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Bedford School

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Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School.
Bedford School is a public school for boys in Bedford, fifty miles north of London, England.

Bedford School is split into two: the Upper School (ages 13 to 18) and the Preparatory School (ages 7 to 13). The school has approximately 1,200 boys, both day-boys and boarders between the ages of 7 and 18. A wide range of subjects are taught at GCSE and at A-level; the school also teaches the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The current headmaster is Dr Philip Evans OBE.

Bedford School Summer
Bedford School Summer

Contents

History

The original foundation of a church school (on the site occupied by the institution until the late 19th century) dates back to before the Domesday Book. However, the school was granted letters patent by King Edward VI in 1552, much aided by the actions of Sir William Harpur (indeed, the school is now one of four in a group of schools run by the Harpur trust).

In 1979, the school suffered a devastating arson attack during the night, and the imposing main building was gutted by fire. The flames leapt to an astonishing 130 feet high. The fire was fought throughout the night, into the early morning of Sunday 4 March, and when it had finally been beaten, the extent of the damage was revealed: Over 90% of the building had been destroyed by the blaze, and thirty classrooms lost. Remarkably, almost all of the pupil-records were recovered, but the extensive collection of portraits, books and furniture were destroyed. The school re-opened the next week using temporary classrooms for the pupils.

Two new buildings have been built within the last five years: a library and a music school.

Uniform

Weekday dress consists of a white shirt, tie (appropriate to house), dark grey trousers, and an optional v-neck navy blue jumper. Variations include a coloured waistcoat and brown shoes for monitors, woollen sports blazer for those with sports colours, and house ties for those who have won house colours or who have contributed to the house. Scarves denoting colours, including major and minor sports, house and headmaster's colours may be worn. Colours are only awarded to seniors (fifth form and above).

School houses

There are four houses in the Preparatory School; Whitbread, Bunyan, Howard and Harpur. In the Main School (Upper School) there are six boarding houses, all six being linked to an individual school day house: Sanderson, in Rothsay Place (Ashburnham); Burnaby, in Burnaby Road (Bromham); Pemberley, in Pemberley Avenue (Crescent); Redburn, in Rothsay Gardens (Paulo-Pontine); Phillpotts, in Pemberley Avenue (St Cuthbert's); and Talbot's, in De Parys Avenue (St Peter's).

Each day house is set within the school grounds, and is run (for the most part) separately from its paired boarding house. Each boarding/day house pair will enter against other houses in competitions, including the prestigious House Singing competition (unison songs – boarding houses only – and part songs – years five to seven). Inter-house sports cover all major and minor sports run by the school, at both junior and senior level, and range from rugby and hockey (major sports) to shooting and fencing (minor sports).

Songs

One of the most distinctive Bedford traditions is the singing of songs and inter-house singing competitions. In the vein of the Eton Boating Song, many were written by teachers in the latter half of the 19th century. The official school song, "Domus Pater", was written by Henry Le Mesurier in 1861.

Domus Pater Harperiae      [Translation] In Harper's House, O Father, may
Honus Tuus sit incola;                   Thine honour aye indwelling stay
Tu porticus caelestibus                  May ever round its portals be
Praesidiis circumsede.                   The guardian angels placed by thee.


Impubes usque tu manus                   The bands of youths look down and see
Huc ventitantes respice;                 Restoring here continuously;
Et inter mundi Semitas                   And safely on thro' life's rough way
Pedes securos dirige.                    Direct their footsteps day by day.


Infirma verbo pectora                    Strengthen the frail ones with thy word
Rectoque cultu robora;                   And guiding discipline, O Lord.
Cibum caelestem porrige                  Hold forth thy heavenly food, we pray,
Et mala procul abige.                    And drive all evil things away.


Ut omni mane gratiam                     May they each morn the day begin
Tuam precentur cum fide                  With prayer sincere thy grace to win
Et corde grato vesperi                   With grateful hearts at fall of even
Laudes tuas concelebrent.                May they exhalt thy praise to heaven.


Deo Patri sit gloria                     To God the Father and his Son,
Eiusque soli Filio,                      And God the Sirit, Holy One.
Sanctissimo cum Spiritu,                 May greatest glory henceforth be
Et nunc et in perpetuum.                 Both now and thro' eternity.

Monitors and Heads of Houses

Monitors are chosen from the top year group of the school; they are deemed to have the best qualities of leadership and achievement. In addition there are the separate roles of heads of boarding and school houses, although a Monitor may occasionally be chosen to fulfill this role as well. . On a school-wide level the best monitor is made "Head Boy", and a deputy is appointed to assist him. Monitors can wear coloured waist-coats and brown shoes along with brass buttons on their blazers. Monitors are chosen by application and a selection commitee, the heads of house are appointed directly by the Housemaster.

Sports

Bedford school has a different major sport for each term, and has enjoyed success in all of them. The Christmas term is rugby-orientated, the Easter term hockey, and Summer is cricket season. Rowing is performed all year, and is perhaps the most important of all the school sports. Minor sports include athletics, soccer, swimming, archery, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cross-country running, fencing, fives, golf, rifle, sailing, squash, tennis, and water polo. All sports feature at all levels of ability, and most pupils find a sport to suit them, such is the diversity of the school. The school has produced many fine sportsmen, such as cricketer Alastair Cook, who went on to play Test cricket for England.

The Charles Piazzi Smyth Observatory and the Wolfson Planetarium

The Piazzi Smyth Observatory and Wolfson Planetarium were opened in May 2002 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Situated on the Bedford School estate, the facility is operated by the school's Astronomer in conjunction with members of the Bedford Astronomical Society. The Observatory was named after an Old Bedfordian who went on to become the Astronomer Royal for Scotland. It features a specially made GRP dome and a computer controlled twelve-inch telescope which gives stunning views of the Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects. This telescope also has a hydrogen alpha filter, enabling one to see the magnetic plasma flow around the Sun. The adjacent Planetarium was named after the Wolfson Foundation.

Music

Bedford School has a rich tradition of music and one of the largest school music departments in the UK

Every year, there is a full and active programme of music concerts, culminating in a series of summer concerts at the end of the academic year. There are a number of senior music groups, including the School First (Symphony) Orchestra, School Band, Choral Society, Chapel Choir, and a large number of chamber groups. In addition, there is a Second Orchestra, a Chamber Orchestra, Dance Band, and Jazz and Rock Groups. There is a Composer-in-Residence at the School, called the Eileen Norris Fellow.

During the war in 1941 the BBC Symphony and Theatre Orchestras made the school their home, from where a large number of broadcasts were made, under the batons of Adrian Boult, Clarence Raybould, and Stanford Robinson.

Prominent Old Bedfordian musicians

Notable Old Bedfordians

References

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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