St Marylebone Grammar School (SMGS) was a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

located in the London borough of the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

, from 1792 to 1981.

History

Philological School

Founded as the Philological Society by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of the

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 ...

, its object was to help "the heads of families, who by unexpected misfortune, have been reduced from a station of comfort and respectability." Founded in Mary Street (later renamed Stanhope Street, N.W. 1), it moved to Marylebone Road in 1827. Its fortunes improved largely due to Edwin Abbott, headmaster from 1827 to 1872. After Abbott, the school's financial position deteriorated.

Grammar school

In 1901 it was accepted in trust by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

and renamed St Marylebone Grammar School. After

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 ...

it recovered. Under headmaster Philip Wayne it developed artistic activities, acquired shared use of playing fields in Sudbury Hill, and established a country base in the village of Forest Green, near

Leith Hill Leith Hill in southern England is the highest summit of the Greensand Ridge, approximately southwest of Dorking, Surrey and southwest of Charing Cross, central London. It reaches above mean sea level, above sea level, and is the second highe ...

. In 1957 the motto "ex animo tamquam Deo" ("from the heart, as from God") was added to the school's crest at the suggestion of the deputy headmaster Kenneth Crook. After Philip Wayne, SMGS was led by Harry Llewellyn-Smith as headmaster until 1970. During his period a new and separate science block was built a short walk away from the school's main site. Roy Mansell led the science team and was for a short period the last headmaster after Patrick Hutton.

Closure

Soon after headmaster Patrick Hutton (formerly head of English at St Paul's School) arrived in 1970, the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corp ...

(ILEA) proposed to merge SMGS with the local secondary modern school, Rutherford School, later part of North Westminster School. ILEA itself came into conflict with the new

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

government, whose secretary of state for education

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

took an interest in SMGS. By 1981, however, SMGS had closed.

Current use of buildings

The former science block continues in educational use as the Cosway Street Centre, part of

City of Westminster College City of Westminster College is a further education college in the City of Westminster, England, founded originally as Paddington Technical Institute in 1904 and gaining its current name in 1990. The college has two centres in central London, lo ...

. The main school building consisted of the original school building on Marylebone Road and two later wings in

Lisson Grove Lisson Grove is a street and district in Marylebone, City of Westminster, London. The neighbourhood contains a few important cultural landmarks, including Lisson Gallery, Alfies Antique Market, Red Bus Recording Studios, the former Christ Chu ...

; the Lisson Grove buildings were demolished and replaced with an office block. The original building is Grade II

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

and remains intact; it is now part of

Abercorn School Abercorn School is a independent private school in central London offering an inspiring and caring academic atmosphere for pupils ages 2–16 years. In September 2021, Abercorn School announced that the school will begin welcoming 13–14 year ol ...

. File:Marylebone_Grammar_0002.jpg, LCC plaque with the school name; the original name and date of the school is incorporated into the arch below the plaque.

Notable old boys

Former pupils of the school are known as Old Philologians. *

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from 1980 to 1996 *

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from 1960 to 1975. * Benny Green, musician *

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, Liberal MP for

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from 1900 to 1918 and

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from 1918 to 1922 *

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from 1995 to 2004 * Sir Charles Solomon Henry, 1st Baronet, Liberal MP for Wellington (Shropshire) from 1906 to 1918 and

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from 1918–9 *

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from 1901 to 1911 * Sir

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, Pender Professor of Nanoelectronics at UCL since 2009 * John Price (England cricketer) *

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ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

* Glenn White, professor of astronomy at

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* Stuart Woolf, historian at the

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File:Marylebone Grammar 0001.jpg, Marylebone Grammar School's original building, August 2011. At this time the adjoining office building was being rebuilt and was covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting. File:Marylebone Grammar 0002.jpg, Plaque above the main entrance to the old Marylebone Grammar School building. The school's former name and date is shown on the archway, The Philological School 1792

References

External links

Old Philologians Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marylebone Grammar School 1792 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1792 Defunct grammar schools in England * Defunct schools in the City of Westminster Educational institutions disestablished in 1981 1981 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures in Marylebone Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster