Monkton Combe School
Encyclopedia
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe
, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down
on the southern outskirts of Bath. Founded in 1868, the school maintains many strong traditions with a particular emphasis on high academic and sporting achievements. The school also has a strong Christian
ethos within the Anglican tradition. The school is also a member of the Rugby Group
of independent schools in the United Kingdom.
The Senior School (current pupil numbers are around 350) admits children from age 11 through to 18; the Prep School admits children from age 7 to 13 and the Pre-Prep has classes in Kindergarten (3–4), Reception (4–5) and Years 1 and 2 (5–7). The Nursery provides pre-school care (ages 2–3). The Senior School and Prep School both have a strong boarding tradition; however, day pupils comprise one third of the intake of the Senior School and are in the majority in the Prep School. Since 1992 the school has been co-educational, having merged with clarendon
school for Girls.
The school has many historical traditions and a strong religious heritage, with particular emphasis on sporting and academic achievements, and has produced many important society figures through the years.
The official history of the school's first hundred years can be found in A Goodly Heritage: A History of Monkton Combe School 1868-1967 by A.F. Lace, published in Bath by Sir Isaac Pitman
& Sons, 1968.
, Rowing
, Hockey
, Tennis
and Cricket
for boys and Hockey
, Netball
, Rowing
and Tennis
for girls. A range of "minor sports" are also available (named in this way as they are generally not played competitively against other schools).
The school has produced six Olympic
rowing gold medallists to date, each of whom represented Great Britain, and an Olympic Gold Medallist who represented Great Britain at men's hockey. The school's boat club is famous for being one of the most successful small clubs in the UK, and frequently competes against many of the UK's best teams.
The school has a strong musical and theatrical tradition with the majority of pupils learning an instrument and taking part in school plays. Other major activities include the Combined Cadet Force (CCF
) and various clubs and societies. There are also annual (optional) visits overseas, such as a Rugby tour of South Africa
and a Rowing training camp in Nantes
-France
, as well as academic trips such as foreign language exchange trips.
Several of the buildings are listed, including the main Senior school block known as The Old Farm, and the part of the Terrace Block known as The Old Vicarage. In 2008 the Senior School completed a 5 million pound
project which involved re-building, extending and re-furbishing its Mathematics
and Science
departments.
Monkton Combe
Monkton Combe is a village and civil parish in north Somerset, England, south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Tucking Mill, has a population of 356.-History:Monkton Combe was part of the hundred of Bath Forum.According to Rev...
, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down
Combe Down
Combe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. Combe Down sits on a ridge above and about 1.5 miles to the south of Bath city centre. "Combe" or "coombe" is a West Country word meaning a steep-sided...
on the southern outskirts of Bath. Founded in 1868, the school maintains many strong traditions with a particular emphasis on high academic and sporting achievements. The school also has a strong Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ethos within the Anglican tradition. The school is also a member of the Rugby Group
Rugby Group
The Rugby Group is a group of British independent schools.The group was formed in the 1960s as an association of major boarding schools within the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
of independent schools in the United Kingdom.
The Senior School (current pupil numbers are around 350) admits children from age 11 through to 18; the Prep School admits children from age 7 to 13 and the Pre-Prep has classes in Kindergarten (3–4), Reception (4–5) and Years 1 and 2 (5–7). The Nursery provides pre-school care (ages 2–3). The Senior School and Prep School both have a strong boarding tradition; however, day pupils comprise one third of the intake of the Senior School and are in the majority in the Prep School. Since 1992 the school has been co-educational, having merged with clarendon
Clarendon
-Places:In Australia:*Clarendon, New South Wales, a suburb of northern west Sydney*Clarendon, Queensland*Clarendon, South Australia*Clarendon, Tasmania, a National Trust property near Evandale, Tasmania*Clarendon County, New South WalesIn Canada:...
school for Girls.
History
The Senior School was founded in 1868 by the then Vicar of Monkton Combe, the Reverend Francis Pocock. The Junior School was established with four pupils in 1888 in a private house in Church Road, Combe Down by a Mrs Howard (the daughter of the Senior School Principal) and moved into its current purpose-built premises in June 1907. The Pre-prep was added in 1929. In 1992, the School became fully co-educational, merging with Clarendon School for Girls, Bedford. In 2006 the Junior School was renamed Monkton Prep School.The school has many historical traditions and a strong religious heritage, with particular emphasis on sporting and academic achievements, and has produced many important society figures through the years.
The official history of the school's first hundred years can be found in A Goodly Heritage: A History of Monkton Combe School 1868-1967 by A.F. Lace, published in Bath by Sir Isaac Pitman
Isaac Pitman
Sir Isaac Pitman , knighted in 1894, developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in Stenographic Soundhand in 1837. Pitman was a qualified teacher and taught at a private school he founded in Wotton-under-Edge...
& Sons, 1968.
Sport and other activities
Monkton Combe School maintains a strong sporting tradition. Both the Senior and Junior schools have a wide range of sporting and other extra curricular activities. The main sports played are RugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for boys and Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, Netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, Rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
for girls. A range of "minor sports" are also available (named in this way as they are generally not played competitively against other schools).
The school has produced six Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
rowing gold medallists to date, each of whom represented Great Britain, and an Olympic Gold Medallist who represented Great Britain at men's hockey. The school's boat club is famous for being one of the most successful small clubs in the UK, and frequently competes against many of the UK's best teams.
The school has a strong musical and theatrical tradition with the majority of pupils learning an instrument and taking part in school plays. Other major activities include the Combined Cadet Force (CCF
CCF
CCF can refer to:* 100 cubic feet, an American standard measurement of water or natural gas volume, more often written "Ccf" * Cambodian Children's Fund, charity organisation...
) and various clubs and societies. There are also annual (optional) visits overseas, such as a Rugby tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and a Rowing training camp in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
-France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as academic trips such as foreign language exchange trips.
Facilities
The School maintains a range of sporting facilities including outdoor and indoor swimming pools, sports halls with fully equipped gyms, two astroturfs, nine grass and three hard tennis courts, a boathouse with access to the River Avon and many acres of grounds. All buildings are made of sandstone, in the same style as many buildings in and around the city of Bath, in order to keep with the traditional architectual style around Bath.Several of the buildings are listed, including the main Senior school block known as The Old Farm, and the part of the Terrace Block known as The Old Vicarage. In 2008 the Senior School completed a 5 million pound
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
project which involved re-building, extending and re-furbishing its Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
departments.
Boarding
Many of the pupils are either weekly or full-time boarders. The Senior school maintains six boarding houses, two of which are for girls (Nutfield and Clarendon) and four for boys (Grove-Grange, Eddystone, School and Farm). The Preparatory school operates a boys' and a girls' boarding house. There are many strong traditions in each house, as well as many inter-house competitions throughout the year. Students are allowed to visit the City of Bath each weekend. Lessons take place on Saturday mornings with sporting matches against other schools taking place on most Saturday afternoons.Notable Alumni
- Steve WilliamsSteve Williams (rower)Stephen David Williams OBE is an English rower and double Olympic champion.In April and May 2011, Steve will be taking part in Richard Parks'...
MBE, 1976- , 2004 and 2008 Olympic rowing Gold Medallist (Great Britain Coxless Four) and four-times World Champion at Coxless and Coxed Fours - Alex PartridgeAlex PartridgeAlex Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver medallist- Education :Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to study Technology Management...
, 1981- , 2005 and 2006 Rowing World Champion (Great Britain Coxless Four) and 2008 Olympic Silver Medallist (Great Britain Eight) - Rowley DouglasRowley DouglasRowley Douglas is a competition rower and Olympic champion for Great Britain.Douglas won a gold medal in coxed eights at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, as a member of the British rowing team.-References:...
MBE, 1977- , 2000 Olympic rowing Gold Medallist (cox to Great Britain Eight) - Dr William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" LaurieRan LaurieWilliam George Ranald Mundell Laurie , known as Ran Laurie, was a British physician, rowing champion and Olympic gold medallist. His younger son is the actor and writer Hugh Laurie.-Rowing career:...
, 1915–1998, 1948 Olympic rowing Gold Medallist (Great Britain Coxless Pairs)and father of actor, Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
. - Michael LapageMichael LapageMichael Clement Lapage is a former missionary and English rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1948 Summer Olympics....
, 1923- , 1948 Olympic rowing Silver Medallist (Great Britain Eight) - Alfred MellowsAlfred MellowsAlfred Paul Mellows DFC was a British rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.Mellows was born in Croydon, the son of Alfred John Mellows and his wife Edith Dean. He was educated at Monkton Combe School and at Cambridge University, and was a contemporary of fellow Olympic rower Michael...
, 1922–1997, 1948 Olympic rowing Silver Medallist (Great Britain Eight) - Paul BarberPaul BarberPaul Barber is an actor from Liverpool. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he is best known for playing Denzil in Only Fools and Horses and Horse in The Full Monty.- Early life :...
, 1955- , field hockey player, 1988 Olympic Gold Medallist and 1984 Olympic Bronze Medallist - Iain TorranceIain TorranceIain Richard Torrance is President of Princeton Theological Seminary and a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He is married to Morag Ann , whom he met while they were students at the University of St Andrews, and they have a son, Hew, and a daughter,...
TD, 1949- , President of Princeton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
, Queen's Chaplain and former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandChurch of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. - Sir Richard PeirseRichard PeirseAir Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse KCB DSO AFC , was a senior Royal Air Force commander.-RAF career:...
, 1892–1970, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air ForceIndian Air ForceThe Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
and of RAF Bomber CommandRAF Bomber CommandRAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental... - Richard StilgoeRichard StilgoeRichard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music....
OBE, 1943- , songwriter and lyricist - Bernard CornwellBernard CornwellBernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
, 1944- , author of the SharpeSharpe (TV series)Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
novels - Sir Timothy LankesterTim LankesterSir Tim Lankester, KCB was President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, England.Tim Lankester was born in 1942 and educated at Monkton Combe School....
KCB MA, 1942- , former Deputy Secretary of H.M. Treasury and Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, since 2001 President of Corpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
) - Michael J D StearMichael J D StearAir Chief Marshal Sir Michael James Douglas Stear KCB CBE MA was Deputy Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe from 1992 to 1996.Educated at Monkton Combe School in Somerset Sir Michael began his National Service in 1957...
KCB CBE QCVSA, DL MA FRAeS, 1938- , former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces Central EuropeAllied Forces Central EuropeJoint Force Command Brunssum is the NATO military command based in Brunssum, Netherlands. JFC-B reports to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe based at Casteau, Belgium. It is one of three operational level commands in the NATO command structure, the others being Joint Force Command...
and former President of the Royal Air Forces AssociationRoyal Air Forces AssociationThe Royal Air Forces Association, more often known as RAF Association, or simply RAFA, is a UK based charitable organization which provides care and support to serving and retired members of the "Royal Air Forces" and their dependents.The organisation, which was formed in 1943, receives no funding... - Richard DearloveRichard DearloveSir Richard Billing Dearlove, KCMG, OBE was head of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1999 until 6 May 2004.-Career:...
KCMG OBE, 1945- , Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1999 until 2004 and Master of Pembroke CollegePembroke College, CambridgePembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, Cambridge - Stefan BoothStefan BoothStefan Booth is an English actor and singer currently starring in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Greg Jessop. He left the series in August 2011 and will return to the show.-Background:...
, 1979- , actor (Hollyoaks, The Bill, Dancing on Ice) - Ian CundyIan CundyIan Patrick Martyn Cundy was a Church of England cleric who served successively as Bishop of Lewes and Bishop of Peterborough.-Background:...
, 1945-2009 , Bishop of PeterboroughPeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
1996-2009 - Maurice Arthur Ponsonby WoodMaurice WoodMaurice Arthur Ponsonby Wood DSC was an Anglican bishop in the Evangelical tradition. He was a Royal Navy commando chaplain in World War II and later the Bishop of Norwich.-Early life and education:...
DSC, 1916–2007, Bishop of Norwich who took the first church service on liberated French soil in June 1944 - John Desmond ClarkJ. Desmond ClarkJohn Desmond Clark was a British archaeologist noted particularly for his work on prehistoric Africa.Educated at Monkton Combe School near Bath, J. Desmond Clark graduated with a B.A...
OBE, 1916–2002, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of Berkeley, USA and pre-eminent African archaeologist - George Herbert JoseGeorge Herbert JoseGeorge Herbert Jose was Canon of St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide, Australia, archdeacon of Mount Gambier, South Australia, and Dean of Adelaide....
, 1868–1956, Dean of AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
(Australia) - Michael Head, 1900–1976, composer, musician and broadcaster
- Michael Barton AkehurstMichael Barton AkehurstMichael Barton Akehurst was an international lawyer. He was the author of the 'Modern Introduction to International Law' which remains the most widely used student text in the field...
, 1940–1989, international lawyer - Dr. Wilfred Edward Shewell-CooperShewell CooperDr. Wilfred Edward Shewell-Cooper, M.B.E., N.D.H., F.L.S., F.R.S.L., F.R.H.S., Dip. Hort. was a British organic gardener and pioneer of no dig gardening. He was the author of Soil, Humus and Health , The Royal Gardeners , Grow your own food supply , The ABC of Vegetable Gardening and many other...
MBE, 1900–1982, British organic gardener and pioneer of no-dig gardening. - Alfred YoungAlfred YoungAlfred Young, FRS was a British mathematician.He was born in Widnes, Lancashire, England and educated at Monkton Combe School in Somerset and Clare College, Cambridge, graduating BA as 10th Wrangler in 1895. He is known for his work in the area of group theory...
, 1873–1940, outstanding mathematician and inventor of Young tableau for use in theory of groups and quantum mechanics - David Howard AdeneyDavid Howard AdeneyDavid Howard Adeney was a British Protestant Christian missionary and university evangelist in China and East Asia...
, 1911–1994, Protestant Christian missionary in China and East Asia - Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
John Dutton FrostJohn Dutton FrostMajor General John Dutton Frost CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DL was a British airborne officer best known for being the leader of the small group of airborne forces that actually got to Arnhem bridge during the Battle of Arnhem...
CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DL, 1912–1993, British airborne officer best known for being the leader of the small group of airborne forces at Arnhem bridge during the Battle of Arnhem - Adrian MitchellAdrian MitchellAdrian Mitchell FRSL was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British anti-authoritarian Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's anti-Bomb movement...
, 1932–2008, author and Shadow Poet Laureate - John Frank Ewan BoneJohn Frank Ewan BoneJohn Frank Ewan Bone was the Bishop of Reading from 1989 until 1996. He was born on 28 August 1930 and educated at Monkton Combe School and St Peter's College, Oxford before embarking on an ecclesiastical career with a curacy at St Gabriel's, Warwick Square...
, 1930- , former Bishop of Reading from 1989 until 1996 - Josh OvensJosh OvensJosh Ovens is a rugby union player for Bath in the Guinness Premiership. He plays as a back-row.His first cousin is Lawrence Ovens.-External links:*...
, 1989- , professional rugby union player for Bath RugbyBath RugbyBath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
and EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Under 20s - Kevin Walton GCGeorge CrossThe George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
, 1918–2009, awarded the George CrossGeorge CrossThe George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
in 1946 - John BushJohn Bush (Lord Lieutenant)John Barnard Bush OBE CStJ JP is the current Lord Lieutenant of the English county of Wiltshire, serving since 2004...
, 1937- , Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire