|
|
|
|
Gordonstoun
|
| |
|
| |
Gordonstoun is a Scottish co-educational independent school famed for having educated three generations of British royalty. Its remote location has made the school ideal for educating aristocratic families around the world.
History
Located in a 17th-century house with over in the west of the village Duffus Scotland - near to RAF Lossiemouth, in Morayshire - the school is named after the estate on which it is located.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Gordonstoun' Start a new discussion about 'Gordonstoun' Answer questions from other users |
Recent Posts
Encyclopedia
Gordonstoun is a Scottish co-educational independent school famed for having educated three generations of British royalty. Its remote location has made the school ideal for educating aristocratic families around the world.
History
Located in a 17th-century house with over in the west of the village Duffus Scotland - near to RAF Lossiemouth, in Morayshire - the school is named after the estate on which it is located. It was founded as an international school in 1934 by the German educator Dr. Kurt Hahn who also founded Schule Schloss Salem in southern Germany. Although a fierce German patriot, Dr. Hahn had to leave Germany after the Nazis gained power, mainly on account of his Jewish background and critical stance towards national socialism. Kurt Hahn himself was educated at the University of Oxford. Hahn turned down the prestigious headmastership of Eton College to establish Gordonstoun. Hahn had a new vision of education which envisioned a school based on Plato's 'Republic'. In time, it became one of the most distinguished and progressive schools in the western world.
Gordonstoun School’s illustrious history would not be complete without reference to Leila Margaret Rendel OBE as a Gordonstoun School founder and longstanding governor. Ms. Rendel originally ran her own school, The Caldecott Community, a London nursery for homeless boys founded in 1911 and the most talented students were sent on to further study at Gordonstoun. In recent times The Caldecott Community has changed its name to The Caldecott Foundation.
Ethos
Hahn blended a traditional private school ethos with a philosophy derived, at least in part, from that of ancient Greece. This is most notable in the title "Guardian", denoting the head boy and girl, which Hahn took from Plato's Republic; the adoption of a Greek trireme as the school's emblem; and, most notably, a routine that could be described as spartan. He placed a high emphasis on militaristic discipline and physical education, particularly outdoor activities such as sailing and hill walking. It is therefore appropriate that the school's motto should be "Plus est en vous" (More is in you). The school formerly had a (possibly undeserved) reputation for harsh conditions, with cold showers and morning runs as a matter of routine, and physical punishments, known as "penalty drill" or PD, in the form of supervised runs around one's house (dormitory) or the south lawn of Gordonstoun House (pictured above).
The school also has a reputation for not placing an over-emphasis on testing and league tables, the school view being that this tends to lead to an education with a lack of time and freedom for a true, imaginative and humane engagement with life. This philosophy has not hindered most of their pupils achieving university places, with many going on to the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, as well as American Ivy League universities such as Yale University and Brown University.
During World War II, the school temporarily moved to Llandinam in Wales.
It is best-known as the school attended during the 1960s by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, on the recommendation of his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who had himself been one of the first students to attend Gordonstoun having previously been educated at Salem in Germany. Princes Andrew and Edward eventually followed in their father's and elder brother's footsteps. Of the four princes, three (Philip, Charles and Edward) were appointed Guardian (head boy) during their time at the school. Princess Anne, the Queen's only other remaining child, was not educated at Gordonstoun, which at that time was boys only. However, she did send her own two children there and also served for some time on the school's board of governors. She still maintains her links with the school, serving currently as a Warden of the school.
William Boyd has written in detail about his time there in Protobiography, although he never mentions the school by name.
Roy Williamson, a folk musician who was part of the Corries and most famously composer of Flower of Scotland, the unofficial Scottish national anthem, was also educated at Gordonstoun.
The School has a volunteer fire unit attached to the Grampian Fire and Rescue Service.
Boarding Houses
There are nine boarding houses at Gordonstoun School:
- Female:
- Hopeman House
- Plewlands House
- Windmill House
- Male
- Bruce House
- Cumming House
- Duffus House
- Gordonstoun House
- Round Square
- Homewood
- Co-ed
Aberlour House
Aberlour House, the preparatory school for Gordonstoun, was relocated to Gordonstoun's grounds from Aberlour in 2004. It is made up of dormitories, classrooms and communal areas in one building. Other lessons, like art and design technology for example, are done in the main Gordonstoun classroom area. Construction of the building was completed in 2004 and in 2006, large extensions were added to the existing building, incorporating additional classrooms and dormitaries. At the moment around 100 children aged between 8 and 13 years of age attend, but this is expected to rise with the coming extension.
Alumni
Alumni of Gordonstoun are called "Old Gordonstounians" or "OGs":
- British Royal Family members
- Beatrice Rothschild
- Prince Konstantin von Bayern
- Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon
- Aleksandar Karadordevic, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia and Crown Prince of Serbia.
- James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife
- Timothy Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley
- David Michael Douglas Boyle, Viscount of Kelburn and heir to the 10th Earl of Glasgow
- William Boyd, novelist and screenwriter, winner of the Whitbread Book Award and nominated for the Booker Prize.
- Christian Castle, leading music and technology attorney, legal author and Fellow of the World Technology Network
- Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin
- Jason Connery, actor and son of Sir Sean Connery.
- Barry Cooper, musicologist and Beethoven scholar
- Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale
- Fredrik S. Samuelsen
- Lisa Kendal
- Cemal Hunal, Turkish actor (Issiz adam and Asi)
- Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish musician, leader of the argentinian band, Sumo.
- James Orr, police officer and Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh 1957-1970.
- Roy Williamson of the Corries, and writer of Scotland's unofficial national anthem, Flower of Scotland
- Justus Scharowsky, Former Cumming House student who now plays field hockey for the German national team.
- Duncan Jones, son of English musician David Bowie
- Dick Heckstall-Smith, (legendary) English jazz and blues saxophonist.
See also
- Broneirion, Gordonstoun's home during World War II
External links
|
| |
|
|
