week - Wellington College.ISBI Schools. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  9. ^The Wellington Academy.
  10. ^Johnson, Paul."John Shaw, Junior (1803-70): A Brief Biographical Introduction".Victorian Web.Retrieved23 April2008.
  11. ^"History".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 24 August 2007.Retrieved7 September2008.
  12. ^"Chapel At Wellington College With Porch Colonnade And Gateway Adjoining West End".Historic England.Retrieved24 April2017.
  13. ^"Grants & Donations".Wellington College.Retrieved9 January2024.
  14. ^"Magic Map Application".Magic.defra.gov.uk.Retrieved24 April2017.
  15. ^"Wellington College Bog SSSI".Natural england.Retrieved3 March2017.
  16. ^Gallagher, Brendan (11 February 2009)."Thom and Max Evans named in Scotland's Six Nations team to face France".The Daily Telegraph.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved22 March2009.
  17. ^Reed, Paul (28 February 2017).Walking Ypres.Pen and Sword.ISBN978-1-5267-0942-4.
  18. ^"Wellingtonian Christmas Edition 2014 (copy 1)".Issuu.10 December 2014.Retrieved30 April2020.
  19. ^"Speech Day Programme 2015".Issuu.Retrieved30 April2020.
  20. ^"Wellington Today Michaelmas 2019".Issuu.11 September 2019.Retrieved30 April2020.
  21. ^Kitchen, The Web (5 June 2019)."Dragons' Den".Wellington College.Retrieved30 April2020.
  22. ^"Wellington College Community Report".Issuu.27 July 2018.Retrieved30 April2020.
  23. ^"Wellington College Community Report".Issuu.27 July 2018.Retrieved30 April2020.
  24. ^"Speech Day Programme 2015".Issuu.Retrieved30 April2020.
  25. ^Pharand, Michel; Hawman, Ellen L.; Millar, Mary S.; Otter, Sandra den; Wiebe, M. G. (1 January 1982).Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1868, Vol. X.University of Toronto Press.ISBN978-1-4426-4859-3.
  26. ^Reed, Paul (28 February 2017).Walking Ypres.Pen and Sword.ISBN978-1-5267-0942-4.
  27. ^Walford, Edward (1 January 1860).The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.Dalcassian Publishing Company.
  28. ^"In pictures: famous British public schools with branches abroad".The Telegraph.22 February 2016.ISSN0307-1235.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved30 April2020.
  29. ^"Prince William's godson Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece starts university".HELLO!.25 August 2017.Retrieved30 April2020.
  30. ^Pek, Chloe (15 July 2019)."21 European Royals You Should Follow On Instagram".Tatler Thailand.Retrieved30 April2020.
  31. ^Baines, Huw."Wellington College record historic double".Scrum.Retrieved23 April2008.
  32. ^"Racket Courts".Tennis & Rackets Association. Archived fromthe originalon 15 September 2008.Retrieved7 September2008.
  33. ^"Fives Courts".Wellington College Sports Club. Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2009.Retrieved18 November2009.
  34. ^"School takes bullying 'seriously'".BBC News.11 April 2005.Retrieved7 September2008.
  35. ^Halpin, Tony (10 November 2005)."Independent schools face huge fines over cartel to fix fees".The Times.London.(subscription required)
  36. ^"OFT names further trustees as part of the independent schools settlement"(Press release). Office of Fair Trading. 21 December 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2008.
  37. ^"Private schools send papers to fee-fi xing inquiry".The Daily Telegraph.London. 1 March 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved15 March2011.
  38. ^"Houses".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2008.Retrieved23 April2008.
  39. ^"Ten Year Development Plan".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 24 June 2007.Retrieved23 April2008.
  40. ^"The Old Wellingtonian Society".Wellington College. Archived fromthe originalon 24 August 2007.Retrieved7 September2008.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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