HOME

TheInfoList



OR:


(God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school
Independent
day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , headmaster = Alex Peterken , r_head_label = Second Master , r_head = Andrew Turner , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chairman = Vicky Tuck , founder =
Thomas Sutton Thomas Sutton (1532 – 12 December 1611) was an English civil servant and businessman, born in Knaith, Lincolnshire. He is remembered as the founder of the London Charterhouse and of Charterhouse School. Life Sutton was the son of an official ...
, fundraiser = , specialist = , address = Charterhouse Road , city = Godalming , county = Surrey , country = United Kingdom , postcode = GU7 2DX , local_authority = , dfeno = 936/6041 , urn = 125340 , ofsted = , staff = ≈550 , enrolment = ≈800 , gender = Co-education , lower_age = 13 , upper_age = 18 , houses = 15 , colours = Pink, grey and maroon , publication = ''The Carthusian''
''The Charterhouse Review''
''The Chouse Views'' , free_label_1 = Former pupils , free_1 = Old Carthusians , free_label_2 = , free_2 = , free_label_3 = School song , free_3 = ''Carmen Carthusianum'' , website = Charterhouse is a public school (English independent
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 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Originally founded by
Thomas Sutton Thomas Sutton (1532 – 12 December 1611) was an English civil servant and businessman, born in Knaith, Lincolnshire. He is remembered as the founder of the London Charterhouse and of Charterhouse School. Life Sutton was the son of an official ...
in 1611 on the site of the old
Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...
monastery in
Charterhouse Square Charterhouse Square is a garden square, a pentagonal space, in Farringdon, in the London Borough of Islington, and close to the former Smithfield Meat Market. The square is the largest courtyard or yard associated with the London Charterhous ...
, Smithfield, London, it educates over 800 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. Charterhouse is one of the 'great' nine English public schools reported upon by the
Clarendon Commission The Clarendon Commission was a royal commission established in 1861 to investigate the state of nine leading schools in England, in the wake of complaints about the finances, buildings, and management of Eton College. It was chaired by the 4th ...
in 1864 and 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 ...
schools.


History

In May 1611, the
London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Farringdon, London, dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally buil ...
came into the hands of
Thomas Sutton Thomas Sutton (1532 – 12 December 1611) was an English civil servant and businessman, born in Knaith, Lincolnshire. He is remembered as the founder of the London Charterhouse and of Charterhouse School. Life Sutton was the son of an official ...
(1532–1611) of
Knaith Knaith is a village and civil parish about south of the town of Gainsborough in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 335. Knaith is a community with roots in Anglo-Saxo ...
, Lincolnshire. He acquired a fortune by the discovery of coal on two estates which he had leased near
Newcastle-on-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the la ...
, and afterwards, removing to London, he carried on a commercial career. In 1611, the year of his death, he endowed a hospital on the site of the Charterhouse, calling it the hospital of King James, and in his will he bequeathed moneys to maintain a chapel, hospital (
almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable organization, charitable public housing, housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the p ...
) and school. He died on 12 December, and subsequently the will was hotly contested but upheld in court, and the foundation was finally constituted to afford a home for eighty male pensioners (gentlemen by descent and in poverty, soldiers that have borne arms by sea or land, merchants decayed by piracy or shipwreck, or servants in household to the King or Queen), and to educate forty boys. Charterhouse established a reputation for excellence in hospital care and treatment, thanks in part to
Henry Levett Dr Henry Levett (c.1668 – 2 July 1725) was an English physician who wrote a pioneering tract on the treatment of smallpox and served as chief physician at the Charterhouse, London. Early life Henry Levett was born in about 1668, the son of W ...
, an Oxford graduate who joined the school as a physician in 1712. Levett was widely esteemed for his medical writings, including an early tract on the treatment of smallpox. Levett was buried in Charterhouse Chapel and his widow married
Andrew Tooke Andrew Tooke (1673–1732) was an English scholar, headmaster of Charterhouse School, Gresham Professor of Geometry, Fellow of the Royal Society and translator of '' Tooke's Pantheon'', a standard textbook for a century on Greek mythology. Life H ...
, the headmaster of Charterhouse. The school was moved to its present site in 1872 by the then headmaster,
William Haig Brown William Haig Brown (1823–1907) was an English cleric and reforming headmaster of Charterhouse School. Life Born at Bromley by Bow, Middlesex, on 3 December 1823, he was third son of Thomas Brown of Edinburgh and his wife Amelia, daughter of Jo ...
– a decision influenced by the findings of the
Clarendon Commission The Clarendon Commission was a royal commission established in 1861 to investigate the state of nine leading schools in England, in the wake of complaints about the finances, buildings, and management of Eton College. It was chaired by the 4th ...
of 1864. The school bought a site atop a hill just outside Godalming. In addition to the main school buildings (designed by architect
Philip Charles Hardwick Philip Charles Hardwick ( London 1822–1892) was an English architect. Life Philip Charles Hardwick was born in Westminster in London, the son of the architect Philip Hardwick (1792–1870) and grandson of architect Thomas Hardwick (junior) ...
), they constructed three boarding houses, known as Saunderites (once the headmaster's house, pronounced "sarnderites" rather than "sornderites"), Verites and Gownboys (for scholars, who were entitled to wear gowns). The school was built by Lucas Brothers, who also built the Royal Albert Hall and Covent Garden. The school continued to expand over the 20th century. Further land was bought to the north and west, increasing the grounds to over , and a new school chapel was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (perhaps best known for designing the
red telephone box The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar. Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years ...
) and consecrated in 1927 to commemorate almost 700 pupils who died in the First World War, making it the largest war memorial in England. Around 350 names have been subsequently added to commemorate those who died in the Second World War and other more recent conflicts. An addition to the campus was seven new Houses, built in the 1970s, replacing late Victorian boarding houses which were demolished in 1977. Other newer buildings include the Art Studio, the
John Derry Squadron leader John Douglas Derry DFC (5 December 1921 – 6 September 1952) was a British test pilot who is believed to be the first Briton to have exceeded the speed of sound in flight. Early life and education Derry was born in Cairo, E ...
Technology Centre, the
Ben Travers Ben Travers (12 November 188618 December 1980) was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is best remembered for his long-running series of farces first staged in the ...
Theatre, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Music Centre, the Halford Hewitt Golf Course, the Queen's Sports Centre, the Sir Greville Spratt athletics track and Chetwynd, a hall of residence for girls. In 2003, the School renovated its onsite Library. 2006 saw the opening of The Beveridge Centre for the Social Sciences. In 2007, a £3m Modern Languages building was completed. In 2007, Roy Hattersley, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and minister, reported on a visit to Charterhouse in the Guardian newspaper. After describing his impression that "
he chapel He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
s geometric spires and minarets proclaim complete confidence that Charterhouse educates men who are destined to rule the universe", he said: "Academically and pastorally, it is near to beyond criticism. And after only a brief glimpse of the school, I have no doubt that I would have been ecstatically happy there. But its existence allows the rich and the powerful to ignore the world beyond its boundaries." He therefore concluded that his aspiration to abolish private education in the 1970s was "totally justified". The 2017 ISI Educational Quality Inspection Report noted that ‘Pupils' academic and other achievements are high and often exceptional. Pupils' successes in external competitions, in academic distinctions and in sport, music and the creative and aesthetic arts are exceptional. Pupils' social development is outstanding. Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful of one another and of the adults who care for them. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent. Pupils mature into independent and self-motivated pupils over the course of their time at school and are extremely well prepared, not only for the next stage of their lives, but also to contribute to society at large.’ Charterhouse originally accepted boys only. The school began accepting girls in sixth form in 1971. In 2017 the school announced that it is moving to full co-education from the age of 13, and will welcome the first girls into Year 9 in September 2021. There will be girls in every year group from September 2023.


School terms

There are three academic terms (known as Quarters) in the year, * The Oration Quarter (OQ), from early September to mid December. * The Long Quarter (LQ), from mid January to late March. Therefore, it traditionally had the distinction of being the shortest third of the school year, despite its name. * The Cricket Quarter (CQ), from late April to late June or early July.


Houses

There are four old boarding houses and ten new houses in the White Book (a directory of names) order. In Charterhouse vocabulary an ''old'' house is one which was founded in the early years of the school, as opposed to the ''new'' houses which were created later and are situated away from the main school. They are all distinguished by the colour of the pupils' ties, umbrellas and football team's stripes.


Memorial Chapel

Memorial Chapel, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1927, commemorates the Carthusians who died in action: 700 in World War I and 350 in World War II.


Sports

Today, pupils take part in a range of sporting activities. The former England
batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter (historically, the ...
and captain
Peter May Peter May may refer to: * Peter W. May, American businessman * Peter May (cricketer) (1929–1994), English Test cricketer *Peter May (writer) Peter May (born 20 December 1951) is a Scottish television screenwriter, novelist, and crime writer ...
was educated at Charterhouse.
Martin Bicknell Martin Paul Bicknell (born 14 January 1969) is a former English cricketer. He played in four Test matches, with the last two, against South Africa in 2003, coming ten years after the first two in the 1993 Ashes series. England had played 114 ...
, the former Surrey and England seam bowler joined the school as head of cricket following his retirement from the sport in 2006.


Cricket ground

The first recorded match on the school
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
ground came in 1859, when the school played Marlborough College. From its inception, the school has used the ground to take on a number of colleges in England. The cricket ground has held a single
List-A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numb ...
match, which was played between Surrey and Warwickshire in the 1972
John Player League The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect large numbers of matches being played on days o ...
. Starting in 2006, the ground has held a number of Surrey Second XI fixtures in the
Second XI Championship The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever ...
and Second XI Trophy.


Herbarium

The School's Herbarium carries the Index Herbariorum designation GOD and is maintained as The Charterhouse School Herbarium in the
University and Jepson Herbaria The University and Jepson Herbaria are two herbaria that share a joint facility at the University of California, Berkeley holding over 2,200,000 botanical specimens, the largest such collection on the US West Coast. These botanical natural hist ...
, University of California, Berkeley. The scope of the collections is mainly the British Isles, although some plants are from Europe, South Africa and eastern North America. The principal collectors were James Edward Moxon, Rev. George Brown Moxon, Rev. Tullie Cornthwaite, Rev. Samuel Titmas (first curator of Charterhouse Museum), Frederick Yorke Brocas,
Andrew Bloxam Andrew Bloxam (22 September 1801 – 2 February 1878) was an English clergyman and naturalist; in his later life he had a particular interest in botany. He was the naturalist on board during its voyage around South America and the Pacific in 18 ...
, William Gardiner, James Buckman and John Drew Salmon. The collections are currently being digitised and being released by the
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botani ...
, on the herbaria@home website.


Controversy


School fees cartel (2005)

In November 2005, the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing
cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mo ...
, exposed by '' The Times'' newspaper, although the schools made clear that they had not realised that the change to the law (which had happened only a few months earlier) about the sharing of information had subsequently made it an offence. 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. Mrs Jean Scott, the head of the
Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the busine ...
, 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 that they were unaware of the change to the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the director-general of the Office of Fair Trading 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."


Gary Lineker accusations (2010)

In August 2010, former English footballer
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he ha ...
publicly accused Charterhouse of failing his son, George, in his bid for a place at university. Lineker claimed that the school had used him as a 'guinea pig' by ditching
A-Levels 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 a ...
for the new
Cambridge Pre-U The Cambridge Pre-U is a school leaving qualification from Cambridge Assessment International Education that is an alternative to the current A Level qualification. It is principally aimed at students aged 16–19, and has recognition for university ...
. The school reacted by saying it was proud of its students' results. John Witheridge, then headmaster, defended the choice of the Pre-U as being more academically rigorous and educationally valid than the current A-Level standard in an article in ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...
'' in August 2010.


Historic sexual abuse

In March 2012, it was reported that a 16-year-old had filmed fellow pupils while they showered, and stored the images on his laptop. The boy was taken into custody by
Surrey Police Surrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in South East England. The force is currently led by Chief Constable Gavin Stephens. Previously the force was led by Nick Ephgrave who left the force ...
for questioning. A police inquiry was subsequently established. In April 2013, a physics teacher, Dean Johnson, resigned after allegations of an 'inappropriate relationship' with a former teenage girl pupil led to a police investigation. A police investigation followed, and resulted in a conviction after trial by a jury for the teacher who was found to be in possession of extreme pornography, which depicted a woman being hanged, in 2015; he was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. A professional misconduct panel later found: * that he had sex with her in the classroom at the school; * that he had communicated his fantasies to the girl over Facebook; * that he had asked what her underwear size was before buying stockings and presenting them to her gift-wrapped; * that the relationship became sexual weeks after the girl turned 18. In 2018,
Cathy Newman Catherine Elizabeth Newman (born 14 July 1974)Campbell, Lisa (20 October 2011)"Cathy Newman, C4 News" ''Broadcast''. . Newman's date of birth is given as "Bastille Day 1974". is an English journalist, and presenter of ''Channel 4 News''. She be ...
, who attended the school on a scholarship said that she was humiliated and sexually harassed while a pupil at the school. Other ex-pupils told ''The Times'' about experiences including a humiliating initiation ceremony at the school and flashing and groping incidents. Rebecca Willis, commenting on similar themes around the time reiterated these themes, but also commented on racism which resulted in Asian children leaving. The school has subsequently contacted former pupils to ask them to share concerns.


Film location

The school is occasionally used as a film location. It was used to represent the Palace of Westminster in the 2018 BBC drama ''
Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...
''. It has previously been used in '' The Boys are Back'', ''
Jupiter Ascending ''Jupiter Ascending'' is a 2015 space opera film written, directed and co-produced by the Wachowskis. Starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis with Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne and Douglas Booth in supporting roles, the film is centered on Jupiter J ...
'', ''St Trinians 2'', ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (an adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel), ''
Foyle's War ''Foyle's War'' is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by ''Midsomer Murders'' screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series ...
'', ''An Ideal Husband'', and ''
Vampire Academy ''Vampire Academy'' is a series of six young adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a dhampir girl, who is training to be a guardian of her moroi best friend, Vasilisa ...
''.The Charterhouse on Joolz Guides
/ref>


Headmasters


Old Carthusians

Former pupils are referred to as Old Carthusians, and current pupils as Carthusians.


Victoria Cross holders

Three Old Carthusians have won the Victoria Cross: * Victoria Cross ** Hunza-Nagar Expedition, India ***Lieutenant Guy Hudleston Boisragon (at Charterhouse from Oration Quarter (OQ) (Autumn Term) 1878 to OQ 1880). He later achieved the rank of
brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
. (1864–1931) ** Mohmand Campaign, Bilot, India ***Lieutenant
James Morris Colquhoun Colvin Colonel James Morris Colquhoun Colvin VC (26 August 1870 – 7 December 1945) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of a B ...
(at Charterhouse from Cricket Quarter (CQ) (Summer Term) 1884 to CQ 1888). He later achieved the rank of
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. (1870–1945) ** First World War ***Lieutenant Eric Archibald McNair (at Charterhouse from CQ 1907 to CQ 1913 – was Head of the School). He later achieved the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. (1894–1918)


See also

* List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)


References


External links


Charterhouse School website
* {{authority control Boys' schools in Surrey Independent schools in Surrey Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Boarding schools in Surrey International Baccalaureate schools in England Racquets venues Educational institutions established in the 1610s 1611 establishments in England School buildings completed in 1872 Relocated schools Cricket grounds in Surrey Godalming Surrey County Cricket Club grounds Church of England independent schools in the Diocese of Guildford Sports venues completed in 1859 Schools cricket