Hurstpierpoint College
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Hurstpierpoint College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils aged 13-18, located in the village of Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, England. It was established in 1849. Originally St John's Middle School, based in Shoreham, opened in 1849. It later moved to Mansion House in Hurstpierpoint and then, thanks to the local benefactors the Campion Family, on the 21st of June 1853 made its final move to its present site. Intended to resemble the collegiate system at Oxford and Cambridge, Woodard designed the College to have adjoining Inner and Outer quads and the Chapel and Dining hall adjacent to each other.
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[edit] Overview
The school is comprises 10 houses:
- Name House Colour Type
- Chevron - Orange/Black Boys Day House
- Crescent - Black/White Boys Day House
- Woodard - Maroon/White Boys Day House
- Fleur De Lys - Sky Blue/Yellow Girls Boarding House
- Martlet - Green/White Girls Boarding House
- Shield - Pink/Black Girls Boarding House
- Eagle - Green/Black Boys Boarding House
- Red Cross - Red/Black Boys Boarding House
- Star - Navy/Sky Blue Boys Boarding House
- St Johns - Maroon/Grey All Upper Sixth
The college currently teaches pupils aged 13 - 18. The years are named as follows;
- Shell = 13-14
- Remove = 14-15
- Vth Form = 15-16
- LVIth = 16-17
- UVIth = 17-18
In addition, the College has an adjoining Preparatory School and Pre-Prep consisting of about 220 pupils.
[edit] Traditions
The school still preserves a number of ceremonies, which for the most part were taken from other schools such as Winchester College, in order to give give the school a feeling of tradition back in its early Victorian days.
During the year there are a number of banner processions, each house having a banner. St Etheldreda's (Æthelthryth) day - the day on which the chapel was dedicated - is Old Johnian day, the day when all the old Pupils are invited back to the school to participate in various events.
On Ascension Day, every member of the College climbs the nearby Wolstonbury Hill nicknamed Danny Hill - after the Campion family home, Danny House, located at the bottom of the hill on the South Downs. Once the whole school is assembled on top of the hill the choir sings the early 16th century hymn 'Te Deum Patrem Colimus'. After singing the hymn the Headmaster hands out the Lowe's Dole - money left by the first Headmaster, Canon Lowe, for the choir and sacristens.
The most exotic tradition is the Boar's Head Procession and Feast. This happens at the end of the Michaelmas Term. A Boar's head is borne and carried throught the cloisters accompanied by the choir singing the 16th century carol 'Caput Apri Defero' (Boar's Head Carol) and the sacristians. After which the choir and the sacristian attend the Feast.
[edit] Sporting Hurst
Hurstpierpoints main sports are rugby, hockey and cricket. Rugby is the primary sport of the michalmas term (September - December), Hockey in the lent term (January - March) and Cricket in the summer term (April - June).
Hurstpierpoint College enjoys a fierce rivalry with nearby Brighton College. The two schools regularly compete in a variety of sports, most notably rugby and cricket.
[edit] Headmaster
Mr Tim Manly
[edit] Famous Old Johnians
- Martin Speight, Sussex Cricketer
- Ben Broster, Saracens (rugby club), Premiership Rugby Player
- Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, Former Chief of Defence Staff.
- Jamie Theakston (Prep School), Television Presenter
- Michael York, Actor
- Percy Henn, soon to become headmaster of Guildford Grammar School and later Worksop College
[edit] Woodard school
Hurstpierpoint College along with Lancing College and Ardingly College were the first three of the family of over 30 schools founded by Nathaniel Woodard to provide an affordable Church of England education to the middle classes. (Others include Worksop College, Denstone College, and Abbots Bromley School for Girls.) The school has retained its affiliation with the Church.
