Tottenham Grammar School (TGS) was a renowned

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 ...

in North London, with local football connections.

History

A Tottenham grammar school had existed for centuries. Its origins are unclear, possibly dating back to 1456 but in 1631 a legacy was left by Sarah, Duchess of Somerset to extend the existing school house and provide free education to poor children from

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

Tottenham Hotspur

In 1882, pupils from the school and from St John's Presbyterian School formed Hotspur F.C. at All Hallows' Church. The name came from the Hotspur

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 str ...

Club, of which boys from the school were members. This football club subsequently became Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Former building

In 1910, the old school was knocked down apart from the Masters House (later to be destroyed by bombs in

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 opposing ...

). The new building on Somerset Road, built by

Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965. The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the coun ...

, was used as the school until 1937. The new building was opened by

Algernon Seymour, 15th Duke of Somerset Algernon St. Maur, 15th Duke of Somerset, etc. (22 July 1846 – 22 October 1923, in Maiden Bradley) was the son of Algernon St. Maur, 14th Duke of Somerset and Horatia Morler. He was also a baronet. On September 5, 1877, he married Susan M ...

on 12 October 1910, and cost £10,327. The school had four houses - Somerset, Morley, Bruce and Howard. In 1971 it became the Education Department of Haringey Council.

New building

On 26 February 1938 due to increased numbers at the school, a site was opened on Creighton Road near White Hart Lane by Middlesex County Council. It housed 450 boys. In the early part of the war, at the time of

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

, the boys were evacuated to

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...

, to be taught at King Edward's Grammar School in the afternoons. The boys lived around the village of

Writtle The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravis ...

, west of Chelmsford; some also went to

Hatfield Peverel Hatfield Peverel is a village and civil parish at the centre of Essex, England. It is located 6 miles (10 km) north-east from Chelmsford, the nearest large city, which it is connected by road and rail. The parish includes the hamlets of ...

, specifically

Hatfield Peverel Priory Hatfield Peverel Priory (also known as Hatfield Priory) was a Benedictine priory in Essex, England, founded as a secular college before 1087 and converted into priory as a cell of St Albans by William Peverel ''ante'' 1100. It is in the English H ...

. From 1941, once the Blitz had finished (10 May 1941). An Army Cadet Corps was formed, along with an Air Training Corps in 1942 - 1571 Squadron, now known as Aylward Squadron.

V2 explosion

On 15 March 1945, a

V-2 The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...

rocket landed on the corner of White Hart Lane and Queen Street, killing two fourth-year boys, with another losing his right arm.

New buildings

In 1960 new buildings opened for the sixth form and laboratories. By this time the school had 700 boys.

Comprehensive

In 1967 the school merged with the Rowland Hill Secondary Modern School in Lordship Lane, which was named after Sir Arthur Rowland Hill and had opened in 1938, to form the Somerset School, a voluntary-controlled boys' comprehensive school. The school's houses were now Baxter, Coleraine, Drayton and Hill. Due to falling numbers this school closed in 1988, by which time it was situated on one site on White Hart Lane. The Lower School was demolished to become a housing estate on Somerset Close. The Upper School was demolished in 1989, becoming a housing estate on Somerset Gardens, and a site for Middlesex University - halls of residence for the Tottenham Campus, which closed in 2005 (the former St Katharine's College teacher training college).

Foundation

The sale of the school provided £9.1 million, which was used to set up a charitable foundation, the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation.

Notable former pupils

* George Petros Efstathiou, Professor of Astrophysics University of Cambridge *

Martin Benson (actor) Martin Benjamin Benson (10 August 1918 – 28 February 2010) was a British character actor who appeared in films, theatre and television. He appeared in both British and Hollywood productions. Early life Benson was born in the East End of ...

* Peter Lyster (marketeer) * Prof James A. Beckford * Sir Patrick Bishop, Conservative MP from 1950 to 1964 for Harrow Central * David V. Day, British theologian, teacher, and former Principal of St John's College, Durham *

Eric Deakins Eric Petro Deakins (born 7 October 1932) is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Walthamstow West from 1970 to February 1974, and Walthamstow from that election until 1987. He has also worked as an internation ...

, Labour MP from 1970 to 1974 for Walthamstow West, and from 1974 to 1987 for Walthamstow * Si
Archibald Forster
Chairman and Chief Executive from 1983 to 1993 of Esso UK, Manager from 1964 to 1969 of the

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, and President from 1985 to 1986 of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and from 1988 to 1990 of the

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, Head from 1957 to 1988 of the

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* Prof William James, Professor of Botany from 1959 to 1967 at

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* Gary Lefley, general secretary for the

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, radio DJ * D
Geoff Manning
CBE, physicist, and Director from 1979 to 1986 of the

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) is one of the national scientific research laboratories in the UK operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). It began as the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory, merged with the Atlas ...

* John Mastel CVO CBE, police officer * Sir

Alec Merrison Sir Alexander Walter Merrison FRS (20 March 1924 – 19 February 1989) was a British physicist. He was a professor in Experimental Physics at Liverpool University and the first Director of the new Daresbury Nuclear Physics Laboratory. He later ...

, physicist and Vice-Chancellor from 1969 to 1984 of the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Mick Newmarch
Chief Executive from 1990 to 1995 of Prudential Corporation plc *

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, actor known for

Sexton Blake (TV series) ITV aired ''Sexton Blake'' starring Laurence Payne as Sexton Blake and Roger Foss as Tinker from Monday 25 September 1967 to Wednesday 13 January 1971. Plot In keeping with Sexton Blake's classic print adventures, Payne's Blake drove a white ...

Roy Perry Roy Perry (born 12 February 1943) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 to 2004. Background Perry is a graduate of the University of Exeter with a degree in Government and Polit ...

, Conservative MEP from 1999 to 2004 for

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, and father of Caroline Nokes * Sir

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, Labour MP from 1951 to 1963 for

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

* Arthur Blaikie Purvis, Canadian industrialist and war purchasing agent * Geoffrey Roe, Director-General from 1991 to 1995 of Defence Contracts at the MoD * Sir Owen Williams, civil engineer who designed the first section of the M1 *

Mike Winters Michael John Winters (born November 19, 1958) is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League from 1988 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 to 2019, wearing number 33. For the 2011 seaso ...

, comedian (

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)
Anthony Bailey
Channel Swimmer, Swam the English Channel using Breaststroke on September 7, 2014 in 25hrs 56min. The 11th person to complete this swim using this stroke since

Captain Matthew Webb Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in ...

in 1875. There were 2 previous attempts by Anthony in 2007 and 2012.

Other "Tottenham" schools

* Tottenham County School, a co-educational grammar school on ''Selby Road'' - became Tottenham School in 1967, then White Hart Lane School in 1983 when it merged with the Wood Green Comprehensive School * Tottenham High School for Girls on ''High Road'', became the High Cross Girls' School in 1967Tottenham High School

References

External links

Tottenham Grammar School Foundation
{{authority control Defunct grammar schools in England Boys' schools in London Defunct schools in the London Borough of Haringey Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 1631 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 1630s Educational institutions disestablished in 1988 Explosions in London Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed during World War II 1988 disestablishments in England

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 ...