Repton School
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| Repton School | |
 |
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| Motto | 'Porta Vacat Culpa', literally 'the gate is free from blame'. |
| Established | 1557 |
| Type | Independent school |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Headmaster | Robert A. Holroyd |
| Chaplain | Reverend Adam Watkinson |
| Chairman of Governors | Jonathan M. Fry |
| Founder | Sir John Port |
| Location | Repton Derbyshire DE65 6FH England  |
| Students | ~600 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 13 to 18 |
| Houses | 10 |
| Colours | Navy & Yellow
|
| Preparatory School | Repton Preparatory School |
| Website | www.repton.org.uk |
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a British independent school located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, England. Some of the remains of the oldest buildings date back to the 6th century.
Contents |
[edit] History
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (October 2008) |
The School Founded a Prep school during World War II to ensure it had enough pupils, and after the war the prep school moved to nearby Foremarke Hall.
[edit] Motto
The school's motto, 'Porta Vacat Culpa' ('the gate is free from blame'), is a quotation from Ovid's Fasti.[1] 'The gate' (Porta) refers to the school's famous arch[2] (see picture) and, by a synecdoche of pars pro toto, the school itself, whilst also being a pun on the name of the school's founder, Sir John Port[3]. It is an unusual motto for a public school in that it does not form an exhortation to, or a claim of, virtue or excellence but seems rather to act as a disclaimer: the school cannot be held responsible for the shortcomings of those educated there.
[edit] Houses
Repton school has 10 houses, 6 for boys and 4 for girls. The boys' houses are New House, The Cross, Latham House, School House, The Priory and The Orchard, each consisting of about 65 boys across 5 school years. The girls' houses are Field House, The Garden, The Abbey and The Mitre, with roughly the same number of members each. New House celebrates its centenary this year (2009). While formally closed, it will be re-opened later this year (2009).
[edit] Sports
Repton competes in sports typical of a medium-sized English public school (football, rugby, athletics, etc.), and more recently hockey and tennis. Repton also competes in lesser-known sports such as Eton Fives.
[edit] Repton Dubai
On 24 January 2006, it was announced that Repton School is to branch out internationally with the launch of a new boarding school in Dubai, an initiative of the Dubai Education Council (DEC).[4] The school opened to the public in September 2007. The school, similar in many aspects of its teaching and layout to Repton School, is the first boarding school in the Middle East. It is situated on a 50-acre (200,000 m2) site in Nad al Sheba and, according to the Good Schools Guide International, enjoys "very expensive facilities".[5]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Harold Abrahams, 100 m Gold Medalist, 1924 Olympics[6]
- Kate Allan aka Kasia, author
- Harry Altham, cricket historian, coach and administrator[7]
- Henry Austin, tennis player
- Charles Beare, OBE, Internationally renowned violin expert, Chairman of J&A Beare
- Paul Borrington, cricketer
- Joseph Bosworth, scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language
- Tom Chambers, actor
- Jeremy Clarkson, Award winning journalist and presenter of the BBC show 'Top Gear'
- D'Ewes Coke, clergyman and philanthropist
- Roald Dahl, author[8]
- James Fenton, poet and journalist
- Simon Friend, musician and member of the contemporary British rock band The Levellers
- CB Fry, cricketer
- Graeme Garden, comedian, member of The Goodies
- Lord Grimston, politician
- Stuart Hampshire, Oxford philosopher
- Edwin Hillier, composer-philosopher, baritone, conductor 'Vox Cantatium'
- Martin How, composer
- Christopher Isherwood, novelist and screenwriter
- Eric Maschwitz, entertainer, writer, broadcaster
- Adrian Newey, one of the best engineers in Formula One, Newey-inspired designs have won numerous titles & almost 80 Grands Prix
- Michael Ramsey, archbishop of Canterbury
- Basil Rathbone, Sherlock Holmes in the 1930s and 1940's black & white films[9]
- Denys Rayner, Battle of the Atlantic veteran, writer and boat designer
- Sir John Rolleston, Conservative MP
- Robert Sangster, racehorse owner and breeder author[10][11]
- John James Scott-Chisholme, Boer war cavalry officer
- Edward Upward, novelist, short story writer
- Denton Welch, novelist, short story writer
[edit] Headmasters
- Thomas Whitehead (1621-1639)[12]
- Philip Ward (1639-1642)[12]
- William Ullock (1642-1667)[12]
- Joseph Sedgwicke (1667-1672)[12]
- Edward Letherland (1672-1681)[12]
- John Doughty (1681-1705)[12]
- Edward Abbot (1705-1714)[12]
- Thomas Gawton (1714-1723)[12]
- William Dudson (1723-1724)[12]
- George Fletcher (1724-1741)[12]
- William Asteley (1741-1767)[12]
- William Prior (1767-1779)[12][13]
- William Bagshaw Stevens (1779-1800)[12][13]
- William Boultbee Sleath (1800-1830)[12][13]
- John Heyrick Macaulay (1830-1840)[12][13]
- Reverend Thomas Williamson Peile (1841 - 1854)
- Steuart Adolphus Pears (1854 - 1874)
- Lionel Ford (1901 - 1910)
- William Temple (1910 - 1914)
- Geoffrey Fisher (1914 - 1932)[8]
- David Jewell (1979 - 1987)
- Graham E. Jones 1987-2003
- Robert Holroyd 2003-
[edit] References
- ^ Ovid's Fasti, book 2, line 204
- ^ Repton School website
- ^ article entitled "Pro Pelle Cutem, The Hudson's Bay Company Motto" by E. E. Rich in Manitoba Pageant, April 1961, Volume 6, Number 3
- ^ Repton Dubai Website
- ^ Good Schools Guide International, accessed Sept 2008
- ^ Harold Abrahams' Blue Plaque details
- ^ Harry Altham Biography at Cricinfo.com
- ^ a b Dahl, Roald "Boy" ISBN 0-435-12300-9 (hardcover, 1986) (see also Boy: Tales of Childhood)
- ^ Basil Rathbone biography
- ^ Robinson, Patrick "Horsetrader" ISBN 0-00-638105-7 (paperback, 1993)
- ^ Robert Sangster's Times obituary
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Robert Bigsby Historical and Topographical Description of Repton Woodfall and Kinder 1854
- ^ a b c d Repton Church Monuments
[edit] External links
- Repton School Website
- Repton Preparatory School Website
- Old Reptonian Society
- Repton Dubai Website
- ISBI Information on Repton School
