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Epsom College

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Epsom College is a co-educational Public School in College Road, Epsom, Surrey, England with around 720 pupils, and a member of the Headmasters' Conference. It caters for both boarding and day pupils. Traditionally, Epsom feeds the main medical schools with undergraduate medics, alas no longer (only one student got accepted for his first choice application for med school in 2006)[[Citing sources citation needed]]

Contents

Headmasters

History

The school was founded in 1853 by Dr. John Propert and his, and the medical foundation's, aims were to provide education at the school for orphans and widows of the medical profession. It was opened in 1855 as The Royal Medical Benevolent College by Prince Albert. It originally housed around 100 boys.

Initial classes took place in one large room which is presumably the building known today as "Big School" - not an inspiring name - which changed status to become the school theatre over time as classroom and departmental blocks were built.

Through the years, the school has gone through what appear to be significant changes, though they add up to very little real change, apart from the migration to the current co-educational model. Its main building survived World War II, but, since there were no strategic targets in Epsom this is hardly a surprise. The only significant thing then was the building of Air raid shelters on the main lawn, though they now covered by grass. The Chapel was extended as a memorial to the Old Epsomians who died in the First World War. New houses were built as boys overcrowded the old, and Victorian dormitories became study-bedrooms and bedsits. Otherwise the mix has become one of fewer boarding and more day pupils.

Originally a school for boys, the school admitted girls into the 6th form in the 1970s. Later, in 1996, the school admitted girls into the middle fourth year, which is the normal entry year for 13+ year olds following either the Common Entrance exam or the school's own academic or music scholarships.

The school recently celebrated its 150th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Houses

Boarding

Carr

Carr, named in honour of Dr William Carr, who was a founding member of the original Royal Medical Benevolent College, is situated in the Newsom Building just inside amd to the right of the Main Gate, to where it moved in the 1960s, having shared the "quadwards extension" of Big School with Granville and Propert. Its first and second floor setting offers vistas across the Chapel lawn looking up to the main part of the school. Completely refurbished in 2003, the house enjoys excellent day and boarding facilities. The current Housemaster, Mr Michael Day, is now in his fifth year.

The house colours are green and black

Fayrer

Named in honour of Sir Joseph Fayrer, a leading doctor and reformer at the start of the previous century, Fayrer House is the largest in the College. Originally established in the Newsom Building, the house moved forty years ago to what was then the school sanatorium, which explains its remote location away from the main school buildings. Fayrer was refurbished recently and now provides excellent boarding accommodation. All rooms face south or east which helps to create a bright and sunny atmosphere. Mr Paul Williams has been Housemaster since 1993.

Certainly during the 1960s the rear terrace of Fayrer was used for an annual Greek play, a production by no means on the scale of that at Bradfield College

The house colours are blue and white

Forest

Forest moved nearly fifty years ago from a central location into purpose-built accommodation alongside College Road, close to the main rugby pitches. The house has outgrown this building, which will shortly benefit from extension and major refurbishment of existing areas, due to be completed in the Autumn of 2005. Mr Andrew Bustard is in his third year as Housemaster. The house is named after Robert Forest who was an early major benefactor.

The house colours are yellow and black

Granville

Granville House is said by the Epsom College website to be the only house still occupying its original accommodation in the main school building, giving it the unique advantage of being the closest to all the main school facilities. This is not so, since it shared until a minor move in the 1960s, accommodation with Carr and Propert. Over that period the house has expanded and now occupies a vast area on two floors above the main school corridor. The house is named after the Earl of Granville, who was the third President of the College. Having been in the post for nearly thirteen years, Mr Michael Oliver is the longest serving member of the team of housemasters and housemistresses.

The house colours are red and black

Holman

Holman, named after Sir Constantine Holman who was a member of the College Council for many years and its Treasurer from 1887 to 1906, occupies the newer half of the long building that runs alongside College Road. Like Forest House, Holman, has outgrown its part, and will shortly benefit from the building's extension and major refurbishment of existing areas, which has already started. Mr Ian Holiday has been Housemaster of Holman for almost three years.

The house colours are red and white

Wilson

Wilson was established in 1873 and is named after Sir Erasmus Wilson, who founded the Chair of Dermatology at the Royal College of Surgeons but is better known for paying for the removal of Cleopatra's Needle from Alexandria and its epic transportation to the Embankment in London. The house was founded as the Headmaster's House and as such was the first house to have its own separate identity. The house is centrally located in the College grounds and is run by Mrs Deborah Parsons, who has been Housemistress for nearly eleven years.

The house colours are white and black

White House

The first house for girls, White House has the odd distinction of being the first house commonly referred to with the word "house" in its name. It is unique in that it is the only Sixth Form house in the College. Additionally it appears not to have been named after a person, though this may be an incorrect assumption. Established in 1976 as a boarding and day house for Sixth Form girls, it was moved a few years later to its present location at the northern end of the terrace of what were originally alms houses overlooking the College lawns, where it continues to provide a home exclusively for girls entering the Sixth Form from other schools. The current Housemistress, Mrs Celine Winmill took over the running of this house in September 2004.

Day

Crawfurd

Crawfurd was the second day house, and had the pleasant distinction of being the closest house to the Tuck Shop. It and Rosebery grew at their peak to over 75 boys apiece in the late 1960s, when the two day houses were split to add the new house, Robinson. Crawfurd has since become a girls' house and moved location substantially.

The house colours were purple and white when it was a boys' house

It is named after a former Dean of the Medical Department of King's College, Sir Raymond Henry Payne Crawfurd, who joined the Council of Epsom College in 1915. Situated at the southern end of the terrace of what were originally alms houses overlooking the College lawns, the house is conveniently located next to the Dining Hall and is close to all academic departments. These days the house occupies rooms on three floors in accommodation that elegantly combines the brand-new and purpose-built with some of the College's oldest buildings, thoroughly refurbished to the same high standard. Mrs Keevil took over as Housemistress in 2003

Propert

Propert, which is named after the founder of the College, John Propert, has only recently become a day house. Mr Andy Wolstenholme is in his third year as Housemaster and oversaw the move of Propert from the top two floors of the Newsom Building to the completely refurbished ground floor. The house colours are blue and black

Raven

Raven, founded in 1999 and named after Dame Kathleen Raven, is currently the youngest house. It occupies the building that had been Crawfurd House (closest to the Tuck Shop), on to which the new Mackinder classroom block was built. Its location, at the very heart of the teaching area of the College campus, is found by its members to be most convenient, as is its proximity to the Tuck shop. Miss Joanna Hall is in her first year as Raven's Housemistress. One cannot help noticing the "Harry Potter" nature of the name of the house

Robinson

Founded in 1968 from the September intake of new boys plus one third or so each from Crawfurd and Rosebery, Robinson is named after Dr. Henry Robinson, who was treasurer of the College between 1952 and 1960 stood in the ground floor of the old Hart Smith building. The inaugural housemaster was N J Davidson-Kelly, a somewhat larger than life Scot who had previously been house tutor of Crawfurd

The house colours are green and white

Rosebery

Rosebery was the first day house. Though day boys were admitted to Epsom College from its foundation, they weren't given their own house until 1926, when the Earl of Rosebery, a former Prime Minister, agreed to allow the new day house to be named after him in honour of his long association with the College. Mr Michael Hampshire has been Housemaster since 1994. The house has occupied the same building at the corner of the College campus, next to the Art School, since 1933, though the building has been remodelled. The alterations in the late 1960s gave the entire building to Rosebery, whereas it had previously had to share its premises with classrooms 1 and 2 on the top floor accessed by an external staircase.

The house colours are purple and black

Obsolete

Hart Smith

Hart Smith was named after an early headmaster, and was closed in the summer of 1965. Probably a relic of the days of Empire, Hart Smith took an intake of younger boys before the normal starting age of the main school many of whose parents were ex-pats out running first the Empire and then the Commonwealth. As these dwindled and boarding became less the norm at the prep schools feeding schools like Epsom, so Hart Smith dwindled. The building became the Sanatorium until Robinson and the Art School took it over three or so years later.

The house colours were inherited by Robinson and were green and white

Sport

Major Sports

Epsom U16 rugby team recently reached the semi-finals of the Daily Mail Cup. They lost to the team who eventually went on to win the tournament.

Minor Sports

The college has one of the best rifle teams in the country, and has won the prestigious Ashburton Shield on numerous occasions in the past decade.

Eccentricities

The Athletics Term

Until the winter of 1965, Epsom College was probably unique in holding athletics in the coldest months of the year, between January and April. This meant that the long jump pit was often frozen. The track surrounded the First XV pitch, and was either frozen or waterlogged

Demolition Expert

In the 1960s a pupil by the name of Frish came running out of the main lats (toilet block) in the quad, yelling "There's a bomb in the bog!". And there was. The toilet itself, number 13, was destroyed, and left that way for many years. The demolition expert is also reputed to have attempted to blast one of the First XV rugby posts into orbit.

History does not relate whether the eponymous toilet cleanser was named after the boy!

The Fives Courts

Walk from the Tuck Shop and the original Crawfurd building past the chemistry block and down the steps to Chapel Pitch, and turn right. To your right you see the remnants of four (five?) open air fives courts, the furthest one of which was larger than the others and said to be a doubles court. In the late 1960s these were functional courts, albeit of odd design. For reasons not at all clear they were demolished, probably in the early 1970s. It seems odd to have fives courts and demolish them, too, especially since fives was popular as an activity in order to avoid cross country runs over Epsom Downs

It is said that, in the 1960s, a car belonging to Derek Fenner, then housemaster of Crawfurd, potentially an Austin A35, was imprisoned in one of these courts. This may be apocryphal.

Principal Feeder

Sundry Items of Interest

Famous, Notable, Amusing, or just plain out of the ordinary Old Epsomians

Academe

Art

Books

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Government Official

Industry and Commerce

Medicine and Dentistry

Military

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Army

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Music

Contemporary

\"Classical\"

Sport

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Radio and Television

Famous Staff

External references

 

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