Old Wandsworth School, converted to flats

Wandsworth School was a local authority maintained boys' secondary school in

Southfields Southfields is a district of inner London located within the London Borough of Wandsworth, England, 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of Charing Cross. Southfields is mainly residential, historically a part of Wandsworth itself, and is divided b ...

, London. Established in 1895, it became a selective

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 ...

, then an all-ability

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

, before merging in 1986 and finally closing in 1991. From the 1960s it became well known for its choir.

History

Wandsworth School was founded in 1895 as a Day Science School in adapted premises in

Wandsworth High Street Wandsworth High Street is the main shopping street in Wandsworth, London, England. It forms part of the London inner ring road, the South Circular Road; it is also part of the westbound A3 (the eastbound carriageway follows a parallel road). T ...

, and was renamed ''Wandsworth Technical Institute Secondary School'' in 1900. After the passing of the

Education Act 1902 The Education Act 1902 ( 2 Edw. 7 c. 42), also known as the Balfour Act, was a highly controversial Act of Parliament that set the pattern of elementary education in England and Wales for four decades. It was brought to Parliament by a Conservat ...

the school developed an academic based grammar school curriculum, and in 1908 became the ''Wandsworth County School''. Initially

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, the School became boys-only when Mayfield Girls Grammar School opened in 1909.How your House got its name. ''The Link, School Magazine''. Pages 39-40. Spring 1973. By 1920 the school had over 500 boys and was one of the largest grammar schools in London.Former Wandsworth School choir ''Bach Cantatas Website''
In 1927 it moved to a new building in Sutherland Grove in Southfields, and became known as ''Wandsworth School''.Wandsworth School Prospectus. Published by Inner London Education Authority 1969. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

and education continued there. Post war, Wandsworth School began to expand and broaden its intake beyond the academic range. In 1947 the school took over administration of the secondary technical school of the Brixton School of Building,"The past in the present at Wandsworth". H Raymond King. ''The Link, School Magazine''. July 1970. and by 1955 the school had three non-selective first-year groups, in addition to those in the grammar stream. The same year, 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 ...

announced that Wandsworth would become one of five new

s in London – among the first in the country. In 1957, Wandsworth School formally became a non-selective boys' comprehensive when it merged with Wandsworth Technical College. As part of these changes, the school expanded to fifteen-form entry with a roll of over 2,100 – reducing to twelve-form entry in the 1960s – with a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to o ...

introduced. New buildings were opened on the site's playing fields, including a

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

, the first in a British school, a swimming pool and workshops for technical and vocational training. During much of its history Wandsworth School enjoyed continuity of leadership, with only two headmasters in 63 years: H Thwaite from 1900 to 1932, and H. Raymond King from 1932 to 1963. King was a strong advocate of comprehensive education, and led the school's post war expansion. A. E Howard was head from 1963 to 1974. Both King (1963) and Howard (1972) were appointed Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. In 1986, with rolls falling across London, the school merged with Spencer Park School, another boys' comprehensive, and was renamed the John Archer School, after John Archer, the late mayor of

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

and London's first black mayor. With educational reforms and rolls continuing to decline, the John Archer School closed in 1991. The Sutherland Grove site ceased to be a school and some of the land was made over to housing. The 1950s buildings were demolished, while the original 1927 building was converted into flats. The remaining land was used for a new

secondary school, with

Saint Cecilia's Church of England School Saint Cecilia's Church of England School (commonly referred to as 'Saint Cecilia's') is a Church of England secondary school in Southfields, south-west London. It opened in 2003 as Saint Cecilia's, Wandsworth Church of England School, and was r ...

opening in 2003.Information on the school. ''St Cecilia’s School website.''
/ref>

Wandsworth School Boys' Choir

The 200 strong Wandsworth School Boys' Choir was created and developed by Russell Burgess, Director of Music at the School from 1954 until his death at the age of 48 in 1979.School history, ''Wandsworth School Choir''.
/ref> The choir performed at a number of major music festivals, including the

Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

and the

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festival Th ...

, and undertook recordings alongside professional orchestras, including the London Symphony, New Philharmonia,

London Philharmonic The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

and the Dutch

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls i ...

. Burgess and the choir had a close association with the composer

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and performed several of his works. In 1972 the choir received the award for the Best Classical Choral Performance at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards, while Russell Burgess was appointed a Member of the

in the 1975

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

Wimbledon Tennis Championships

The school was within a mile of the

All England Club The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam te ...

where the annual

Wimbledon Tennis Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

take place. Between 1969 and 1986 the school supplied ball boys for the tournament, with the merged John Archer School continuing the tradition from 1987 until its closure in 1991.

Notable former pupils

Wandsworth Technical Institute

* Stuart Campbell, journalist and editor of the '' Sunday Pictorial'' and ''

The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ' ...

Wandsworth Grammar School

* Leonard Badham, former managing director of J Lyons & Co in the late 1970s * Allen Carr, author and anti-smoking guru * Arthur Charlesworth, managing director of

Mowlem Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006. History The firm was founded by John Mowlem in 1822, and was continued as a partnership by successive generati ...

from 1978–89 * Donald Grant, director general of the

Central Office of Information The Central Office of Information (COI) was the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive reported to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. It was a non-ministerial department, and became an executive agency and a ...

from 1982–5 * Sir John Greenborough, president of the CBI from 1978–80 and of the

Institute of Petroleum The Institute of Petroleum (IP) was a UK-based professional organisation founded in 1913 as the Institute of Petroleum Technologists. It changed its name to the Institute of Petroleum in 1938. The institute became defunct when it merged with the I ...

from 1976–8, and former managing director of

Shell-Mex & BP Shell-Mex and BP Ltd was a British joint venture between petroleum companies Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) and BP. It was formed in 1932 when both companies decided to merge their United Kingdom marketing operations,Reference and contact details: GB ...

in the early 1970s * Peter Jewell, professor of physiology of reproduction at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

from 1977–92, and president of

The Mammal Society The Mammal Society is a British charity devoted to the research and conservation of British mammals. The Mammal Society was formed in 1954, and the inaugural spring conference took place the following year at The University of Exeter. The Mammal ...

from 1991–3 *

Leslie O'Brien, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury Leslie Kenneth O'Brien, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury (8 February 1908 – 24 November 1995) was Governor of the Bank of England. After attending Wandsworth Grammar School in London, he joined the Bank of England in 1927 and rose through the ...

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the Ba ...

from 1966–73 * William Roots, chief executive 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 1994–2000 * John Waddington,

provost of St Edmundsbury The Dean of St Edmundsbury is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Saint James in Bury ...

from 1958–76 and grand chaplin of the Royal

Masonic Order Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

from 1968 * John Edward Wall, Baron Wall, chairman of

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, and then of ICL from 1968–72 *

Basil Weedon Professor Basil Charles Leicester Weedon CBE, FRS (18 July 1923 – 10 October 2003) was an organic chemist and university administrator. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, he was the first to map the structures of carotenoid pigme ...

, vice-chancellor of the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

from 1976–88 * John Westcott, Professor of Control Systems from 1961–84 at

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, and President of the

Institute of Measurement and Control Founded in 1944 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1975, The Institute of Measurement and Control (InstMC) is a professional members institution for individuals and companies that operate within the measurement and control industries. Its aims a ...

from 1979–80 * Robert Williamson, professor of medical genetics from 1995–2005 at the

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences of the University of Melbourne has the largest number of post-graduate enrolments in the University of Melbourne and also hosts the most school departments and centres of all University of Melbourn ...

and director of the

Murdoch Children's Research Institute The Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) is an Australian paediatric medical research institute located in Melbourne, Victoria, affiliated with the Royal Children's Hospital and the University of Melbourne. The institute has six research ...

Wandsworth Comprehensive School

* Felix Alvarez, a human, civil and

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

rights

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Martin Bashir Martin Henry Bashir (born 19 January 1963) is a British journalist. He was a presenter on British and American television and for the BBC's ''Panorama'' programme, for which he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995. Although the intervie ...

, TV reporter''Old Wandsworthians Memorial Trust''.
/ref> * Eric Crees, trombonist *

Ainsley Harriott Ainsley Denzil Dubriel Harriott (born 28 February 1957) is an English chef and television presenter. He is known for his BBC cooking game shows '' Can't Cook, Won't Cook'' and '' Ready Steady Cook''. Early life Harriott was born in Paddin ...

, TV chef *

Phil Hope Philip Ian Hope (born 19 April 1955) is a former British Labour and Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Corby from 1997 until 2010, when he lost his seat to the Conservatives. He held several ministerial roles duri ...

, Labour MP from 1997–2010 for

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...

* Richard Pearson, recipient of the Vierdaagse Cross in gold *

Henry Rzepa Henry Stephen Rzepa (born 1950) is a chemist and Emeritus Professor of Computational chemistry at Imperial College London. Education Rzepa was born in London in 1950, was educated at Wandsworth Comprehensive School, and then entered the chemi ...

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

computational chemistry Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses computer simulation to assist in solving chemical problems. It uses methods of theoretical chemistry, incorporated into computer programs, to calculate the structures and properties of m ...

Jeremy Sanders Jeremy Keith Morris Sanders (born 3 May 1948) is a British chemist and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Royal Society Open Science. He is known for his contributio ...

, professor in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry,

from 1996–2015 * Chris Straker, certified master rug cleaner * John Warburton, CEO DONEDEAL, International private company *

Gary Wilmot Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British singer, actor, comedian, presenter, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant on ''New Faces''. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host of '' You and Me'', ...

, actor, comedian and singer * William "Bill" Hobbs, founder of AFC Wandsworth Youth FC * Christopher Warwick (then Collings), athorized biographer of Princess Margaret, royal biographer and commentator

References

External links

Old Wandsworthians Memorial Trust

https://web.archive.org/web/20090403180314/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.carpenters/oldwands.htm (''Archived site'')]
Wandsworth School Choir: including recordings and media appearances

*
Wandsworth School Choir concert, Christmas 1979. ''You Tube''

School prospectus, circa mid 1950s

Demolition of old school. ''You Tube''
{{Authority control Defunct schools in the London Borough of Wandsworth Educational institutions established in 1895 1895 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 1986 1986 disestablishments in England