The Chorister School was a co-educational independent school for the 3 to 13 age range. It consisted of a Pre-School (opened in September 2008), a pre-preparatory and
preparatory day and boarding school in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
*Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It was set in an enviable position on a World Heritage Site, in a range of Grade I
listed buildings
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
adjacent to
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
, surrounded by the woodlands and riverbanks of the River Wear.
The majority of the pupils at the school attended on a 'day' basis, with about 45 boarders of both sexes making up the balance. Pupils did not have to be Cathedral choristers, but those boys and girls who were choristers could be either boarders or day pupils. Pupils were taught in small classes in a collection of historic buildings all of which formed part of the college, or
cathedral close.
The Chorister School merged with nearby
Durham School
Durham School is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Durham, North East England and was an all-boys institution until 1985, when girls were admitted to the sixth form. The school takes pupils a ...
, closing 28 September 2021.
History
Its creation dates back to 1416 as a school for the cathedral's
choirboy
A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble.
As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that " Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...
s. Whilst historically the school had fewer pupils, from 5 to 24, ages 8 to 20, expansion began in 1948 to reach the numbers of today. This necessitated a number of moves of building in the cathedral area. The school became co-educational in 1994. On 28 September 2021 the school closed as a result of a merger with Durham School.
[
]
Choristers
All Durham Cathedral choristers attend The Chorister School.
The Durham Cathedral Choir consists of 20 girl choristers and 20 boy choristers who sing separately alongside the 12 adults of the choir. Choristers typically join the choir between the ages of 7 and 9 and remain until the age of 13.
The choristers receive a discounted education as boarding or day pupils. Further means tested financial support can be provided. Choristers are able to participate fully in all of the extra-curricular activities that the school offers, including drama and sport.
Choristers receive a first class musical education and experience performing to the highest of standards in one of Britain's favourite buildings. The majority of the choir's singing takes place during the daily worship of Durham Cathedral. However, the choir also takes part in concerts, recordings, live broadcasts on the radio and tours.
Music
Music was a huge part of the school with many school choirs and a variety of ensembles that perform regularly during the year. A wide range of specialist music teachers offered tuition in a range of instruments. Many pupils left the school at the end of Year 8 with music scholarships to their chosen next school.
Academic studies
A broad curriculum was offered to the pupils, tailored to the needs of today but with traditional elements, covering all of the national curriculum subjects but also French and Latin, and from Year 7, Critical Thinking and Mandarin. Pupils worked towards reaching Common Entrance level by the end of Year 8. Many pupils left the school at the end of Year 8 with academic scholarships to their chosen next school.
Sport
Sports facilities were impressive with a purpose built sports hall and two spacious and picturesque playing fields. The school played a wide range of sports, with pupils from Year 3 upwards competing against both independent and state schools with great success. Many pupils competed both locally and nationally in wide range of sports and activities. The school also had a competing equestrian team and rowing club. Many pupils left the school at Year 8 with sports scholarships to their chosen next school.
Drama
Drama at The Chorister School was a key part of the academic and extra-curricular provision. Productions were varied and took place throughout the year for pupils from Pre-School upwards
Head teachers
* Henry Madden: 1876–?
* F. S. Dennett: 1914–1929
* Henry Yorke Ganderton: 1929–1957
* John M. Grove: 1957–1978
* Raymond G Lawrence: 1978–1994
* Stephen Drew: 1994–2003
* Ian Hawksby: 2003–2010
* Lin Lawrence (interim): 2010
* Yvette Day: 2011–2017[ ]
* Ian Wicks: 2018—2021
Notable former pupils
*Roger Lord (1924-2014), Principal Oboist, London Symphony Orchestra (1953-1986). Husband to Madeleine Dring
Madeleine Winefride Isabelle Dring (7 September 1923 – 26 March 1977) was an English composer, pianist, singer and actress.
Life
Madeleine Dring spent the first four years of her life at Raleigh Road, Harringay, before the family moved to Stre ...
, he edited and published many of her works as well as his own in later life.
*Francis Habgood
Sir Francis John Stapylton Habgood (born 19 November 1964) is a retired senior British police officer. He was the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. He was appointed in April 2015. He is also a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford ...
(born 1964), chief constable
*Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–201 ...
(born 1955), comedian and actor known for ''Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robins ...
'' and "Mr. Bean
''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and R ...
"
*Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
(born 1953), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
*James Fenton
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
(born 1949), poet, journalist and literary critic
*Christopher Hancock
Christopher Anthony Arthur Hancock (5 June 1928 – 29 September 2004) was a British television and theatre actor. He was born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England. His brother was actor Stephen Hancock. He and his brother trained a ...
(1928–2004), actor
*Stephen Hancock
Philip Stephen Hancock (24 November 1925 – 1 November 2015) was a British television and stage actor, musical director and pianist.
He was born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham and attended the Chorister School, Durham and the Darlingt ...
(younger brother of Christopher), actor, who played Ernest Bishop
''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1967, by order of first appearance.
Steve Tanner
Stephen Edward "Steve" Tanner, played by Paul Maxwe ...
in ''Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
''
* Sir John Laws (born 1945), The Rt Hon Lord Justice Laws, High Court Judge between 1992 and 1999, when he came to the Court of Appeal
* Paddy MacDee (Patrick McDermott) (born c. 1950), radio programme host
*Sir Peter Vardy
Sir Peter Vardy DL (born 4 March 1947) is an English businessman. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009 ranking of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom, he placed 388th with an estimated fortune of £140 million.
Vardy attended t ...
(born 1947), businessman
* James Wood (born 1965), Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and contributor to ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''
*Ralph Woodward
Ralph Woodward (born 17 November 1971) is an English classical conductor, arranger and organist. His main focus is on conducting choirs.
Early life and education
Ralph Woodward was born in Stockton-on-Tees, England.
He attended Durham Chorister ...
(born 1971), musician
*Hall Charlton
Hall Christopher Charlton (born 25 October 1979 in Durham) is a former rugby union footballer who played at scrum half for Newcastle Falcons.
Whilst at Newcastle he was a replacement in both the 2001 and 2004 Anglo-Welsh Cup finals as Newcast ...
(born 1979), scrum half for Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
References
External links
School website
Profile
on the ISC #REDIRECT ISC
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website
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1416 establishments in England
Boarding schools in County Durham
Choir schools in England
Schools in Durham, England
Educational institutions established in the 15th century
Defunct schools in County Durham
Cathedral schools
Grade I listed buildings in County Durham
Grade I listed educational buildings
Defunct Church of England schools
Durham Cathedral
Educational institutions disestablished in 2021
2021 disestablishments in England