 |
|
| Motto | Respice et Prospice 'Remember the Past and Look to the Future' |
|---|---|
| Established | 2007 merger |
| Type | Private coeducational secondary |
| Affiliations | HMC |
| Headmaster | Andrew Rattue |
| Grades | 7 -13 |
| Location | Worcester, UK |
| Colours | Blue, green, white |
| Website | http://www.rgsw.org.uk/ |
This article is about the current school (2007 - ). For the former RGSW (1291-2007), see Royal Grammar School Worcester; for the former AO (1883-2007), see The Alice Ottley School.
RGS Worcester is an independent school in Worcester, United Kingdom.
It was formed in In September 2007, when the Royal Grammar School Worcester merged with The Alice Ottley School. For the first two years, the school was known as RGS Worcester and The Alice Ottley School.
Contents |
History
See pages of the former schools for full details. The Royal Grammar School Worcester was founded around 685 (although the first written records are in 1291) by Bishop Bosel. This makes it the 5th oldest school in the United Kingdom and the 6th in the world. The Alice Ottley School was founded in 1883.
School Connections
The school has close links with private schools in the local region due to its membership of the 'Monmouth Group', which is a collection of schools similar in aims and membership to that of the Eton Group. The school is also a member of the HMC meaning it has links with schools across the globe. The school has links with four (of the other six) Royal Grammar Schools in the country due to its participation in an annual cricket competition between five of the RGS Schools. The other four RGS schools that compete are those in Colchester, Guildford, High Wycombe, and Newcastle with the host school changing each year
Land and buildings
Many of the current buildings were paid for Charles William Dyson Perrins, who was an Old Boy and a member of the school's governing body. Perrins Hall was named after his father James Dyson Perrins, owner of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, who went to the school, the basement of Perrins Hall contains a rifle range, which was added in 1914.[1]
The School Playing Fields are located nearby at the back of the school, next to the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. Flagge Meadow (pronounced Flag) was first levelled and used for cricket in 1886[1] and has seen many famous international cricketers play there. The other playing field across the road from Flagge Meadow is St Oswald's Field mainly used for athletics.
School's halls
The Old School buildings were built in 1868 on a site owned by the school since 1562.[1] The Main Hall, Eld Hall and adjoining buildings were designed by A E Perkins in the Gothic style. It is three bays long with a central lantern. A life-size statue of Elizabeth I by R L Boulton stands above the central window.[2]
The Perrins Hall was built in 1914 to the plans of Alfred Hill Parker (an Old Boy) in a Jacobethan style with an Oriel Window on the staircase end and balcony looking over the hall. The interior is panelled with fitted bookcases (which make up the Dowty Library[1]) and a plastered ceiling. Two war memorials for the two World Wars are housed in the hall. a life-size portrait of Charles William Dyson Perrins hangs opposite the fireplace. Portraits of the 20th-century headmasters hang below. The school organ is in this building, and is played regularly at assemblies.
The Clock Block is connected to the Perrins Hall and was built in 1927, and had extension work carried out in 1967 to link it to the Science Block. It has a bell tower and clock above the entrance. The clock is made of Cotswold Limestone, and is surmounted by the carved head of Old Father Time.[1] To commemorate the millennium a stained glass window was commissioned and installed over the main entrance to the Clock Block.
Other buildings of note
The science buildings were built in 1922 and opened by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).[1] The science buildings were subsequently re-furbished in 1996 and thereafter re-opened by Michael Portillo. The science block features at one end of a long path which comes from the main quad of the school, which is the location of Perrins Hall and the Main block. This long path is known as Long Walk.
Whiteladies House, built in the seventeenth century, was traditionally the Headmaster's house and stands opposite Clock Block across the gardens. Its West wall is part of the Whiteladies Priory chapel built in 1255..[3] Its name derives from the White Habbit that worn by Cistercian nuns, who were based at a Nunnery, which was adjacent to Whiteladies.[1]
Other buildings include Priory House (17th Century), Pullinger House (1980s), Gordon House (after Adam Lindsay Gordon OE) and Hillard Hall (1961, opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on her second visit to the school).[1] The Almshouses, built in 1877 in the Arts and crafts style, were designed by Sir Aston Webb, the designer of the facade of Buckingham Palace, the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and the Victoria and Albert Museum and are an example of some of his earliest work.[2].
The most recent building work to a school building took place on the school's library. The library was refurbished in 2001, and was renamed the Philip Sawyer Library (after the former Chairman of the Governors). The library is situated above Eld Hall, and features a high vaulted roof structure.
Extracurricular activities
The school has a number of sports teams which compete with schools from both within the locality and those from around the country. The school fields teams in cricket, rugby, football, athletics, rowing, tennis, netball, hockey and chess.
There is a large and active CCF section at the school, with all three branches of the services represented. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, and all three levels of award are regularly achieved by students. One of the other activities that students can participate in is the Ten Tors event, with the school having had teams compete at all three distance levels.
Rivalry
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wheeler, A R. Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1950 to 1991 with retrospect to 1291, Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1991. ISBN 0-9516775-0-0
- ^ a b Pevsner, N. Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-300-09660-7.
- ^ Leach, A. F. Schools of Mediaeval England,Methuen Young Books, 1969. ISBN 0-416-13360-6.
Coordinates: 52°12′01″N 2°13′27″W / 52.200415°N 2.224227°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
