St Michael's College (the College of St Michael and All Angels) at
Tenbury Wells
Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a small market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Situated 6 miles southeast of Ludlow, its northern border ...
, Worcestershire, England, was founded by
Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 as a boys'
preparatory school. Ouseley created the school to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral services were performed daily in term time. The college possessed a library that contained rare books of international importance. Financial difficulties forced its closure in 1985.
The buildings were reopened as an independent international boarding school under the name of King's College Saint Michael's in 1990, before closing in June 2020 as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2024, the site was bought by
SIAS Education Group and
Anglo Independence School. It is due to re-open a
St Michael Abbey Schoolin September 2025.
History
The school was founded in reaction to the decline of Anglican church music in the Victorian period. Ouseley sited it in a remote location so as to insulate it from the influence of London.
Designed by architect
Henry Woodyer
Henry Woodyer (1816–1896) was an English architect, a pupil of William Butterfield and a disciple of A. W. N. Pugin and the Ecclesiologists.
Life
Woodyer was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1816, the son of a successful, highly resp ...
, until its closure the school regularly sang 150 settings of evensong; it was the last educational establishment in England to sing the orders throughout the week. In the school chapel the choir is separated from the chancel by an ornate gilded screen topped by candles. The choir is backed by a
'Father' Willis organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
, painted with a representation of St Michael defeating the dragon.
Recordings of the choir are listed in the
British Library Sound Archive
The British Library Sound Archive, formerly the British Institute of Recorded Sound; also known as the National Sound Archive (NSA), in London, England is among the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word ...
and are available on
CD in back catalogue editions. A recording of the final Evensong sung at the school in 1985 is found on th
Archive of Recorded Church Music site
The school chapel is now
the parish church for the surrounding village o
St Michael'swhich was created to support the creation of the school.
Poet Laureate Sir
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...
spoke of the college, referring to:
[School history](_blank)
Retrieved 27 June 2009
"……..the unique atmosphere of St. Michael’s College, Tenbury. I shall never forget my first impression of the place. There was the climb up from the little market town of Tenbury whence some of the lay clerks make their twice daily journey to Mattins and Evensong to lend men’s voices to the boys’ choir, and there before me stretched an enormous common. In the far corner, in a land of blossoming orchards and backed by the blue distance of Clee Hill, rose a chapel, seemingly as large as Lancing.
Attached to it were Warden’s house, school buildings, cloister and dining hall, all in a style of the fourteenth century, re-interpreted in local materials for the nineteenth century by architect, Henry Woodyer.
School crest
The crest on the school tie was a red broadsword on a blue background symbolising
St Michael
Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
's defeat of the dragon by its colour and the two kinks in the sword.
Musical library
Supported by friends of Ouseley,
the library contained such important articles as the original score of
Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version of Shakespeare's ...
's ''
Dido and Aeneas
''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque music, Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncer ...
'' and
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti.
Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
's own conducting score from the
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
premiere of ''
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
''. It was therefore a site of pilgrimage for musical scholars, including
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...
After the school's closure the library was transferred to the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...
.
Organists of the college
*John Capel Hanbury 1856 - 1857
*
John Stainer
Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion (Stainer), The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some Angli ...
1857 - 1859 (later organist of
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
and
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
)
*
Langdon Colborne
Langdon Colbourne (15 September 1835 – 16 September 1889) was an English cathedral organist, who served at Hereford Cathedral.
Background
Colbourne was born in Hackney, London, the son of Thomas Colborne and Elizabeth Hobson.''Cambridge Univ ...
1860 - 1874 (then organist of
Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster, otherwise known as the Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one-thir ...
)
*Alfred Alexander 1874 - 1877 (then organist of
Wigan Parish Church)
*William Claxton 1877 - 1886
*Walter J. Lancaster 1886 - 1889 (then organist of
Bolton Parish Church, Lancashire)
*Allan Paterson 1889 - 1893 (then organist of
Malvern Priory
Great Malvern Priory in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, was a Benedictine monastery (c. 1075 – 1540) and is now an Anglican parish church. In 1949 it was designated a Grade I listed building. It is a dominant building in the Great Malvern ...
)
*James Lyon 1893 - 1896 (then organist of St Mark's Church,
Surbiton
Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...
)
*Edgar C. Broadhurst 1896 - 1907
*M. Gordon Burgess 1907 - 1910
*J.P. Davis 1910 - 1911
*Norman Charles Woods 1911 - 1912
*Arthur Baynon 1913 - 1916
*Carlton Borrow 1917
*Vivian Stuart 1918
*
Ernest Bullock
Sir Ernest Bullock (1890–1979) was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at t ...
1919
*
Heathcote Dicken Statham
Heathcote Dicken Statham CBE (7 December 1889 - 29 October 1973) was a conductor, composer and organist of international repute.
Early life
He was the eldest son of Henry Heathcote Statham (1839-1924) and Florence Elizabeth Dicken (1856-1938 ...
1920 - 1926
*Stanley Thorne 1926 - 1931
*Laurence Crosthwaite 1931 - 1935
*Maxwell Menzies 1935 - 1952 (duties undertaken by Sir
Sydney Nicholson from 1940 and C E S Littlejohn from 1941 while Maxwell Menzies was away in the armed forces)
*
Kenneth Beard 1952 - 1959 (afterwards rector chori at
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster_(church), Minster, strictly since 1884 Southwell Cathedral, and formally the Cathedral and Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. The cathedral is the s ...
)
*
Lucian Nethsingha 1959 - 1973 (afterwards organist of
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...
)
* Roger Judd 1973 - 1985 (later Assistant Organist
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...
)
Alumni
The St Michael's College Society, an activ
Old Boys and Girls society from the original Frederick Ouseley foundation, and which in 2006 celebrated its centenary, holds a reunion meeting each year. Membership is open to all those with a connection to the 1856 -1985 College days.
Notable alumni include:
*
Harold "Barehands" Bates,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
officer
*
John Blashford-Snell
Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell (born 22 October 1936) is a former British Army officer, explorer and author. He founded Operation Raleigh and the Scientific Exploration Society.
Early life and education
John Nicholas Blashford-Snell was ...
, Explorer
*
Stephen Glover, Journalist
*
Jonathan Harvey, Composer
*
Christopher Robinson, Choirmaster and organist
*
Clifford Rose
John Clifford Rose (24 October 1929 – 6 November 2021) was a British actor.
Life and career
Rose was born in Herefordshire. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, and King's College London, before appearing in rep and began his ass ...
, Actor
*
George Robertson Sinclair
George Robertson Sinclair (28 October 1863 – 7 February 1917) was an English cathedral organist, who served at Truro and Hereford cathedrals.
As a young man, Sinclair was destined for the Anglican priesthood, but in 1880 his father died and ...
, organist at
Truro
Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
and
Hereford
Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
cathedral, friend of
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
*
Jolyon Jenkins
Jolyon Jenkins is a British investigative journalist and radio documentary producer known for his work with BBC Radio 4, BBC Television, and the ''New Statesman'' magazine. Over a career spanning several decades, he has researched, presented, ...
, journalist and broadcaster
*
Martin Stokes
Martin Stokes is a British ethnomusicologist and King Edward Professor of Music at the King's College London. He has special research interests in ethnomusicology and anthropology, as well as Middle Eastern popular music.
Stokes obtained his DP ...
, ethnomusicologist
*Roger Brock, classicist
More recent history of the buildings
The year after the college closed the school buildings were used as the set for the 1986 film, ''
The Worst Witch
''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by English author Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl named Mildred Hubble who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. ...
'' based on the novel by
Jill Murphy
Jill Frances Murphy (5 July 1949 – 18 August 2021) was a British author and illustrator of children's books. First published by Allison & Busby in 1974, she was best known for the ''Worst Witch'' novels and ''Large Family'' picture books, with ...
, starring
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...
,
Tim Curry
Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
and
Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Known for her portrayals of distinctive characters—often with a dark edge and " goth-girl" persona—she has appeared in numerous independent films and block ...
.
From 1990 to 2020 the buildings were occupied by King’s Saint Michael’s College which was an international boarding school with students from many countries. It closed in 2020. That school specialised in providing education to international students by providing an intensive English language course alongside the traditional curriculum of GCSEs and A Levels. The school also ran a University Foundation Course. During the months of July and August, Saint Michael's ran an English language summer school for students from around the world.
The buildings were bought in 2024. The newly formed '
St Michael’s Abbey School'' is expected to open for the 2025/26 school year.
References
External links
St Michael's College Society official website, specific to the original CollegeSt Michael Abbey School website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael's College, Tenbury
1856 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 1856
2020 disestablishments in England
Educational institutions disestablished in 2020
Choirs singing Anglican church music
Defunct schools in Worcestershire
Boarding schools in Worcestershire
Tenbury Wells
International schools in England