Holy Cross Preparatory School is an independent preparatory school for girls aged 4–11 in Coombe,

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History

Holy Cross Preparatory School was founded by the

Sisters of the Holy Cross Menzingen The Sisters of Holy Cross Menzingen is a Catholic congregation of nuns. It was founded in 1844 in Menzingen, Canton Zug, Switzerland by Mother Bernarda Heimgartner, now listed as "Venerable" by the Catholic Church. The order is now international ...

, an international teaching order which has been engaged in the work of education since 1844. A Christian ethos is taught in an ecumenical framework. Holy Cross Prep was originally the junior department of Holy Cross School in

New Malden New Malden is an area in South West London, England. It is located mainly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes ...

. It moved out to its new premises in 1971 to form what is now Holy Cross Preparatory School.

Buildings

The school is located on George Road in Coombe, a historical estate dating back to the 13th century which was previously owned by the Crown. In 1215

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gave the estate to Hugh de Nevill, former

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

. The school occupies a Victorian-era mansion, lodge and grounds once known as Coombe Leigh, and later Coombe Ridge House. Constructed and owned by the author

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

, it was completed in 1874. Galsworthy and his family lived there until 1884. In the grounds of the school is the ancient monument "The Ivy Conduit", part of an elaborate water system built in 1516 to supply

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

's newly built

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

. The Conduit House fell into disrepair after being damaged by a German

V1 bomb V1, V01 or V-1 can refer to version one (for anything) (e.g., see version control) V1, V01 or V-1 may also refer to: In aircraft * V-1 flying bomb, a World War II German weapon * V1 speed, the maximum speed at which an aircraft pilot may abort ...

in June 1944. The school successfully applied for a grant from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and the house has since been restored. The Ivy Conduit has been designated a

Grade II listed 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 ...

building.

House system

There are four houses and each house is led by a House Captain (usually a Year 6 pupil) and Vice-Captain. *

St. Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

* St. Teresa * St. Elizabeth * St. Francis

Awards and recognition

Holy Cross was named "Independent Preparatory School of the Year" in 2013 by The Sunday Times

References

External links

* ISI Inspectio
ReportsProfile
on the IAPS website {{authority control Independent schools in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Independent girls' schools in London Preparatory schools in London Roman Catholic independent schools in the Archdiocese of Southwark