Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

(English

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It is noted for producing plays in Ancient Greek and its open-air amphitheatre. The school is a member of the

Rugby Group The Rugby Group is a group of 18 British public schools. The group was formed in the 1960s as an association of major boarding schools within the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. As with the Eton Group, which was formed a few years ...

, which also includes

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

, Harrow,

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

and

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

. The college was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens,

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

of Bradfield. It has around 490 male and 320 female pupils.

Overview

According to the ''

Good Schools Guide ''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and independent. Overview The guide is compiled by a team of editors which, according to the official website, "''comprises some 50 editors, writers, researchers and contri ...

'', "Thoroughly unpretentious yet with lots to boast about, Bradfield is a heavenly place to learn and to grow. Very difficult to imagine who would not thrive here. There's something for everyone and lots for all." The school, which admits pupils between the ages of 13–18, has been fully co-educational since September 2005. All first year pupils (Fourth Formers) enter a first year boarding house (Faulkner's) and then, from the second year (known as the Shell), they move to their main boarding houses for the remaining four years. The school motto the Latin rendering of Psalm 119:12 ''Benedictus es, O Domine. Doce me Statuta Tua'', which means "You are blessed, Lord. Teach me your Laws".

History

Bradfield College was founded in 1850 by Thomas Stevens. Stevens had inherited the parish from his father in 1842, having been in his family for four generations. As a tribute to his father, he set about restoring the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

Sir Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

(one of whose architect sons,

John Oldrid Scott John Oldrid Scott (17 July 1841 – 30 May 1913) was a British architect. Biography He was the son of Sir Gilbert Scott (George Gilbert Scott) and his wife Caroline (née Oldrid). His brother George Gilbert Scott Junior and nephew Sir Giles Gil ...

, was later to marry Thomas Stevens's eldest daughter, Mary Anne) was commissioned to effect the restoration. It was decided that the majority of the church, except the tower, should be demolished and rebuilt in a style influenced by that of

gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

. After the completion of the church in 1848, Stevens saw it fit to arrange a choir. While the whole village were able to sing, they were not felt to be of a high enough standard. It was proposed that a college be established at Bradfield, to be called St Andrew's College. The college was to be for the education of a limited number of boys between the ages of 8 and 12, with all to be from modest backgrounds. Their education was to be based upon 'true Church principles', with focus to be paid on reading, writing, mathematics, and music, and later on, classics and history. The first headmaster to be appointed was F. B. Guy in 1852. The headmaster was to be under control of the college Warden, who would be responsible for the principal governance of the college. Soon after the formal establishment of the college, all references to 'true Church principles' were dropped, with the focus now being on providing an education like that of other British Public Schools. By 1880 there were eight masters and 75 boys (far fewer than the founder's aim of 300); creditors were petitioning for the school's bankruptcy given debts of £160,000; by 1900 there were 292 students, making the school more financially viable.

The Greek play

Bradfield is renowned for its

Greek plays Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and outdoor amphitheatre. The first Greek play, ''

Alcestis Alcestis (; Ancient Greek: Ἄλκηστις, ') or Alceste, was a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his '' Bibliotheca'', and a version of her death and return from t ...

'', was performed in the original language in 1881. The play was put on by Headmaster,

Herbert Branston Gray Herbert Branston Gray (21 April 1851 – 5 April 1929) was an English clergyman and schoolmaster. He was Headmaster and later Warden of Bradfield College and Chairman of the Headmasters' Conference for the year 1900. Born at Putney, Gray was the y ...

to save the school from bankruptcy and was inspired by the performance of ''Agamemnon'' at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

in 1880, directed by

F. R. Benson Sir Francis Robert Benson (4 November 1858 – 31 December 1939), known professionally as Frank Benson or F. R. Benson, was an English actor-manager. He founded his own company in 1883 and produced all but two of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare ...

, who stage-managed the Bradfield performance and took the role of Apollo. The Greek play is normally performed on a three-year rota. The students who act in them receive no formal training in speaking

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

, and have only nine months to learn the lines and direction, while keeping up with their other studies. The amphitheatre was based on that at

Epidaurus Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the ...

and built in a disused chalk pit. It opened in 1890 with a performance of ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

''. The 2006 play,

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

’s ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'', directed by John Taylor, was noted for including the addition of projected surtitles and incorporating the orchestra into the '' skēnē'', using a ramp covered in sand and flooded to symbolise the sea and Medea's situation of being "between places". The amphitheatre was closed in 2009 due to its poor state of repair, especially the temple building. Following a £1.3 million appeal, the amphitheatre was restored and reopened with a performance of ''Antigone'' on 20 June 2014. The College decided not to rebuild the Victorian temple at the rear of the performing area because such "temples" are not true to the design of ancient Greek amphitheatres. The smaller ''skēnē'' creates space, making the performance of the plays easier and better enabling the theatre to be used for other drama including Shakespeare.

Headmasters

1852 F. B. Guy ?? 1868–1869 Henry Hayman 1869–1872 J. S. Hodson 1872–1877 F. A. Souper 1877–1880 Charles Thomas Crutwell 1880–1910

1910–1919

Harold Costley-White Harold Costley-White (9 November 1878 – 5 April 1966) was an Anglican dean and author in the mid-20th century. He was educated at Malvern and Balliol and ordained in 1902. He was an Assistant Master at Sherborne and Rugby. From 1910 to 1 ...

??–??S. P. Denning ??–?? R. E. Sanderson (10 years) 1928-1950 Eric Edward Allen Whitworth 1950-1957 John D. Hills 1957–1963

Anthony Chenevix-Trench Anthony Chenevix-Trench (10 May 1919 – 21 June 1979) was a British schoolteacher and classics scholar. He was born in British India, educated at Shrewsbury School and Christ Church, Oxford, and served in the Second World War as an artillery of ...

1964–1971 Michael Hoban 1971-1985 Anthony Oliver Herbert Quick 1985-2003 Peter B. Smith 2003-2011 Peter J.M. Roberts 2011–2015 Simon Henderson 2015–present Christopher Stevens

Current head master

Dr Christopher Stevens succeeded Simon Henderson as Headmaster in September 2015. Stevens was educated at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

and then read Modern and Medieval Languages at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, from where he received his MA. He began his teaching career as a college lecturer while researching for a DPhil in Italian literature at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He then established a school in France for Ashdown House, the boarding prep school in Sussex. He joined

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson (rector), Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oa ...

in 1997 where he was master-in-charge of cricket and a housemaster for nine years. In 2011 he moved to

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, and was Second Master until his appointment at Bradfield.

Other information

In September 2010 the Blackburn Science Centre was opened. The building includes green elements such as a bio-mass boiler, green roof and solar panels. Since September 2012 Bradfield has offered the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) alongside the traditional

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

pathway. In Summer 2015 Bradfield received an outstanding inspection report from the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The oldest building is College gateway, which incorporates part of a barn of 1382. The wrought iron was made by the village blacksmith. Each August, the college serves as the 'base camp' for the Bradfield Ringing Course, which aims to improve the standard of

change-ringing Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuning (music), tuned bell (instrument), bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in ...

in the United Kingdom.

Houses

Bradfield has 12 boarding houses in total. All first years pupils (Fourth Formers) enter a first year boarding house (Faulkner's) and then, from the second year (known as the Shell), they move to their main boarding houses for the remaining four years.

Old Bradfieldians

Notable staff

Weston Bate Weston Arthur Bate (24 September 1924 – 31 October 2017) was an Australian historian. Bate served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. He studied at the University of Melbourne under Manning Clark, Max Crawford, Ka ...

, Australian historian *

, headmaster 1955–1963, subsequently headmaster of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

, Anglican priest and headmaster, subsequently head of

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

Albert David Albert Leroy David (July 18, 1902 – September 17, 1945) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War II and a recipient of two Navy Crosses as well as the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in help ...

(1867–1950) Anglican priest, schoolmaster and bishop * Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy, school governor * Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (1890–1962) statistician, evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and eugenicist *

, headmaster from 1880 to 1910 * Ronald Groves, Master of

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

from 1954 to 1966 *

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

, cricket coach and groundsman * Henry Hayman, headmaster from 1868 to 1869 * Simon Henderson, headmaster from 2011 to 2015 * Michael Hoban, headmaster 1964–1971, subsequently headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

James Stephen Hodson James Stephen Hodson DD FRSE (1816-1890) was a British academic and Anglican priest who served as rector of Edinburgh Academy from 1854 to 1869. Life He was born in Clifton, Bristol, in 1816 or 1817, the eldest son of George Hodson (1787–1 ...

DD FRSE (1816–1890) who had served as Rector of Edinburgh Academy from 1854 to 1869 *

Henry Jollye Henry Clarke Jollye (12 October 1841 – 17 December 1902) was an English people, English first-class cricketer, educator and clergyman. The son of Hunting Jollye, he was born in October 1841 at Broome, Norfolk. He was educated at Bradfield Col ...

(1841–1902), assistant master, first-class cricketer * Peter Jones, Languages master and soccer coach *

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelse ...

, formerly worked in the college kitchens * General Sir Peter Leng MC, British Army officer and Master-General of the Ordnance *

Bertram Luard-Selby Bertram Luard-Selby (12 February 1853 – 26 December 1918) was an English composer and cathedral organist. As an organist, he served in Salisbury Cathedral and Rochester Cathedral. As a composer, he wrote prolifically for the church, the conce ...

(1853–1918), composer and cathedral organist * Richard Osborne, English teacher and Army House Tutor. Post-Bradfield career: Writer, broadcaster and music critic. *

Denis Richards Denis Richards OBE (10 September 1910 – 25 November 2004) was a British historian. He is famous for his work on the history of the Royal Air Force, including the three-volume official history of the service during World War II, which was co- ...

, teacher and

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

historian. * Major-General Michael Scott, (born 1941) is a British Army officer and former

Military Secretary (United Kingdom) The Military Secretary is the British Army office with responsibility for appointments, promotion, postings and discipline of high ranking officers of the British Army. It is a senior British Army appointment, held by an officer holding the rank o ...

. * John Shaw (former field hockey player and coach) *

Eva Ruth Spalding Eva Ruth Spalding (December 19, 1883 - March 1969) was a British composer who wrote string quartets and piano music, and set texts by many poets to music. Spalding was born in Blackheath, Kent, to Henry Spalding and his second wife Ellen. She was ...

, composer and violin teacher * Christopher Steel (1938–1991) British composer of contemporary classical music *

William Beach Thomas Sir William Beach Thomas, (22 May 186812 May 1957) was a British author and journalist known for his work as a war correspondent and his writings about nature and country life. Thomas was the son of a clergyman in Cambridgeshire. H ...

, later a war correspondent and writer on rural affairs *

Jonathan Saunders Jonathan Saunders (born 1977) is a Scottish fashion designer, known for his work with prints and use of traditional silk screening techniques. Celebrities who have worn his designs include Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Sienna Miller and Michelle ...

, English teacher and housemaster of Stone House * Ann Schlee, an English novelist. She won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for The Vandal (1979)

References

External links

Bradfield College websiteThe Good Schools Guide reviewTatler Schools Guide reviewThe Bradfield Society website
{{Coord, 51, 26, 57, N, 01, 07, 52, W, display=title Independent schools in West Berkshire District Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Boarding schools in Berkshire International Baccalaureate schools in England * Educational institutions established in 1850 1850 establishments in England Cricket grounds in Berkshire Bradfield, Berkshire