Reed's School is an independent secondary

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 boys with a mixed

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

located in

Cobham, Surrey Cobham () is a large village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, centred south-west of London and northeast of Guildford on the River Mole. It has a commercial/services High Street, a significant number of primary and private s ...

, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils (620 boys, 80 girls) with 100 full-time boarders (80 boys, 20 girls). The school was founded in 1813, by Andrew Reed and incorporated by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

in 1845 under the presidency of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

and the Marquess of Salisbury. Since 1951, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

has acted as the school's 15th patron and has visited the school twice, in 1997 and in 2014, as the reigning monarch. Alumni of the school are known as 'Old Reedonians'.

History

Founding

A notable early sponsor was the

, a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

London Orphan Asylum, London (1813-1871)

The foundation was established to provide relief to destitute orphans, including children whose fathers had died and whose mothers were unable to provide for them. Initially the Asylum used two houses; one at Hackney Road,

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

for the boys and one in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

for the girls. Exploring Surrey's Past The asylum's first unified site was at Lower Clapton Road, Clapton, where

Newcome's School Newcome's School was a fashionable boys' school in Hackney, then to the east of London, founded in the early 18th century. A number of prominent Whig families sent their sons there. The school closed in 1815, and the buildings were gutted in 182 ...

had stood. There were 206 pupils in 1826 and 453 in the 1860s. During the asylum's time in East London, it was famous for having had some 2000 hymns written for it by the English architect James Edmeston, a strong supporter of and frequent visitor to the London Orphan Asylum. Following the school's 1871 move to Watford, the East London buildings were used by the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. Only the facade of the classical-style building remains, and forms part of the

Clapton Girls' Academy Clapton Girls' Academy (formerly Clapton Girls Technology College) is a secondary school with academy status located in Lower Clapton, in the London Borough of Hackney, London, England. The school is situated north of Hackney Central on the ...

London Orphan Asylum/School, Watford (1871-1939)

) for the new school. The Prince of Wales, later

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

, and his wife the Princess of Wales and future

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

, laid down the foundational stones on 15 July 1869 and the school formally opened in 1871. The school was renamed to the "London Orphan School" in 1915, following a merge with the recently closed Royal British Orphan School in Slough it was again renamed the "London Orphan School and Royal British Orphan School", before finally being named "Reed's School" in 1939, in honour of the late founder. In the early 1880s the London Orphan Asylum lost two football matches against the then named Watford Rovers, now known as Watford F.C. Headmasters at the Watford site included Oliver Carter Cockrem and H.W. Russell. In the 1980s the buildings were converted into residential accommodation.

Reed's School, Totnes & Towcester (1939-1945)

During

World War II 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 opposin ...

the school was evacuated from Watford. The site was used as an Army hospital and then by the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

Reed's School, Cobham (1945–present)

The Sandy Lane site had been purpose-built for the Sandyroyd School in around 1905 by architects

Treadwell and Martin Treadwell & Martin were a firm of architects in London from 1890 to 1910. The partners were Leonard Martin (born 1869) and Henry John Treadwell (1861–1910). The firm was responsible for the design of Scott's (restaurant), Scott's restaurant in ...

, who were also responsible for the design of Scott's restaurant (now part of the

Trocadero Centre The London Trocadero was an entertainment complex on Coventry Street, with a rear entrance in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. It was originally built in 1896 as a restaurant, which closed in 1965. In 1984, the complex reopened as an exhibition and en ...

) and other notable structures. The new site provided facilities including a heated indoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two squash courts. A new headmaster,

Robert Drayson Robert Quested Drayson DSC (5 June 1919 – 15 October 2008) was an English naval officer and schoolmaster. During the Second World War Drayson was decorated for sinking the German Navy auxiliary cruiser ''Komet''. After the War he returned to C ...

, was appointed in 1955 and remained until 1964, when he migrated to Stowe. , while retaining its charitable element.

Royal Patrons since 1815

The school has had many royal patrons. *1815

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, (Edward Augustus; 2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III. His only legitimate child became Queen Victoria. Prince Edward was created Duke of Kent an ...

*1817 Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex *1819 Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld *1819 Leopold I of Belgium *1821

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Ernest Augustus (german: Ernst August; 5 June 177118 November 1851) was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death in 1851. As the fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Hanover, he initially seemed unlikely to become a m ...

*1822

Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profess ...

*1823

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

*1826 Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge *1826 William IV *1837

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

*1843 Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha *1856 The Prince of Wales, later

*1870 The Princess of Wales, later

*1910 George V *1936 George VI *1951

Sports

The major sports at Reed's School are rugby, hockey and cricket with academies in tennis, skiing and golf. The senior pupils (13+) play rugby, hockey and cricket in the autumn, spring and summer terms respectively. Pupils in the junior school (11–13) play hockey, rugby and then cricket. The indoor tennis centre was opened by alumnus and former British number one, Tim Henman on 18 November 2014. The foundation stone for the 25 metre, five lane indoor swimming pool was laid by Duncan Goodhew on 15 November 1990. Reed's has won the International School Sport Federation's world schools' tennis championship more than any other team (in 2009, 2011 and 2015).

Headmasters

* Robert Heath, (1826–1852) * Henry Beattie, (1852–1869) * A. F. Houliston (1869–??) * W. F. Jones * H. W. Bussell (1878–1886) * A. R. Clemens (1886–1887) * Dr. Oliver Carter Cockrem (1887–1915) * E. Hartley Parker (1915–1921) * John J. Jackson (1921–1924) * G. K. Allen (1924–1931) * C. R. Attenborough (1931–45) * H. E. D. Axton (1945–1954) *Philip Scott, acting (1954–1955) *

(1955–1964) *

Rodney Exton Rodney Noel Exton (28 December 1927 — 22 December 1999) was an English first-class cricketer and educator. Exton was born at Bournemouth in December 1927. He was educated at Clifton College, where he captained the college cricket team and wa ...

(1964–1977) – Hampshire cricketer and schoolmaster *

John Baird Tyson John Baird Tyson, , (7 April 1928, in Partick – 10 March 2014) was a British school teacher who mapped previously unexplored areas of the Himalayas. Tyson's father was deputy headmaster at St Paul's School in London, where he was brought up. ...

(1978–1982) – mountaineer and teacher * David Prince (1983–1997) * David Jarrett (1997–2014) – the first person to win a cricket blue for both Oxford and Cambridge * Mark Hoskins (2014–present)

Notable staff and associated people

* James Edmeston, architect and prolific hymn writer; wrote "Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us" for the children of the London Orphan Asylum * Sir Benjamin Louis Cohen, former President of the London Orphan Asylum * Sir William Blizard, consulting surgeon to the London Orphan Asylum * Brett Garrard, hockey coach * Richard Gilliat, former head of admissions and Hampshire cricketer, retired in 2017 * Keith Medlycott, cricket coach * Tom Hardy, actor

Notable Old Reedonians

Royalty

* Prince Zeid Raad of Jordan, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights * Prince Mired Raad of Jordan

Business

Alan Bott Captain Alan John Bott (14 January 1893 – 17 September 1952) was a World War I flying ace who was credited with five aerial victories. He later became a journalist, editor and publisher who founded Pan Books.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p.82. Pr ...

, founder of Pan Books *Sir Simon Robey, banker and co-founder of

Robey Warshaw Robey Warshaw LLP is a boutique investment bank based in London. The firm was founded in 2013 and is led by investment bankers Sir Simon Robey, Philip Apostolides, and Simon Warshaw. History Robey, Apostolides and Warshaw were prominent dealmak ...

Literature

* Thomas Burke *

Richard Dinnick Richard Dinnick (born 22 January 1968) is a British screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer and audio playwright. He is a frequent guest at writing events (including the London Screenwriters' Festival) and such ''Doctor Who'' conventions as Gall ...

, screenwriter and author

Sport

* Henrik Breimyr, Norwegian professional football player *

Jeffrey Bruma Jeffrey Kevin van Homoet Bruma (born 13 November 1991), commonly known as Jeffrey Bruma (), is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Kasımpaşa S.K., Kasımpaşa. Club career Chelsea Bruma joined Chels ...

, professional footballer, currently playing for PSV Eindhoven * Alex Corbisiero, rugby player for Northampton Saints, England and the British and Irish Lions *

Jamie Delgado Jamie Delgado (born 21 March 1977) is a British tennis coach and former professional player. Delgado has represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup, most recently in 2006. Delgado holds the all-time male record for playing in consecutive Wimb ...

, British tennis player and coach *

Daniel Douthwaite Daniel Alexander Douthwaite (born 8 February 1997) is an English cricketer who plays for Glamorgan. Born in Kingston upon Thames, Douthwaite attended Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey, then went on to Cardiff Metropolitan University, where he ea ...

, British cricketer * Jack Draper, British tennis player * Chris Eaton, British tennis player * Evan Hoyt, British tennis player *

Jack Gower Jack Gower (born 26 May 1994) is an Irish and British alpine ski racer. He competed for the UK at the 2015 World Championships in Beaver Creek, USA, in the giant slalom. Gower competed for Ireland at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Career At the F ...

, British alpine ski racer * Tim Henman, British tennis player *

Oskar Kolk Oskar Magnus David Kolk (born 9 January 1997) is an English first-class cricketer. Kolk was born at Guildford in January 1997. He was educated at Reed's School, before going up to Cardiff University. While studying at Cardiff, he made two appea ...

, cricketer * James Morrison, golfer *

Luke Steyn Luke Henri Steyn (born 7 June 1993 in Harare) is a Zimbabwean alpine skier who has competed since 2008. Steyn competed for Zimbabwe at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and became the first Winter Olympian to represent the country. Steyn w ...

, ski racer *

Theo Vukašinović Theo Heffernan Vukašinović (born 25 June 1996) is an English rugby union lock. He appeared 19 times for RFU Championship club London Scottish in the 2018/19 season. Ahead of the 2019/2020 season he joined Premiership Rugby team Wasps RFC. ...

, rugby player * Jack Kenningham, rugby player

Arts/entertainment

Richard Bagguley Richard Bagguley (born 12 November 1955) is an international muralist and artist. He spends much of the year traveling, dividing his time between on site commissions and his studio in London. Early life and education Born 12 November 1955 i ...

, muralist and artist *

Marcel Grant Marcel Grant (born 19 July 1961) is a British independent filmmaker based in London, who has written and directed four feature films, ''Open My Eyes'' (2024) ''Coffee Sex You'' (2014), ''Just Inès'' (2010), and ''What's Your Name 41?'' (2005). H ...

, filmmaker *Dr. Keith Scholey, nature documentary producer * Elvi Hale, actress * Tom Hardy, actor *Sir Simon Keenlyside, opera singer * Nigel Mitchell, television and radio presenter * Sir Nolan, music producer and songwriter * Shaun Scott, actor *

Renton Skinner Daniel Renton Skinner (born 25 January 1973) is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou and is also one half of the Brian and Roger podcast. Early li ...

, actor and comedian * Toby Tarrant, radio DJ and son of Chris *

Jamie Treays Jamie Alexander Treays (born 8 January 1986), better known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, guitarist and record producer from Wimbledon, South London. Jamie T released his debut album, '' Panic Prevention' ...

, aka Jamie T, singer-songwriter

Politics

* Edward Kellett-Bowman, Conservative Member of the European Parliament

Law

* Stuart Popham, British lawyer

Architecture

*Mark Fenwick, founder, Fenwick Iribarren. Architects of three of the eight new stadia at World Cup 2022 in Qatar, including Stadium 974.

References

External links

Reed's School website
{{authority control Boys' schools in Surrey Independent schools in Surrey Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Boarding schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1813 Relocated schools 1813 establishments in England