Stowe School
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Stowe School is a well known British public school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11th May, 1923, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the prestigious Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is currently becoming co-educational. As of 2005, there are 490 boys in total, and 100 girls, with 20 in the junior school and the rest in the Sixth Form section.
The building used to be the seat of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos, and along with many of the other buildings on-site is now a Grade 1 Listed Building, maintained by the Stowe House Preservation Trust. For more information about the building itself, see the information provided at the main article on the village.
The school is used as a first class cricket ground by Northamptonshire CCC, and is the home ground of the Northants Second XI.
On April 4 1963 The Beatles performed at Stowe School, for which they were paid £100. They accepted a personal request from schoolboy Dave Moores, a fellow Liverpudlian.
List of Boarding Houses
There are 10 boarding houses: 8 boy houses and 2 girl houses. These boarding houses are mostly named after members of the family of Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. Each house has a number or letter assigned to it.
| Name | Named After | House Number/Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce | Lady Mary Campbell (Married to Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos;One of her family names was Bruce) | 1 |
| Temple | Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham ;Earl Temple | 2 |
| Grenville | George Grenville, the husband of Hester Temple, 1st Countess Temple, mother of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, and sister of Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham | 3 |
| Chandos | Duke of Buckingham and Chandos;Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos | 4 |
| Cobham | Viscount Cobham;Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham | 5 |
| Chatham | William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, husband of Hester Grenville, sister of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple | 6 |
| Grafton | There is no known family connection, the name coming from the local fox hunt, the Grafton Hunt, which takes its name in turn from the Duke of Grafton . Grafton also has a history of supplying the Stowe Beagles with talented Masters and Hunt Staff, many of whom have continued to become Masters of packs around the Country. | 7 |
| Walpole | This is not a family name. Named after Horace Walpole, who wrote some famous letters about his visits to Stowe in the 18th century. It was his father, Robert Walpole, who was the more notable Walpole in England's and Stowe's history, however. Viscount Cobham's political life started under Walpole but his subsequent opposition to him led Cobham to found a political dynasty that played a major part in politics until Victorian times (producing four Prime Ministers). To be named "Nugent" originally. | 8 |
| Nugent(Girls) | Lady Mary Nugent, daughter of Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent, married to George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham. Was originally the 'waiting house' that some new boys entered until their preferred house had a space. Nugent is known to have the prettiest girls, however according to the rival girl's house, Lyttleton, 'they tend to be rather Sloaney'. | N |
| Lyttelton(Girls) | Baron Lyttelton,succeeded to the Viscounty of Cobham since Charles George Lyttelton, 5th Baron Lyttelton, after the death of the Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, and into which title the Barony is now merged. Originally "Stanhope House", which became the Careers, International, and Skills Development departments of the school. Named after Lady Hester Stanhope, niece of William Pitt the Younger, who was the niece of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple | 0 |
Notable alumni
Stowe School alumni are known as Old Stoics and include:
- Leonard Cheshire VC (soldier;Charity worker, founder of the Cheshire Foundation Homes for the disabled)
- Sir Richard Branson (businessman) (although he did not complete his O Levels, leaving with only a handful of CSEs)
- Marc Koska, OBE (Inventor) (Designed K1 auto-disable syringe and credited with saving in excess of one million lives)
- John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover
- Roger Hodgson (musician) - founding member and vocalist of Supertramp
- Nicholas Lyell (former Solicitor-General and Attorney-General)
- George Melly (jazz singer & art historian)
- Christopher Robin Milne (son of A.A Milne)
- George Monbiot (left-wing journalist and political activist)
- David Niven (actor)
- HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco
- Chelsy Davy
- Michael Ventris (linguist who deciphered Linear B)
- Martin Edwards (Former Chairman of Manchester United Football Club)
- Peregrine Worsthorne (Conservative journalist)
- George Haig, 2nd Earl Haig (son of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig)
- Karan Thapar (One of India's best known journalists)
- Sir Jack Hayward OBE - entrepreneur and owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club
- Rollo Weeks actor
External links
- [Stowe School Website]
- [Old Stoic Society]
- [Stowe House Preservation Trust]
- [Cricket ground record at] cricinfo
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