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Dulwich College

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File:DCgates.jpg
Dulwich College gates



Dulwich College is an independent, fee-paying school, called a public school in the UK, in Dulwich, south-east London, England. It was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor and contemporary of Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars.

History

Edward Alleyn, who owned the then manorial estate of Dulwich, decided to create a foundation dedicated to charity and education. It would educate twelve poor pupils, aged between six and eighteen, who would be taught by qualified gradutes of Oxford University. The foundation was constituted on June 21, 1619, when James I signed the letters patent. One stipulation was that the Master should always be unmarried and descended from Alleyn, a difficult combination to preserve.

Dulwich College's new buildings in 1869.

The school was reconstituted by an Act of Parliament in 1857, when it moved from its old site in Dulwich Village, where the chapel still remains, to its present site. The new college buildings were designed in a hybrid of Palladian and Gothic styles in red brick and terracotta, by Charles Barry, Jr. (the eldest son of Sir Charles Barry, who designed the Houses of Parliament).

The reformed school's new master, Carver, was the first master not to share the name of the school's founder "Alleyn" (or latterly "Allen"). Upon the reform the school was split in two, with the "A" stream moving up to the new location, and the "B" stream staying in the village, where it became "Alleyn's School", which now exists on the other side of Dulwich Village.

During the second world war, Dulwich College was evacuated to Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia and there remains a memorial planting of trees in that village in memory of those days.

Recent developments

Although it has always been a private foundation, for some time in the middle part of the 20th century a large percentage of the pupils were on full scholarships funded by local authorities in and around Greater London. These "assisted places" gradually disappeared and were abolished in 1997.

Alleyn's and JAGS belong to the same foundation, and the college has also founded international schools in Phuket, Shanghai and Beijing.

Collections

At the College

The school has a very extensive archive, especially of material relating to drama and the arts, due to its founder, the actor Edward Alleyn. Included in the archives is a first folio of William Shakespeare and some original poems by John Donne. Other interesting artefacts held by the College include the "James Caird" the lifeboat in which Ernest Shackleton made his intrepid voyage to Elephant Island, as well as other items such as sledges, skis and clothing from Shackleton's famous journey for survival.

Above the fireplace in the "Masters' Library" are two panels depicting Liberty and Fortune bought by Edward Alleyn; they were originally on Elizabeth I's state barge.

The College was also bequeathed a large collection of paintings by Francis Bourgeois in 1811, which had originally been intended to form the nucleus of the Polish King's collection. Following the partitions of Poland the paintings were left to the College, which set up the Dulwich Picture Gallery under a trusteeship in a building designed by Sir John Soane, which became Britain's first public art gallery. The Gallery is now run under the auspices of the board of the estate's governors, which now acts as the foundation's overseer.

Painting of the College

The College appears in a painting of 1871 by Camille Pissaro.

Use of the College in films

Recently, Dulwich College was used as part of the film set for the Tomb Raider film, and Legally Blonde. In Tomb Raider, Lara Croft can be seen in the Dulwich College Great Hall during the auction at the beginning. In Legally Blonde, at the end, the graduation ceremony is held in the Great Hall, due to the fact that Reese Witherspoon was in England for the filming of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Renowned alumni

Years of birth and death (when listed) are given in full. Years at the college are given last, using two digits if unambiguous. Alumni are known as "Old Alleynians".

Arts and Entertainment

Sport

Politics

Other occupations

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