Holmewood House School is an IAPS

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, co-educational preparatory school for boys and girls aged 3–13, in Langton Green, near

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. The building is a

Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and R ...

mansion, originally called Mitchells, rebuilt in 1837 after a fire.

Notable former pupils

* Sir Terence Etherton (

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

) * Tristan Gemmill (actor) *

Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens (born 10 October 1982) is a British actor and writer. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series '' Downton Abbey'' (2010–2012). He also starred as ...

(actor) *

Hugh Skinner Hugh William Skinner (born 6 January 1985) is an English actor. He is best known for starring in sitcoms ''W1A'' (2014–2017) and '' The Windsors'' (2016–2020), and his appearances in musical films ''Les Misérables'' (2012) and ''Mamma Mi ...

(actor) *

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...

(musician, singer with

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

) *

Femi Fani-Kayode David Oluwafemi Adewunmi Abdulateef Fani-Kayode (born 16 October 1960) is a Nigerian politician, essayist, poet and lawyer. He was a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was with the opposition's All Progressive Congress (A ...

(Nigerian lawyer and politician) *

Andy Zaltzman Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and author who largely deals in political and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', '' The Department'', ...

(pun expert and comedian) *

Herbert Addo Herbert Addo (24 June 1951 – 24 March 2017) was a Ghanaian Premier League football coach. He was born in Accra. He coached Hasaacas, Asante Kotoko, Ashanti Gold, Hearts of Oak, Aduana Stars and Inter Allies. He also coached Gabonese club ...

(Ghanaian Premier League football coach) *

Haydn Keenan Haydn Keenan (c. 1951) is an Australian producer, writer and director. Select credits *'' 27A'' (1974) - producer *'' Going Down'' (1983) - producer, director *'' Pandemonium'' (1987) - director *''Persons of Interest: The Asio Files'' (2012) (d ...

(film director) *

Nana Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...

(president of Ghana) *

Jake Obetsebi Lamptey Jacob "Jake" Lantei Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey (4 February 1946 – 20 March 2016) was a Ghanaian politician and advertising businessman. He was co-owner and general manager of Lintas W.A. (later Advantage Group) from 1974 before his assumption of cab ...

(chairman, New Patriotic Party, Ghana) *

Freddie de Tommaso Freddy or Freddie may refer to: Entertainment *Freddy (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip which ran from 1955 to 1980 *Freddie (Cromartie), a character from the Japanese manga series''Cromartie High School'' * Freddie (dance), a short-lived 196 ...

(singer)

Notable former staff

Robert Bairamian Robert Bairamian (18 March 1935 – 7 September 2018) was an English first-class cricketer and educator. Bairamian was born at Nicosia in British Cyprus to Sir Vahe Bairamian, a Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, and his wife Eileen Elsie Connel ...

(cricketer), was headmaster between 1959 and 1975. *

Sir Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Bri ...

CBE (astronomer and television presenter) * Bob Woolmer (cricketer)

References

External links

Holmewood House School website

Independent Association of Preparatory Schools website

Ofsted Boarding Inspection Report - February 2009

Entry in the Good Schools Guide
Preparatory schools in Kent {{Kent-school-stub