Radley College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Radley College (St. Peter's College, Radley) is an English public school situated in the village of Radley near Abingdon in Oxfordshire. It was founded in 1847 by William Sewell.
The current Warden (headmaster), Angus McPhail (appointed in 2000), is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
The school places some emphasis on what might be described as traditional strengths - Anglican Christianity (chapel attendance is compulsory for boys five days in the week), sporting prowess (notably cricket, Rugby Union, racquets and rowing), and preparation of boys for entry to the Russell Group of Universities.
Music, art and drama play an increasing role in the life of the school - offering both music and art scholarships, as well as academic and sporting. The prevailing ethos is of respect for authority as vested in senior boys, masters - known as "dons", the Church, and the institutions of the British establishment.
The pupils live in one of nine boarding houses - "Socials" in the school vernacular - named A-H with the addition of Orchard House for certain senior students. The Socials are sometimes known by the name of their house-master – or “Tutor”. For example, ‘H Social’ is also known as "Edwards'" after its Tutor of the same name. The Socials compete against one another in extra-curricular activities ranging from sport to debating and singing.
During the 1979 summer term, the school's activities were filmed by the BBC for a series called "Public School", broadcast on BBC2 early in 1980. Capturing the end of a period when such schools felt genuinely afraid that the Labour government might push through legislation to close them down (there is a memorable scene of the headmaster expressing his delight in Margaret Thatcher's first election victory), the programme nevertheless now seems like a period piece, if only because it shows certain teaching methods and values that would never be allowed today.
[edit] Former Pupils
Former pupils include the comedian Peter Cook, Desmond Llewelyn who played Q in many James Bond films, the judge Lord Scarman, campaigning lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, cricketers Andrew Strauss, Ben Hutton, Jamie Dalrymple and Ted Dexter, journalist and playwright Peter Wildeblood, as well as the poet Andrew Motion. Those in the political field include Alexander Downer - the Australian foreign minister and Richard Wilson - a past UK Cabinet Secretary and Martin Asser, a Middle East correspondent for the BBC.
[edit] Literature
- Christopher Hibbert, No Ordinary Place: Radley College and the Public School System 1847-1997, 1997, London: John Murray General Publishing Division, ISBN 0-7195-5176-5.
