Hurstpierpoint College
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| Hurstpierpoint College | |
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| Motto | "Beati Mundo Corde" (Latin:Blessed are the pure in heart) |
| Established | 1849 |
| Type | Public School |
| Religious affiliation | Church of England |
| Headmaster | T.J.Manly |
| Chairman of Governors | Rear Admiral Simon Moore |
| Founder | Canon Nathaniel Woodard |
| Location | College Lane Hurstpierpoint West Sussex England  |
| Students | 501 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 3 to 18 |
| Houses | 10 |
| School colours | Red and White
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| Former pupils | Old Johnians |
| Affiliation | Woodard Corporation |
| Website | www.hppc.co.uk |
Hurstpierpoint College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils aged 13-18, located in the village of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, and founded in 1849. It is a member of the Woodard Corporation that form the largest group of Church of England schools in England and Wales.
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[edit] Overview
The school was originally established in 1849 as St John's Middle School, based in Shoreham. Its first headmaster, Rev. Edward Clarke Lowe, had worked with Woodard at Lancing College and stayed at Hurstpierpoint for 22 years until 1872. The school moved to Mansion House in Hurstpierpoint and then, thanks to the local benefactors the Campion Family, on the 21 June 1853 made its final move to its present site. Intended to resemble the collegiate system at Oxford and Cambridge, Nathaniel Woodard designed the College to have adjoining Inner and Outer quads and the chapel and dining hall adjacent to each other.
The school comprises 10 houses:
| Name | House colour | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Chevron | Yellow/Black | Boys, day house |
| Crescent | Black/White | Boys, day house |
| Woodard | Maroon/White | Boys, day house |
| Fleur De Lys | Sky Blue/Yellow | Girls, flexi boarding house |
| Martlet | Green/White | Girls, boarding house |
| Shield | Pink/Black | Girls, boarding house |
| Eagle | Green/Black | Boys, boarding house |
| Red Cross | Red/Black | Boys, boarding house |
| Star | Navy/Sky Blue | Boys, boarding house |
| St Johns | Maroon/Grey | All Upper Sixth |
The college currently teaches pupils aged 13 - 18. The years are named as follows;
- Shell - 13-14
- Remove - 14-15
- Vth Form - 15-16
- LVIth - 16-17
- UVIth - 17-18
In addition, the College has an adjoining Preparatory School, called Hurstpierpoint College Preparatory School, and Pre-Prep consisting of about 220 pupils.
[edit] Traditions
The school still preserves a number of ceremonies, which for the most part were taken from other schools such as Winchester College, in order to give the school a feeling of tradition back in its early Victorian days.
During the year there are a number of banner processions, each house having a banner. St Etheldreda's (Æthelthryth) day - the day on which the chapel was dedicated - is Old Johnian day, the day when all the old Pupils are invited back to the school to participate in various events.
On Ascension Day, every member of the College climbs the nearby Wolstonbury Hill nicknamed Danny Hill - after the Campion family home, Danny House, located at the bottom of the hill on the South Downs. Once the whole school is assembled on top of the hill the choir sings the 17th century Hymnus Eucharisticus. After singing the hymn the Headmaster hands out the Lowe's Dole - money left by the first Headmaster, Canon Lowe, for the choir and sacristans.
The most exotic tradition is the boar's Head Procession and Feast this occurs at the end of the Michaelmas Term. The sacristans and the choir accompany a boar's head that is borne through the cloisters. As they go they sing the 15th century carol 'Caput Apri Defero' (Boar's Head Carol) and then attend the feast.
'Hurst' has traditionally performed a Shakespeare play every year since 1854, beginning with 'Richard III' after the first headmaster, Dr Lowe inspired the first players onto stage. This means that 'Hurstpierpoint College' boasts the oldest Shakespeare society in existence, older even than that of the Royal Shakespeare company which was not formed until 1875.
[edit] Sports
Hurstpierpoints main sports are rugby, hockey and cricket. Rugby is the primary sport of the Michaelmas term (September - December), hockey in the Lent term (January - March) and cricket in the Summer term (April - June).
Hurstpierpoint College enjoys a fierce rivalry with nearby Brighton College. The two schools regularly compete in a variety of sports, most notably rugby and cricket.
[edit] Notable Old Johnians
- Walter Robert Adams, Anglican clergyman
- Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy and Chief of Defence Staff
- Ben Broster, Welsh international rugby union player
- Noah Cato, England and Saracens winger
- Tony Church, Shakespearean stage actor
- Ronald Neame, film cinematographer, producer, screenwriter and director
- Desmond Plummer, politician
- Jack Sangster, industrialist
- Martin Speight, English cricketer
- Jamie Theakston (Prep School), English television and radio presenter and producer
- John Ware (TV journalist), BBC Panorama reporter
- Michael York, English actor
- Sir Bryan Cartledge, former British Ambassador to Hungary and British Ambassador to Russia
[edit] Woodard schools
Hurstpierpoint College along with Lancing College and Ardingly College were the first three of the family of over 30 schools founded by Nathaniel Woodard to provide an affordable Church of England education to the middle classes. (Others include Worksop College, Denstone College, and Abbots Bromley School for Girls.) The school has retained its affiliation with the Church.
[edit] External links
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