Cranbrook School (formerly Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School) is a

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 ...

state funded

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

and day

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 the

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

Cranbrook, Kent Cranbrook is a town in the civil parish of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, in the Weald of Kent in South East England. It lies roughly half-way between Maidstone and Hastings, about southeast of central London. The smaller settlements of Sissing ...

, England. Selection is made of pupils at age 11 and 13.

History

The school was founded after the death of John Blubery, a yeoman of the King's Armoury. In his will he decreed that if the child of his daughter be a girl, then his mansion house be turned into a free school for the poor children of Cranbrook. Queen Elizabeth I granted the school charter in 1574, which is now housed in the library.

Recent history

In 2003 alumnus

Piers Sellers Piers John Sellers (11 April 1955 – 23 December 2016) was a British-American meteorologist, NASA astronaut and Director of the Earth Science Division at NASA/GSFC. He was a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions. Sellers attended Cran ...

, a NASA astronaut, took a copy of the school charter into space with him. A photo is exhibited in the school cafeteria. In 2005 Sellers opened the school's

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. ...

, which is named after him. This observatory houses the 22.5-inch Alan Young telescope operated by the Cranbrook and District Science and Astronomy Society (CADSAS). In May 2010 Sellers took into outer space aboard the Space Shuttle an original watercolour portrait of Cranbrook School painted by Brenda Barratt. The painting was later returned to the school with official

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

verification that it has travelled into space.BBC News report, 25 January 2010 In 2018, a new day house specifically for the 120 students in Years 7 and 8 was named after Sellers.

Campus

Barham House

Barham House is the school's main office. It contains the reception room, the offices of both the headmaster and the deputy head, and meeting rooms. The school medical centre is also in Barham House, but has its own reception and entrance. The building was originally the local vicarage.

The Library

Central to the school, there is a large library which is one of the oldest parts of the school. It was once the school hall, but it was converted to the library after the number of pupils became too big to fit in the hall. School assemblies are currently held in the local church, St Dunstan's, or the Queen's Hall Theatre. The library also plays host to the original

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

provided to the school by Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. In 2019, the roof of The Library fell through, meaning it had to be closed for renovations and reopened in November 2022.

Queen's Hall Theatre

The school is home to the local theatre, the Queen's Hall. It is used for a number of both internal (performed and organised by students) and external productions, as well as some school assemblies. Many external productions are performed by Cranbrook Operatic and Dramatic Society (CODS). The school has its own technical team who help with most internal productions.

Houses

Since September 2019, the school has five day houses and six boarding houses. Each house works in conjunction with the main school to provide pastoral care and academic support.

Boys' boarding houses

* Cornwallis * Crowden * Rammell * School Lodge (only for Year Nine boys)

Girls' boarding houses

* Blubery * Scott

Day houses

* Allan House, formerly split: ** Allan Boys ** Allan Girls *Horsley House, formerly split: ** Horsley Boys ** Horsley Girls *Webster House, formerly split: ** Webster Boys ** Webster Girls * Lynx * Sellers (Junior School)

Notable Old Cranbrookians

* General Sir John Akehurst KCB CBE, Deputy

Supreme Allied Commander, Europe The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is ...

from 1987–90, and President from 1991-9 of the United Kingdom Reserve Forces Association * Sir Anthony Barnes Atkinson, Professor of Economics at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Sir

John Barraclough Lindley John Forbes Barraclough (3 September 1926 – 13 December 2005) was an Australian politician, representing the electoral district of Bligh in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the ...

CB CBE, Station Commander of

RAF Biggin Hill London Biggin Hill Airport is an operational general aviation airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south-southeast of Central London. The airport was formerly a Royal Air Force station RAF Biggin Hill, and a small ...

from 1954–56 * Emma Biggs, mosaic artist * Hugo Burnham, drummer for the English rock group

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

and Associate Professor at the

New England Institute of Art The New England Institute of Art (NEiA) was a private for-profit art school in Brookline, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1952 as the Norm Prescott School of Broadcasting and was one of the 45 Art Institutes in North America. The scho ...

Jon Cleary Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The ...

, Grammy award-winning musician *

Canon John Collins Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western c ...

, radical clergyman and political campaigner * Michael Croucher TV film producer * Barry Davies, sports commentator * Louise Dean, novelist *

Phil Edmonds Philippe-Henri Edmonds (born 8 March 1951) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level and Middlesex at county level. After retiring he became a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive. Edmonds played mo ...

, cricketer * Dr

Henry Ford (professor) Henry Ford (c.1753 – 26 July 1813) was an academic at the University of Oxford, who held the positions of Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic (1780–1813) and Principal of Magdalen Hall, Oxford (1788–1813). Life and career Henry Ford, from ...

Professor of Arabic and Principal of Magdalen Hall, Oxford *

Karin Giannone Karin Giannone (born 1974) is a South African-born British news presenter working in the United Kingdom. She is a London-based main presenter on BBC World News. Career Giannone edited the student magazine ''Varsity'' magazine at Cambridge, whic ...

, journalist and news presenter at

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

* Henri Gillet, Professor of Mathematics at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

* Harry Hill (Dr. Matthew Hall), comedian * Sir Victor Horsley, pioneering neurosurgeon *

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Sir Norman Hulbert, Conservative MP from 1935–50 for

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is withi ...

from 1935–50, and for Stockport North from 1950–64 *

Arthur Surridge Hunt Arthur Surridge Hunt, FBA (1 March 1871 – 18 June 1934) was an English papyrologist. Hunt was born in Romford, Essex, England. Over the course of many years, Hunt, along with Bernard Grenfell, recovered many papyri from excavation sites i ...

, papyrologist * Prof Richard L. Hunter, Regius Professor of Greek 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 ...

since 2001 *

Hammond Innes Ralph Hammond Innes (15 July 1913 – 10 June 1998) was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as works for children and travel books. Biography Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at Feltonfleet School, Cobham, Surrey ...

, novelist * Wing Commander Hugh Kennard, World War II pilot and later civilian aviator * Kevin Lygo, television executive and Director of Television and Content since 2007 of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

Ruaridh McConnochie Ruaridh McConnochie (born 23 October 1991) is a Scottish rugby union player. He was a member of the silver medal winning team in Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a full England International, making his debut against Italy at St Jam ...

, Silver Medal-winning member of the

Great Britain national rugby sevens team The Great Britain national rugby sevens team is the men's international rugby 7s team that is the representative team of Great Britain. After having played at the World Games in 2001 and 2005, they made their Olympic debut at the 2016 Summer ...

at the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

and England Rugby Union player * Richard Middleton, poet and short-story writer * Brian Moore, football commentator * Sir

David Muirhead Sir David Francis Muirhead (30 December 1918 – 3 February 1999) was a British diplomat, ambassador to Peru, Portugal and Belgium. Career Muirhead was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent where he was a Cadet Serjeant in the Officers' Training Co ...

CMG CVO, Ambassador to Belgium from 1974–8, to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

from 1970–4, and to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

from 1967–70 * Tony Nicklinson, Right-to-die campaigner with Locked-In Syndrome * Stuart Organ, actor * Colonel Mike Osborn DSO OBE MC, British military officer and former commander of the

22nd Special Air Service Regiment The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-te ...

* Richard Pilbrow, theatre producer * William Rootes, co-founder, along with his brother, of the

Rootes Group The Rootes Group or Rootes Motors Limited was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. Run from London's West End, the manufacturer was based in the Midlands and the distribution and de ...

car manufacturers *

, astronaut * Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton, FRS, distinguished earth scientist, Professor of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology from 1991–2004 at the

* Edwin Shirley, Rock and Roll tour organiser * Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the

Eden Project The Eden Project ( kw, Edenva) is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS ...

* Henri Tebbitt (1854–1927) an English-Australian painter * Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Weston CB OBE, Station Commander of

RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...

from 1952-3 *

Peter West Peter Anthony West (12 August 1920 – 2 September 2003) was a BBC presenter and sports commentator best known for his work on the corporation's cricket, tennis and rugby coverage as well as occasionally commentating on hockey. Throughout his te ...

, television presenter * Sir Charles Wheeler CMG, BBC journalist *

Jacqueline Winspear Jacqueline Winspear (born 30 April 1955) is a mystery writer, author of the '' Maisie Dobbs'' series of books exploring the aftermath of World War I. She has won several mystery writing awards for books in this popular series. Personal life a ...

, author *

Wallace Duffield Wright Brigadier-General Wallace Duffield Wright, (20 September 1875 – 25 March 1953) was a British soldier and politician. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Brit ...

, VC recipient

References

Duncan H. Robinson, ''Cranbrook School - A Brief history'', 1972
* Nigel Nicolson, ''Cranbrook School - An Illustrated History 1518-1974'', 1974

External links

School website

EduBase

News items

{{authority control Grammar schools in Kent 1518 establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 1510s Boarding schools in Kent Schools with a royal charter State funded boarding schools in England Academies in Kent Cranbrook, Kent