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Clifton College

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Founded in 1862, Clifton College is a major coeducational public school in Clifton, Bristol, England.

School Motto: Spiritus Intus Alit (meaning: The spirit nourishes within)

An 1898 etching of the College Close

School Structure

Today, the school is divided into three separate sections:

  • The Pre-Preparatory takes children from the ages of 3-8;
  • The Preparatory is for boys and girls from the ages of 8-13, and
  • The Upper School is for students aged between 13-18.

There are currently around 650 children in the Upper School and about a third of these are girls, although there are currently plans to increase the size of the school. At the start of the 2004 - 2005 school year, a new boarding and day house for girls was opened. Dexter's a new boarding house for boys will be opening at the start of the autumn term 2006.


Houses

The upper school boys' houses are:

  • School House
  • Wisemans
  • Watsons
  • Moberlys
  • Dexters
  • East Town
  • South Town
  • North Town

(Polacks house which took Jewish boys only has recently closed in keeping with changing times).

The girls' houses are:

  • Worcester
  • Oakleys
  • West Town
  • Hallwards

Before 1987, Clifton College was a boys'-only school, and was predominantly boarding, although there were well established day-boy houses.

Buildings & Grounds

The school has a fine set of Victorian era gothic buildings, centred around a quad, containing the Chapel, Big School (Canteen) and the Percival Library. The school chapel has a rose window. Bristol Zoo is situated between the College and Clifton Down, on land originally belonging to the College - as a result, all Clifton pupils are entitled to a reduced costs entry to the zoo, on showing their school passes.

File:Clifton2.jpg
Memorial Arch - Clifton College

At the side of College Road, opposite what was Dakyns' boarding house (and is now East Town and North Town), is the school's memorial arch - which commemorates the teachers and pupils who died in the two world wars. The school's buildings, mainly School House, were used as the main HQ, during the Second World War, where the D-Day landings were devised and planned out. So the school has played a major part in both World Wars; Field Marshal Haig was an Old Cliftonian who went on to command the British armed forces in the First World War.

On passing through the memorial arch and in front of School House, is a full size statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig. On one of the school's cricket pitches, now known as Collins' Piece, the highest ever cricket score was reached in June 1899, in the school house match between Clark's House v North Town. In this match AEJ Collins scored 628 (not out), though it should be noted that this was not under the current rules of the sport. Collins was killed in the First World War. At the edge of the quad is also a memorial to those killed in the South African Wars. Collins was not the first Clifton schoolboy to hold this record. Edward Tylecote, who went on to help England reclaim the Ashes in 1882/3 was a previous holder with his 404 not out in a game between Classicals and Moderns.

The Close

The College from across the Close

The college ground, known as the Close, has an important role to play in the history of cricket and has witnessed no fewer than 13 of W G Grace's first-class hundreds for Gloucestershire in the County Championship. In 1868 a Clifton schoolboy, Edward Tylecote had scored 404 not out on the Close, then the all-time highest individual total. Grace's children attended the school.

The close featured in the famous poem by OC Sir Henry Newbolt - Vitai Lampada

There's a breathless hush on the Close to-night
Ten to make and the match to win
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play, and the last man in.
And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat.
Or the selfish hope of a season's fame,
But his captain's hand on his shoulder smote
"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"
The sand of the desert is sodden red-
Red with the wreck of the square that broke
The gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed its banks,
And England's far and Honor a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks-
"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"
This is the word that year by year,
While in her place the school is set,
Every one of her sons must hear,
And none that hears it dare forget.
This they all with a joyful mind
Bear through life like a torch in flame,
And falling fling to the host behind -
"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"

Clifton has a commemoration arch, known by pupils as 'mem arch' with the names of all of Cliftons pupils and teachers who died in the first and second world wars. During the second world war the school was evacuated to a hotel in Cornwall and the Americans used the impressive buildings for the planning of their role in the war. The Omaha D-day beach landings were planned in School House, and as a thank you the school was given an American flag which is now flown on July 4th every year from the Wilson Tower.

The Marshal

Unusually, Clifton College employs a master called "The Marshal", whose only job is to enforce discipline, attendance at classes and related school rules (such as dress code, drinking and hair length). Mr French, a well known Marshal from the 1970s, once upbraided a boy called Bascombe, with the classic, "'ere Bascombe-lad, what's your name?". Many public houses near the school had photos of the Marshal, who was permanently banned so as to not discourage the attendance of school pupils who were regular customers.

By tradition of the school, a Marshal's name is not added to the plaque listing the names of the school's Marshals until after he has died.

School Customs

  • The Head of School is entitled to graze sheep on the Close and attend chapel on a white charger.
  • If the school clock (on the edge of the chapel in the quad) is hit by a cricket ball driven in a school match, the following school day will be given as a holiday.
  • Walking on the Close without permission during the week, will result in a fine (calculated on a cost-per-foot-in-breach basis) administered by the Marshal.
  • There is a less well known tradition that if a pupil spends a night in the crypt where John Percival's remains are located then the whole school may have a day's holiday, but pupils have tried to do this in more recent years and have not been allowed. It has often been said that a dark figure can be seen walking around the arches by the door to the crypt late at night, and when followed it will vanish.

Religious Community

Like many English public schools, Clifton has regular chapel services and a focus on Christianity, but for the last 125 years there has also been a Jewish boarding house (Polack's); complete with kosher dining facilities and synagogue for boys in the Upper School: this was the only one of its kind in Europe. However, at the end of the 2004-05 school year, the Polack's trust announced that Polack's House would be close due to the low numbers of students in the house (although many pupils were turned down this year).

Fees & Charitable Status

Like all other English public schools, Clifton's excellent facilities come at the price of substantial fees. A number of scholarships are available. Like most public schools, Clifton College is recognised as a charity, and as such receives substantial tax breaks. It was calculated by David Jewell, master of Haileybury, that in 1992 that these savings represent an investment from general taxation of about £1,945 per pupil per year - some £200 a year more than the state invested in the education of a child at primary school [1]. This subsidy has declined after the 2001 abolition of State-funded scholarships (formerly known as "assisted places") to public school by the Labour government. It is estimated that the UK's 1,300 [2] public schools continue to benefit from over £100M in State tax breaks, highlighted by an ongoing campaign by figures such as Fiona Miller [3].

Alumni

Clifton's alumni include:

and three Nobel Prize winners:

Headmasters

Listed in order of appointment - with the most recent listed last:

  • John Percival - Lord Bishop of Hereford
  • Canon James Maurice Wilson (1879 - 1890)
  • Canon Michael George Glazebrooke
  • Rt Rev Albert Augustus David
  • Dr John David King
  • Norman Whatley
  • Bertrand Leslie Hallward
  • Sir Henry Desmond Pritchard Lee
  • Nicholas Geoffrey Lempriere Hammond
  • Stephen John McWatters
  • Stuart Morrison Andrews
  • Andrew Hugh Monro
  • Dr Stephen Spurr
  • Mark J Moore

Notable former masters

Clifton College Register

The register's motto:

"There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported..."

The Clifton College Register is the definitive set of records held for Clifton College in Bristol. The Register is kept and maintained by the Old Cliftonian Society. The Old Cliftonian Society [OCS] is the Society for the alumni of Clifton College - whether pupils or staff. The OCS organises regular reunions at the school and publishes a regular newsletter for alumni.

This important record has been maintained unbroken from the very start of the school in 1862 and lists every pupil, master and headmaster. Each person is allocated a unique and consecutive school number - and for masters and headmasters the number is prefixed with either an M or HM as appropriate. The Register also maintains a record of the school roll in numbers, the Heads of School and summarises the major sporting records for each year.

The Register is periodically published by the Old Cliftonian Society; at present there are three available volumes:

  • 1862 - 1947
  • 1948 - 1977
  • 1978 - 1994

First entries in the Register

Pupils

  • P1. Sept 1862 - Francis Charles Anderson (b 14 Nov 1846 - d 1881)

Masters

The early years

  • Numbers of pupils in the school
  • 1862 - 69
  • 1863 - 195 (including the new junior school)
  • 1864 - 237
  • 1865 - 258
  • 1866 - 278
  • Heads of School
  • 1862 - HW Wellesley
  • 1863 - AW Paul

References

  • Clifton College Register 1862 - 1962 - Published by the Old Cliftonian Society
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