(Maintain justice) , established = 1856 , type = Voluntary

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, religious_affiliation = Interdenominational , head_label = Principal , head = E P Huddleson , r_head_label = Chaplains , r_head = Nigel Parker
Willis Cordner , chair_label = Chairman of the Board , chair = J. Adrain , founder =

Robert Ward Robert Ward may refer to: Politicians *Robert Ward (MP for City of York) * Robert Ward (1754–1831), Irish MP for Wicklow Borough, Killyleagh and Bangor * Robert Ward (American politician) (1952–2021), American lawyer and politician * Robert Wa ...

, address = 84 Gransha Road , city = Bangor , county = Down , country = Northern Ireland , postcode = BT19 7QU , local_authority =

Education Authority The Education Authority ( ga, Údarás Oideachais) is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. It was established under the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 (c. 12) which was passed by the Northe ...

, enrolment = ≈800 , gender = Boys , lower_age = 11 , upper_age = 18 , houses = Crosby
Dufferin
School
Ward , colours = Royal blue and yellow , publication = ''The Gryphon''
''Gryphitti'' , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = ''Grammarians'' , free_label_2 = Chair of the Grammarians , free_2 = Trevor Gray , website = http://www.bangorgrammarschool.org.uk Bangor Grammar School (The Grammar or B.G.S.), is a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

voluntary

for boys in Bangor,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...

. It was founded in 1856 by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician

and is one of eight

schools represented on the

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Un ...

. Old boys of the school are known as ''Grammarians''.

History

Endowment for the school came from the will of local

gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the r ...

and politician

Castle Ward A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. Ward was the fourth son of

Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor (18 August 1719 – 20 May 1781), was an Irish politician and peer. Background He was the only surviving son of Michael Ward of Castle Ward, County Down, one of the justices of the Court of King's Bench, and his ...

, and grandson of Michael Ward. Ward bequeathed £1,000 to be "…expended in building and endowing a School-house for the education of boys in Mathematics, Astronomy and Navigation…", in his family home town and parliamentary constituency. Initially established as Bangor Endowed School, the school was originally situated on the site of the modern day

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

building on the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. By the turn of the 20th century the school had changed its name to Bangor Grammar School and because of a growth in school population moved from site to site over a number of years. With the help of W.K. Crosby, the school moved to a new site on College Avenue, in the northeast of Bangor in 1906. The facade visible from College Avenue is a combination of two buildings: Crosby House (known as the Crosby Buildings), which dates back to 1905 and was named after the school's benefactor; and a later extension to the north, which was added as a Headmaster's residence around the time of the outbreak of

The Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918). Despite Northern Ireland not being subject to conscription like the rest of the United Kingdom, a significant number of Grammarians volunteered for the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

and fought in both World Wars, in particular the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

(1939–1945). The school population was comparatively small at this time, reaching just 200 pupils in 1930 as opposed to 936 pupils in 2008. Two commemorative plaques are erected in the school assembly hall listing the names off all ex-pupils that died whilst serving in the British Armed Forces during both World Wars. The school's Debating Society minutes present a record of motions brought to the house concerning key events of the times, including a motion concerning the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

Clubs and societies

Sport

Bangor Grammar has won the rugby Ulster Schools Cup on five occasions and has appeared in nine finals. The school is therefore ranked as seventh in terms of overall success in the competition. The late 1980s saw a particularly successful period for the school, appearing in four finals from 1985 to 1988 and winning three of them. Bangor Grammar have won the

Burney Cup The Burney Cup (Ulster Schoolboys' Senior Hockey Cup) is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the spring term of each school year and pr ...

and

McCullough Cup The McCullough Cup is a hockey competition. It is an annual tournament played for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the winter term of each school year, with the older Burney ...

and All Ireland schools titles in hockey. In 2005, a badminton double was achieved in the Ulster Finals of the Minors Division 2 and the Seniors Ulster Cup. The Minors beat

RBAI The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

in the League Final 4–2 and the Seniors won 4–2. The Seniors were also in the Division 2 final but were beaten by

Belfast Royal Academy The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...

, a Division 1 team.

Preparatory school

The school had a preparatory school called ''Connor House'' for pupils aged 4–11 until the end of the 2011–12 academic year.

Associations with other schools

As is the case for many single-sex schools Bangor Grammar maintains close links with its sister single-sex school in Bangor, Glenlola Collegiate. The two schools regularly participate in joint activities, most notably the Combined Cadet Force, which meets in an MoD-funded, purpose-built site on Bangor Grammar's campus; the two Scripture Union Societies which hold joint meetings and activities; and the two drama departments, which collaborate on student productions.

Notable past pupils

Politics

Leslie Cree Alderman Robin Leslie Cree, MBE (born 15 July 1941, Bangor, County Down) is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He was an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for North Down from 2003 to 2016.Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...

member of the Northern Ireland Assembly * David Trimble, Baron Trimble – Leader of the

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...

(1995–2005), Northern Ireland's First Minister (1999–2000 and 2000–2002) and

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...

winner in 1998. Attended the school from 1956 to 1963 *

Peter Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme Peter James Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme (born 21 November 1968) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who served as Minister for Education in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2016 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021. Weir was the firs ...

– Democratic Unionist Party member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

(2022–present), member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (2017–2022) * Brian Wilson – Green Party member of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Media and society

Colin Bateman Colin Bateman (known mononymously as Bateman) is a novelist, screenwriter and former journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Biography Born on 13 June 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar School leaving at 16 when he was hired ...

– Author and screenwriter, creator of '' Murphy's Law'' *

Jason Barlow Jason Barlow is a motoring journalist and broadcaster from Northern Ireland. He began his television career in 1998, when he was approached to present Channel Four's new car programme '' Driven'', with co-presenters Mike Brewer and James May ...

– TV presenter * Wilfrid Merydith Capper – Countryside campaigner * Peter Millar (journalist) * Mark Hamilton – BBC and RTÉ TV and radio doctor * Adam Best – Television actor, Matt Parker in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

History

Clubs and societies

Sport

Preparatory school

Associations with other schools

Notable past pupils

Politics

Media and society

Music

Sport

Rugby union

Cricket

Association football

Field hockey

Olympians

Golf

Arms

References

External links