St John's Beaumont School is an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
day and boarding
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
preparatory school, and is for boys aged 3 to 13 years old.
[St John's Beaumont](_blank)
from 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 busin ...
, retrieved 25 July 2017 It is situated between
Englefield Green
Englefield Green is a large village in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. It is home to Royal Holloway, University of London.
The village grew from a hamlet in the 19th century, when much of Egham ( ...
and
Old Windsor
Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west.
Etymology
The name originates from old ...
on
Priest's Hill, with the school building in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
and the sports fields in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
. It was opened in 1888, and it is the oldest purpose-built preparatory school in the UK. The building is
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 ...
and was designed by
John Francis Bentley
John Francis Bentley (30 January 1839 – 2 March 1902) was an English ecclesiastical architect whose most famous work is the Westminster Cathedral in London, England, built in a style heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture.
Life
Bentle ...
in Tudor style with a Perpendicular chapel,
[St John's Beaumont](_blank)
from ''British Listed Buildings'', retrieved 25 July 2017 and it was named St John's, in honour of
St John Berchmans, who was
canonised
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
that year.
History
The school was founded by the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
and was built as a preparatory school for
Beaumont College
Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a public school in Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while lying, like the neighbouring Eto ...
.
On 25 September 1888 the school was opened by the
Bishop of Southwark,
John Baptist Butt.
In 1970, after an initial period of uncertainty following the closure of Beaumont College in 1967, the governors of
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...
accepted responsibility for St John's. However students go on, as well as to Stonyhurst, to nearer schools such as
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
,
Winchester College
Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
,
Radley College
Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley, is a public school (independent boarding school for boys) near Radley, Oxfordshire, England, which was founded in 1847. The school covers including playing fields, a golf course, a lake, and ...
and
Harrow.
Facilities
It is located 11 miles away from both
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
and Central London.
The school was built initially for 60 boys aged between 7 and 13 and this can still be seen in the provision of 60 carved wooden chapel pews and 60 individual dormitory cubicles. However, the school has expanded both its classroom provision and its facilities to accommodate over 300 pupils.
St John's Beaumont School Old Windsor
from ''Good Schools Guide 2017'', retrieved 25 July 2017
In 1993 a new swimming pool with four lanes was opened by David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to:
* David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter
* David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist
* David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer
* David ...
, a former Olympic Champion and world record holder; it is run by a separate organisation called The Development Company. In October 2009, a new sports centre was opened by 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 Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
,
List of headmasters
* Fr J. Lynch SJ (1888–1894)
* Fr M. Cullen SJ (1894–1897)
* Fr J. Lynch SJ (1897–1902)
* Fr J. O'Gorman SJ (1902–1904)
* Fr T. Ellison SJ (1904–1907)
* Fr R. Dalrymple SJ (1907–1908)
* Fr F.W.Green SJ (1908–1917)
* Fr J. Manning SJ (1917–1918)
* Fr G. Sexton SJ (1918–1929)
* Fr J. Hill SJ (1929–1936)
* Fr J. Sharkey (1936–1946)
* Fr E. Basset SJ (1946–1949)
* Fr T. Dunphy SJ (1949–1964)
* Fr K. McHugh SJ (1964–1970)
* Fr I. St Lawrence SJ (1970–1974)
* Fr C. Taunton SJ (1974–1978)
* Fr B. Walker SJ (1978–1984)
* Mr B. Duffy (1984–1987)
* Mr D. Gogarty (1987–2005)
* Mr G. Delaney (2006–2022)
See also
* List of Jesuit sites in the United Kingdom
* List of Jesuit schools
The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges and university, universities listed here.
Some of these universities are in the ...
References
External links
Official site
{{authority control
Independent schools in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Preparatory schools in Surrey
Roman Catholic independent schools in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
Jesuit schools in the United Kingdom
Educational institutions established in 1888
1888 establishments in England
Grade II listed buildings in Berkshire
Grade II listed buildings in Surrey
Old Windsor
Catholic boarding schools in England
Preparatory schools in Berkshire