West Monmouth School (Welsh: ''Ysgol Gorllewin Mynwy''; colloquially: West Mon) is a state-funded and non-selective secondary school in

Pontypool Pontypool ( cy, Pont-y-pŵl ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It has a population of 28,970. Location It is situated on the Afon Lwyd ri ...

Torfaen Torfaen (; cy, Torfaen ) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the city of Newport to the south, and the county boroughs of Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent to the south ...

, south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Admissions

Pupils who attend the school generally live in the Torfaen area. The school offers education for 11-year-olds to 16-year-olds, and 1035 pupils are currently enrolled there as of September 2020.

History

The school owes its existence to the charitable donations of William Jones, who died in 1615. He bequeathed money to the

Worshipful Company of Haberdashers The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, is an ancient merchant guild of London, England associated with the silk and velvet trades. History and functions The Haberdashers' Company follows the M ...

for the foundation of a grammar school in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

. An accumulation of funds by the end of the nineteenth century encouraged

Monmouth School Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

to build a sister school to serve western

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

Grammar school

After much discussion and debate the town of Pontypool was chosen after land of six acres (24,000 m2) was donated by local landowner John Capel Hanbury. In 1896 the foundation stone of what was then known as Jones' West Monmouth School was laid by Louisa Eager, wife of John Hanbury. The school was officially opened by

Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar (28 April 1831 – 11 March 1913) was a Welsh officer, a General in the British Army, and a peer in the House of Lords. Tredegar was born on 28 April 1831 in Ruperra Castle, Glamorganshire, the ...

in 1898, to accommodate 70 boarders and 30 day boys. The total cost of erecting the school was estimated at £30,000. The original school buildings were designed by

Henry Stock Henry Stock (1824/5–1909) was a British architect. He served as the county surveyor for Essex for nearly 50 years, and as the surveyor and architect to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. The latter appointment led Stock to undertake a co ...

, the Haberdashers’ in-house architect, who also designed structures at

Monmouth School for Boys Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

and the main block at Monmouth School for Girls. Stock constructed the West Monmouth school of red brick, with

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

dressings and roofs of Welsh slate. It is a

Grade II listed building 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 ...

. The school became a county grammar school (under the auspices of the then Monmouthshire County Council) in 1954, and the last boarders left in 1958.

Comprehensive

In 1982 the school lost its grammar school status to become a comprehensive school when amalgamated with the three local secondary modern schools at Twmpath, Trevethin and the Wern. A new block (known simply as 'N Block') was constructed and now houses the mathematics, technology and some humanities classrooms. A new music and performing arts centre was built on the site of the old swimming pool in 2001 which gave the school some of the best facilities in

Expansion and changes of school buildings

The school's original building with its tall spires and grand entrance became too small for the school numbers. By 1934 a new 'Science Block' building had been added at a cost of £20,000 and contained extra classrooms and modern laboratories. The school recently went through a six million pound overhaul that has seen numerous changes. The school now has performing arts facilities including an auditorium housed in the Haberdashers' Building. The special educational needs department has been expanded and there is a new cafeteria.

Facilities

West Mon has an

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has m ...

football pitch which has floodlights. As of November 2019, the

was closed due to it being upgraded to a 4G pitch which will come with new flood lights and fence, construction was due to finish in early April 2020. There is also a performing arts centre and two gymnasia. There are six IT suites and a comprehensive technology centre. The school also has a running track, tennis courts and the Albion rugby fields nearby. The school has been extended once again; the old dining hall has been converted into classrooms and a new cafeteria built on the west side of the site. This was due to the amalgamation of Trevethin Community School which closed in 2007.

Notable alumni

;Arts and Entertainment * Sir

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

- actor ;Public Life *

Ivor Bulmer-Thomas Ivor Bulmer-Thomas CBE FSA (30 November 1905 – 7 October 1993), born Ivor Thomas, was a British journalist and scientific writer who served eight years as a Member of Parliament (MP). His career was much influenced by his conversion to the Chu ...

CBE - Labour (then Conservative for two years) MP for

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

from 1942–50 *

Theodore Huckle Theodore Huckle is a Welsh barrister. He served as the first and to date only independent professional Counsel General for Wales, the statutory Law Officer to the Welsh Government, during the governmental term of the 4th Assembly/Senedd. Upo ...

QC -

Counsel General for Wales The Counsel General for Wales is the Welsh Government's Law Officer (akin to the role of Attorney general in other jurisdictions using the Common law), which means the government's chief legal adviser and representative in the courts. In addi ...

David Gwilym James David Gwilym James (25 September 1905 – 10 December 1968) was the second vice-chancellor (education), vice chancellor of the University of Southampton joining in October 1952 and remaining till 1965, the year being marked by university expansion i ...

- Vice-Chancellor from 1952-65 of the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

Alun Gwynne Jones, Baron Chalfont Alun Arthur Gwynne Jones, Baron Chalfont, (5 December 1919 – 10 January 2020) was a British Army officer, a British politician and an historian. Early life and military career Gwynne Jones was born in modest circumstances in Monmouthshire. ...

Llantarnam Llantarnam ( cy, Llanfihangel Llantarnam) is a suburban village of Cwmbran, and is a community and electoral ward in the county borough of Torfaen in south east Wales. The ward covers the same area as the community, but also includes Southville. ...

in the County of Monmouthshire OBE MC - former Foreign Office minister from 1964–70, and Chairman of the

Radio Authority Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

from 1991-4 *

Noel Debroy Jones Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places *Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid * Mount Noel, Britis ...

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Peel Cathedral, Cath ...

from 1989–2003 * Paul Murphy - Labour MP for

since 1987 *

Rhys Probert Rhys Probert, CB (28 May 1921 - 1980), was a British aeronautical engineer. He was the son of the Reverend Thomas and Margaret Jane Probert of Blackwood, South Wales. Early life Probert was educated firstly, at Jones West Monmouth School, then ...

CB - Director from 1973-80 of the

Royal Aircraft Establishment The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...

* Edwin Stevens CBE - Inventor of the first hearing aid ;Sporting * James Waite - Newport County AFC football player *

Terry Cobner Terence John Cobner (born 10 January 1946)
Scrum.com is a former

Ken Jones - Wales international rugby union player *

Bryn Meredith Brinley "Bryn" Victor Meredith
Scrum.com (born 21 October 1930 in

Graham Price Graham Price MBE (born 24 November 1951 in Moascar, Egypt) is a former Welsh rugby union player, who was a member of the famous Pontypool RFC front row known as the "Viet Gwent". He won 41 caps for , and a record 12 for the British and Irish Li ...

- Wales international rugby union player *

Iestyn Thomas Iestyn Thomas (born 15 December 1976) is a former Wales international rugby union player. In April 2012, he retired from rugby due to injury. Club career A prop forward, Thomas started his rugby career with home-town club Pontypool RFC, but late ...

- Wales international rugby union player *

Mako Vunipola Mako Vunipola (born 14 January 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for English club Saracens and the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residenc ...

- England international rugby union player

Etymology

The school has been known by a variety of names over the last 100 years. Originally conceived as Jones' West Monmouth School it has also been known as Haberdashers' West Monmouth School, West Monmouth Boys' School and in later years West Monmouth Grammar School. Today the school is often referred to (incorrectly) as West Monmouth Comprehensive School. Internally the school use the shorthand names ''West Mon'' or ''WMS''. There is at least one plaque in the school that refers to it as Jones' West Monmouthshire School. The official name, however, is West Monmouth School.

References

* ''Serve & Obey: The Official History of West Monmouth School 1898 - 1998'' by Arthur Crane (Pontypool: 1998). .

External links

West Monmouth School official website

WikiMapia
{{authority control Secondary schools in Torfaen Haberdashers' Schools 1898 establishments in Wales Educational institutions established in 1898 Pontypool