, motto_translation = Go in faith , established = 1896 , type =

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 * Independ ...

boarding

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

, religion =

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, head_label = Headmistress , head = J. Duncan , chair_label = Chairman of the council , chair = Peter Warren , founder = Dame

Frances Dove Dame Jane Frances Dove, DBE, JP (27 June 1847 – 21 June 1942) was an English women's campaigner, who founded Wycombe Abbey and other girls' schools. Early life and education Born in Bordeaux, France the eldest of ten children of Revd. Joh ...

, city =

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, county = Buckinghamshire , country = England , postcode = HP11 1PE , urn = 110547 , dfeno = 825/6018 , staff = 117 Teaching
167 Support , capacity = Approx. 650 , enrolment = 650 , gender = Female , lower_age = 11 , upper_age = 18 , houses = 11 , colours = , website = Wycombe Abbey is an independent girls' boarding and day school in

, Buckinghamshire, England. It is consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls schools in academic results. The school was founded in 1896 by Dame

(1847–1942), who was previously headmistress of

St Leonards School St Leonards School is an independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 4–19 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Founded in 1877 as St Andrews School for Girls Company, it adopted the St Leonards name upon moving to its current premises, the ...

in Scotland. Its present capacity is approximately 650 girls, aged 11 to 18. The current headmistress is Jo Duncan. The school is on a 69 hectare campus in central High Wycombe. The land includes woods, gardens, a Cold War bunker (

RAF Daws Hill RAF Daws Hill was a Ministry of Defence site, located near High Wycombe and Flackwell Heath, in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the M40 motorway. The station was established in 1942 on land owned by Wycombe Abbey School, for use by the ...

) and a lake, and rises up to 150 metres above sea level in the Chiltern Hills. The freehold is owned by the school; the main house and several buildings at Wycombe Abbey are Grade II* listed.

History

Early history

In the 13th century, the area, with the parish church, was part of the holding of the Abbess of Godstow. 600 years later, the priory at Godstowe was also re-founded as a school by Dame Frances Dove, and today is a 'feeder' preparatory school for Wycombe Abbey. On the site of the present Wycombe Abbey was a large

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

known as 'Loakes House' which was the seat of the Archdale family, until 1700, when Thomas Archdale sold it to

Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne PC (I) (22 October 1675 – 17 April 1751) was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1727. Background Petty was a younger son of Sir William Petty and Elizabeth, Barone ...

. The earl, in turn, bequeathed the estate to his grandnephew,

William Petty Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to s ...

, (who inherited a different Earldom of Shelburne in 1761 and became

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

in 1782). The Shelburnes, though, had a far larger and grander residence at

Bowood House Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive grounds which include a garden designe ...

in the

Savernake Forest Savernake Forest stands on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately . Most of the forest lies within the civil parish of Savernake. It is privately owned by the Earl of C ...

and spent little time at Loakes House. Consequently, Lord Shelburne sold his estates in the area. Loakes House was purchased from them at auction by

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1797 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Smith was the third son of Abel Sm ...

, in 1798. He employed the architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

to transform Loakes House into Wycombe Abbey as we see it today. The original house and other parts of the school are listed Grade II* on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

with the landscaped grounds of the school listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

World War II

The

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

requisitioned Wycombe Abbey School in March 1942 to serve as the headquarters of the United States Eighth Air Force after the entry of the United States into

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 ...

. It was returned to Wycombe Abbey on 9 May 1946.

Houses

As at most

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

, the pupils are placed in

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

. The houses at Wycombe Abbey are: Airlie, Barry, Butler, Campbell, Cloister, Pitt, Rubens, Shelburne and Wendover. Girls in UVI live in Clarence, while the junior-most girls, UIIIs, live in Junior House. Every house at Wycombe Abbey is linked to a colour and, as part of the school uniform, girls wear ties which correspond to their House colour i.e., sky blue – Barry, green – Cloister, brown – Airlie, pink – Rubens, yellow – Pitt, orange – Butler, purple – Campbell, dark blue – Shelburne, red – Wendover, lavender – Junior. Each girl has her own 'House Mother', a girl in the year above in the same house who looks after her, particularly when new to the school. Each house has a housemistress and matrons.

Notable alumnae (Wycombe Abbey Seniors)

* Rosie Alison, producer and writer *

Eve Best Emily "Eve" Best (born 31 July 1971) is an English actress and director. She is known for her television roles as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–13), First Lady Dolley Madison in the ''American Experience'' ...

, actress *

Elsie Bowerman Elsie Edith Bowerman (18 December 1889 – 18 October 1973) was a British lawyer, suffragette, political activist, and RMS ''Titanic'' survivor. Early life Elsie Edith Bowerman was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the only daughter of Willia ...

, suffragette, ''Titanic'' survivor and lawyer * Kate Brooke, screenwriter * Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, British judge, Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household * Sue Carr, Lady Justice of Appeal *

Judith Chaplin Sybil Judith Chaplin , known as Judith Chaplin (née Schofield; 19 August 193919 February 1993), was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. Career Chaplin was elected councillor for Norfolk County Council 1975, following her h ...

, Member of Parliament (1992) *

Lorraine Copeland Lorraine Copeland (born Elizabeth Lorraine Adie, 1921April 2013) was a British archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic period of the Near East. She was a secret agent with the Special Operations Executive during World War II. Early life ...

, archaeologist *

Gabrielle Drake Gabrielle Drake (born 30 March 1944) is a British actress. She appeared in the 1970s in television series '' The Brothers'' and ''UFO''. In the early 1970s she appeared in several erotic roles on screen. She later took parts in soap operas ''Cr ...

, actress *

Penelope Fitzgerald Penelope Mary Fitzgerald (17 December 1916 – 28 April 2000) was a Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer from Lincoln, England. In 2008 ''The Times'' listed her among "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945". ''The Ob ...

, novelist and biographer * Jackie Forster, actress, TV personality, feminist and lesbian campaigner *

Elizabeth Haysom Elizabeth Roxanne Haysom (born April 15, 1964 in Salisbury, Rhodesia) is a Canadian citizen who, along with her boyfriend, Jens Söring, was convicted of orchestrating the 1985 double murder of her parents Derek and Nancy Haysom in Bedford County ...

, orchestrated the double murder of her parents * Molly Hide, English cricketer * Lady Patricia Ann Hopkins, architect *

Elspeth Howe, Baroness Howe of Idlicote Elspeth Rosamund Morton Howe, Baroness Howe of Idlicote, (; 8 February 1932 – 22 March 2022) was a British life peer and crossbench member of the House of Lords (2001–2020) who served in many capacities in public life. As the widow of Geo ...

* India Knight, journalist * Dorothy Lamb, archaeologist * Beverley Lang, Justice of the High Court *

Fiona MacCarthy Fiona MacCarthy (23 January 1940 – 29 February 2020) was a British biographer and cultural historian best known for her studies of 19th- and 20th-century art and design. Early life and education Fiona MacCarthy was born in Sutton, Surrey in ...

, biographer and cultural historian * Diana Magnay, journalist * Charlotte Moore, BBC's Director of Content *

Florence Nagle Florence Nagle (26 October 1894 – 30 October 1988) was a British trainer and breeder of racehorses, a breeder of pedigree dogs, and an active feminist. Nagle purchased her first Irish Wolfhound in 1913, and went on to own or breed twen ...

, trainer and breeder of racehorses, breeder of pedigree dogs, feminist * Melanie Nakhla, soprano 2 in classical crossover group All Angels *

Winifred Peck Winifred Peck, née Knox, (1882–1962) was an English novelist and biographer. Biography Winifred Frances Knox was born in Headington, England in 1882. Her father was Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, the fourth Bishop of Manchester. Knox was one of ...

(née Knox), English author *

Sally Phillips Sally Elizabeth Phillips (born 10 May 1970) is an English actress, television presenter, and comedian. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show '' Smack the Pony''. She is also known for her roles in '' Miranda'' as T ...

, actress *

Joan Riviere Joan Hodgson Riviere (28 June 1883 – 20 May 1962) was a British psychoanalyst, who was both an early translator of Freud into English and an influential writer on her own account. Life and career Riviere was born Joan Hodgson Verrall in Bri ...

, psychoanalyst *

Merryn Somerset Webb Merryn Rosemary Somerset Webb (born 23 June 1970), is a Senior Columnist at ''Bloomberg'' writing about wealth, investing and personal finance and is a radio and television commentator on financial matters. Life and career She attended Wycomb ...

, editor in chief of ''

MoneyWeek ''MoneyWeek'' is a British weekly investment magazine that covers financial and economic news and provides commentary and analysis across the UK and global markets. ''MoneyWeek'' is edited in London. It is owned by MoneyWeek Limited, which is n ...

'' * Sarah Springman, CBE FREng, engineer and sportswoman, rector of ETH Zurich * Polly Stenham, playwright *

Rachael Stirling Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977).. is an English stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award for her stage work. She played Nancy Astley in the BBC drama '' Tipping the Velvet'', an ...

, actress * Lady "Red Jessie" Street, Australian suffragette, social reformer and founding United Nations envoy * Florence Temko, origami pioneer and author * Mary Wakefield, journalist *

Sonya Walger Sonya Walger (born 6 June 1974) is a British actress who also holds American citizenship. She had starring roles in the short-lived sitcoms ''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001–2002) and ''Coupling'' (2003) before landing her role as Penny W ...

, actress *

Lady Charlotte Wellesley Lady Charlotte Anne Santo Domingo (''née'' Wellesley; 8 October 1990) is an English socialite and photography producer. Since 2016 she has consistently been listed in the annual ''Sunday Times Rich List''. Early life and family Lady Charlot ...

, socialite and producer *

Kathy Wilkes Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes (23 June 1946 – 21 August 2003) was an English philosopher and academic who played an important part in rebuilding the education systems of former Communist countries after 1990. She established her reputation as an aca ...

, philosopher * Lady Nicholas Windsor, wife of

Lord Nicholas Windsor Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor (born 25 July 1970) is a relative of the British royal family, youngest child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. As a Catholic convert, he has forfeited his right of succession to the throne. Lord Ni ...

Clarissa Ward Clarissa Ward (born January 31, 1980) is a British-American television journalist, who is currently chief international correspondent for CNN. She was with CBS News, based in London. Before her CBS News position, Ward was a Moscow-based news co ...

, chief international correspondent for CNN

Notable staff

Mary Cartwright Dame Mary Lucy Cartwright, (17 December 1900 – 3 April 1998) was a British mathematician. She was one of the pioneers of what would later become known as chaos theory. Along with J. E. Littlewood, Cartwright saw many solutions to a problem ...

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

Annie Whitelaw Annie Watt Whitelaw (17 August 1875 – 11 August 1966) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British headmistress and educationist. She was a headteacher in New Zealand and the first NZ woman to attend Girton College and to lead a B ...

, Head from 1910 to 1925 *

, governor and school historian

References

External links

Wycombe Abbey official websiteProfile
on the

ISC #REDIRECT ISC {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

website
Wycombe Abbey: British International School in Hong Kong official website
{{Authority control 1896 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1896 Boarding schools in Buckinghamshire Independent schools in Buckinghamshire Girls' schools in Buckinghamshire Houses in Buckinghamshire Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Gardens by Capability Brown Grade II* listed buildings in Buckinghamshire Grade II listed parks and gardens in Buckinghamshire High Wycombe

History

Early history

World War II

Houses

Notable alumnae (Wycombe Abbey Seniors)

Notable staff

References

Further reading

External links