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Westminster School



 
 
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent school
Independent school

An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the investment yield of an financial endowment....
s, with the highest Oxbridge
Oxbridge

Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of superior intellectual or social status, emphasising the apparent "difficulty" of gaining admission....
 acceptance rate of any secondary school or college. Located in the precincts of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
 in central London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, and with a history stretching back beyond the 12th century, the school's notable alumni include Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson was an England English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satire plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist , and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his Lyric poetry poems....
, Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England natural philosopher and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
, Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
, John Locke
John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher. Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricism, but is equally important to social contract theory....
, Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was an England jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law....
, and A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne was an England author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work....
. The school traditionally encourages independent and individual thinking.






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The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent school
Independent school

An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the investment yield of an financial endowment....
s, with the highest Oxbridge
Oxbridge

Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of superior intellectual or social status, emphasising the apparent "difficulty" of gaining admission....
 acceptance rate of any secondary school or college. Located in the precincts of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
 in central London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, and with a history stretching back beyond the 12th century, the school's notable alumni include Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson was an England English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satire plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist , and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his Lyric poetry poems....
, Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England natural philosopher and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
, Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
, John Locke
John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher. Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricism, but is equally important to social contract theory....
, Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was an England jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law....
, and A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne was an England author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work....
. The school traditionally encourages independent and individual thinking. Boys are admitted to the Under School
Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a private Preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London.The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean?s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey....
 at age seven, and to the main school at age thirteen; girls are admitted only at sixteen. The school has around 750 pupils; around a third are boarders
Boarding school

A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils not only study, but also live during term time, with their fellow students and possibly teachers....
, of whom most go home for the weekends, after Saturday morning school. It is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868
Public Schools Act 1868

The Public Schools Act 1868 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to reform and regulate nine leading English boys' schools. These exclusive Independent school are all based around ancient charity schools for a few poor scholars, but then, as today, educated many sons of the English upper and upper middle classes on a fee-payi...
.

The Good Schools Guide says of the school: "For the right boy or girl, simply the best," also mentioning that the atmosphere is "famously relaxed and liberal as has been felt appropriate in a school which thrives on the individuality of its members."

History

Although it is likely that schoolboys were taught by the monks well beforehand, by 1179 Westminster School had certainly become a public school (i.e., a school available to members of the public, so long as they could pay their own costs) as a decree of Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III

Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181....
 required the Benedictine
Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy....
 monks of the Abbey at Westminster
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
 to provide a charity school to local boys.Parts of the School's buildings date back to the eleventh century, older than the current Abbey.

This arrangement changed in 1540, when Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
 ordered the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, denotes the administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII of England disbanded all monastery, nunnery and friary in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their income, disposed of their assets and provided f...
 in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, but personally ensured the School's survival by his royal charter. The College of St. Peter carried on with forty "King's Scholars" financed from the royal purse. Although during Mary I
Mary I of England

Mary I , was Queen of England and Monarchy of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI of England, to the English throne....
's brief reign the Abbey was reinstated as a Roman Catholic monastery, it was redissolved on Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was List of English monarchs and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor....
's accession, and neither of these events had a major impact on the School. The School occupies a number of the buildings vacated by the monks.
Westminster School Arch View
Elizabeth I re-founded the School in 1560, with new statutes to select 40 Queen's Scholars from boys who had already attended the school for a year. Queen Elizabeth frequently visited her scholars, although she never signed the statutes nor endowed her scholarships, and 1560 is now generally taken as the date that the school was "founded", although legal separation from the Abbey was only achieved with the Public Schools Act 1868
Public Schools Act 1868

The Public Schools Act 1868 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to reform and regulate nine leading English boys' schools. These exclusive Independent school are all based around ancient charity schools for a few poor scholars, but then, as today, educated many sons of the English upper and upper middle classes on a fee-payi...
. There followed a scandalous public and parliamentary dispute over a further 25 years, to settle the transfer of the properties from the Canons of the Abbey to the School. Under the Act, the Dean of Westminster Abbey is ex officio the Chairman of the Governors; and school statutes have been made by Order in Council of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
.

Camden
William Camden

William Camden was an England antiquarian and historian. He wrote the first topographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England....
 was the first internationally-famous headmaster, but Dr Busby
Richard Busby

The Rev. Dr. Richard Busby was an England clergyman, and headmaster of Westminster School.He was born at Lutton in Lincolnshire, and educated at Westminster, where he first showed his academic promise by gaining a King's Scholarship....
, himself an Old Westminster, established the reputation of the school for several hundreds of years, as much by his classical learning as for his ruthless discipline of the birch, immortalised in Pope
Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope is generally regarded as the greatest England poet of the eighteenth century, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer....
's Dunciad. Busby prayed publicly Up School for the safety of the Crown, on the very day of Charles I
Charles I of England

Charles I was List of English monarchs, List of monarchs of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his capital punishment on 30 January 1649....
's execution, and then locked the boys inside to prevent their going to watch the spectacle a few hundred yards away. Regardless of politics, thrashing Royalist and Puritan boys alike without fear or favour, Busby also took part in Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English people Military history of the United Kingdom and Politics of England leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's funeral procession, when a Westminster schoolboy succeeded in snatching the "Majesty Scutcheon" from the coffin (it was given to the School by his family two hundred years later). Busby remained in office throughout the Civil War and the Commonwealth, when the school was governed by Parliamentary Commissioners, and well into the Restoration.

In 1679, a group of scholars killed a bailiff, ostensibly in defence of the Abbey's traditional right of sanctuary
Sanctuary

Sanctuary has multiple meanings. A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its church tabernacle or altar. An animal sanctuary is a place where animals live and are protected....
, but possibly because the man was trying to arrest a consort of the boys. Dr Busby obtained a royal pardon for his scholars from Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
, and added the cost to the school bills. The King's picture in the sealed pardon keeps an eye on the Master of the Queen's Scholars in her sitting room.

During the sixteenth century the school educated writers including Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson was an England English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satire plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist , and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his Lyric poetry poems....
 and Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt

Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English people through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation ....
; in the seventeenth, the poet John Dryden
John Dryden

John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of English Restoration to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden....
, philosopher John Locke
John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher. Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricism, but is equally important to social contract theory....
, scientist Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England natural philosopher and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
, composer Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell...
 and architect Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
 were pupils; and in the eighteenth philosopher Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was an England jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law....
 and several Whig Prime Ministers and other statesmen; recent Old Westminsters include prominent politicians of all parties, and many members of the arts and media.

Until the nineteenth century, the curriculum was made up of Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew, all taught Up School. The Westminster boys were uncontrolled outside school hours and notoriously unruly about town, but the proximity of the School to the Palace of Westminster meant that politicians were well aware of the boys' exploits. After the Public Schools Act 1868
Public Schools Act 1868

The Public Schools Act 1868 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to reform and regulate nine leading English boys' schools. These exclusive Independent school are all based around ancient charity schools for a few poor scholars, but then, as today, educated many sons of the English upper and upper middle classes on a fee-payi...
, in response to the Clarendon Report on the financial and other malpractices at nine pre-eminent public schools, the School began to approach its modern form. Unusually among the leading public schools however, Westminster did not adopt most of the broader changes associated with the Victorian
Victorian era

The Victorian Era of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the period of Victoria of the United Kingdom reign from June 1837 to January 1901....
 ethos of Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold

Thomas Arnold was a United Kingdom educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. He was headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, where he introduced a number of reforms....
, such as the emphasis on team over individual spirit, and the school retained much of its distinctive character. Despite many pressures, including evacuation and destruction of the School roof during the Blitz
The Blitz

The Blitz was the sustained bombing of United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the "Blitz" hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights ....
, the school also refused to move out of central London along with other prominent schools such as Charterhouse
Charterhouse School

Charterhouse, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in London Charterhouse, then Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse before Charterhouse School or more simply Charterhouse is a boys' independent school school between Hurtmore and Godalming in Surrey, England....
 and St. Paul's, and remains in its original location close by the centres of church and state.

Westminster Under School
Westminster Under School

Westminster Under School is a private Preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London.The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean?s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey....
 was formed in 1943 at the evacuated school, as a distinct preparatory school for day pupils between the ages of 8 to 13 (now 7 to 13). Only the separation is new: for example, in the eighteenth century, Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon

Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788....
 attended Westminster from the age of 11. The Under School has since moved to Vincent Square
Vincent Square

Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres . It provides playing fields for Westminster School....
, overlooking the School's playing fields. Its current headmaster is Mr. Jeremy Edwards.

In 1967, the first female pupil was admitted to the Upper School, with girls becoming full members in all houses from 1973 onwards. In 1981, a single-sex boarding house, Purcell's, was created again, for girls. In 1997 the school expanded further with the creation of a new day house, Milne's at 6a, Dean's Yard.

In 2005 the school was one of fifty leading private schools guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times
The Times

The Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register.The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of News International....
, which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents. Each school agreed to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.

In 2007, the school launched an attempt to be the sponsor of Pimlico School
Pimlico School

Pimlico Academy is a secondary school in the Pimlico area of Westminster, London. The school is a specialist Arts College....
, which was due to be rebuilt as a City Academy
City Academy

City Academy is a stage school, in London. The school's founder and Principal is Anna Fiorentini.The school was established in 2001 Since then it has won a number of awards....
. Westminster City Council however chose John Nash, a businessman who owns the for-profit Alpha Plus schools group.

Location

The School is located primarily in the walled precincts of the former mediæval monastery at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
, its main buildings surrounding its private square Little Dean's Yard
Little Dean's Yard

Little Dean's Yard, known to Westminster School just as Yard, is a private gated yard at the heart of the school, within the precincts of the ancient monastery of Westminster....
 (known as 'Yard'), off Dean's Yard, where Church House, the headquarters of the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
, is situated, along with some of the Houses, the Common Room, the new humanities building Weston's, and College Hall.

Immediately outside the Abbey precincts on Great College Street is Sutcliff's (named after the tuck shop in the building in the 19th century), where Geography, Art, Theology, Philosophy and Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) are taught. The Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England natural philosopher and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
 Science Centre is further away, just off Smith Square
Smith Square

Smith Square is a square located in Westminster, part of the City of Westminster in London, which is notable for St. John's, Smith Square, the church in the middle of the square now used as a concert hall....
. As part of an expansion programme funded by donations and a legacy from A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne was an England author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work....
, the school has acquired the nearby Millicent Fawcett Hall for Drama and Theatre Studies lessons and performances; the Manoukian Centre for Music lessons (both timetabled and private) and recitals; and the Weston Building at 3 Dean's Yard. It also often uses St John's, Smith Square as a venue for major musical concerts. College Garden
College Garden

College Garden is a private garden of Westminster Abbey in London, open to the public on some Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.A thousand years ago it was the infirmary garden of the Westminster Abbey, and it is said to be the oldest garden in England under continuous cultivation; the produce can have done little for the health of the monks...
, to the East of Little Dean's Yard, is believed to be the oldest garden in England, under continuous cultivation for around a millennium. Just beyond rises the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament
Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet....
; the Queen's Scholars have special rights of access to the House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
. To the North, the Dark Cloister leads straight to the Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
, which serves as the School Chapel.

The playing fields are half a mile away at Vincent Square
Vincent Square

Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres . It provides playing fields for Westminster School....
, which Dean Vincent created for the School by hiring a horse and plough to carve out of the open Tothill Fields. The boathouse is now some way from the school at Putney
Putney

Putney is a district of south-west London in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south-west of Charing Cross, on the southern bank of the River Thames, opposite Fulham....
, where it is also used for the Oxford and Cambridge boat race; but the school's First Eight still returns annually to exercise its traditional right to land at Black Rod Steps of the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet....
.

Notable buildings

Westminster, situated in the middle of the UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 World Heritage Site of Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret’s, and the Palace of Westminster, has several buildings notable through unique qualities, age, and history.

'College Hall', the 14th century Abbot's state dining hall, is one of the oldest and finest examples of mediæval refectory in existence, and in use for its original purpose every day in term-time; outside of term it reverts to the Dean, as the Abbot's successor. Queen Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth Woodville or Wydeville was the Queen consort of King Edward IV of England from 1464 until his death in 1483....
 took sanctuary here in 1483 with 5 daughters and her son Richard, but failed to save him from his fate as one of the Princes in the Tower
Princes in the Tower

The Princes in the Tower, Edward V of England and his brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York , were two sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville....
. In the 1560s, Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was List of English monarchs and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor....
 several times came to see her scholars act their Latin Plays on a stage in front of the attractive Elizabethan gallery, which may have been first erected especially for the purpose.

'College', now shared between the three Houses of College, Dryden's and Wren's, is a dressed stone building overlooking College Garden
College Garden

College Garden is a private garden of Westminster Abbey in London, open to the public on some Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.A thousand years ago it was the infirmary garden of the Westminster Abbey, and it is said to be the oldest garden in England under continuous cultivation; the produce can have done little for the health of the monks...
, the former monastery's Infirmary garden which is still the property of the Collegiate Church of Westminster Abbey. College dates from 1729, and was designed by the Earl of Burlington
Earl of Burlington

Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom....
 based on earlier designs from Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
 (himself an Old Westminster).

'School', originally built in the 1090s as the monks' dormitory, is the School's main hall, used for Latin Prayers (a weekly assembly with prayers in the Westminster-dialect of Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
), exams, and large concerts, plays and the like. From 1599 it was used to teach all the pupils, the Upper and Lower Schools being separated by a curtain hung from a 16th century pig iron
Pig iron

Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with coke , usually with limestone as a flux. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5?4.5%, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications....
 bar, which remains the largest piece of pig iron in the world. The stone steps and entranceway to School have been attributed as the work of Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones

Inigo Jones is regarded as the first significant British architecture, and the first to bring Renaissance architecture to England. He also made valuable contributions to stage design....
, and are engraved with the names of many pupils who used to hire a stonemason for the purpose. The panelling "up School" is similarly, but officially, painted with the coats of arms of many former pupils. The original shell-shaped apse at the North end of School gave its name to the Shell forms taught there and the corresponding classes at many other public schools. The current shell displays a Latin epigram on the rebuilding of School, with the acrostic Semper Eadem, Elizabeth I's motto. The classroom door to the right of the Shell was recovered from the notorious Star Chamber
Star Chamber

The Star Chamber was an England court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges, and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters....
 at its demolition. The building lies directly on top of the Westminster Abbey museum, and ends at the start or the Pyx Chamber.

Both School and College had their roofs destroyed during the Blitz by incendiary bombs in 1941. The buildings were re-opened by George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom

George VI was British monarchy and the United Kingdom Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the last King of Ireland , and the first Head of the Commonwealth....
 in 1950.

Ashburnham House
Ashburnham House

Ashburnham House is a building on Little Dean's Yard in Westminster, London, United Kingdom, and is a part of Westminster School's facilities....
, which today houses the library the IT department and the Mathematics Department, was built by Inigo Jones or his pupil John Webb around the time of the Restoration, as a London seat for the family who became the Earls of Ashburnham. It incorporates remains of the mediaeval Prior's House, and its garden (which was once the monk rarefectory, is the site of some of the earliest sittings of the House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
. In 1721 when Ashburnham housed the King's and Cottonian libraries, which form the basis of the British Library
British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is based in London and is one of the world's largest List of Research libraries, holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats; books, journals, newspapers, magazines, Sound recording, patents, databases, maps, stamps, Printmaking, drawings and much mor...
, there was a disastrous fire and many of the books and manuscripts still show the marks. After the Public Schools Act 1868
Public Schools Act 1868

The Public Schools Act 1868 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to reform and regulate nine leading English boys' schools. These exclusive Independent school are all based around ancient charity schools for a few poor scholars, but then, as today, educated many sons of the English upper and upper middle classes on a fee-payi...
 there was a scandalous parliamentary and legal battle between the Abbey and the School, until the School eventually obtained Ashburnham under the Act for £4000. In 1881 William Morris
William Morris

William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, and Socialism associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement....
 conducted a public campaign which succeeded in preventing its demolition but failed to save the neighbouring mediaeval buildings. During the Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the library was used for very senior military purposes, and the ground floor as an American officers' club.

Customs

the Greaze
The 'Greaze' has been held "up School" (in the School Hall) on Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is a term used in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia for the day preceding the first day of the Christian season of fasting and prayer called Lent....
s since 1753: the head cook ceremoniously tosses a horsehair-reinforced pancake
Pancake

A pancake is a thin, flat cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Pancakes exist in several variations in many different local cuisines....
 over a high bar, which was used in the sixteenth century to curtain off the Lower School. Members of the school fight for the pancake for one minute, watched over by the Dean of Westminster Abbey (as Chairman of the Governors), the Head Master, the whole School and distinguished or even occasionally Royal visitors. The pupil who gets the largest weight is awarded a gold sovereign (promptly redeemed for use next year), and the Dean begs a half-holiday for the whole School. A cook who failed to get the 'pancake' over the bar would formerly have been "booked", or stoned with Latin primers, although that tradition has long lapsed.

The privilege of being the first commoners to acclaim each new sovereign at their coronation in Westminster Abbey is reserved for the Queen's (or King's) Scholars. Their shouts of "Vivat Regina" ("Long Live the Queen") are nowadays incorporated into the Coronation Anthem.

Despite the formal separation from the Abbey, the school remains Anglican
Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition of Christianity faith. Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs, worship and church structures....
, with services in the Abbey attended by the entire school at least twice a week, and many other voluntary-attendance services of worship. The school was expressly exempted by the Act of Uniformity
Act of Uniformity

Over the course of English parliamentary history there were a number of acts of uniformity. All had the basic object of establishing some sort of religious orthodoxy within the English church....
 to allow it to continue saying Latin prayers despite the Reformation
English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. Every Wednesday there is an assembly Up School known as Latin Prayers, which opens with the Headmaster leading all members of the school in chanting prayers in Latin, followed by notices in English. The School's unique pronunciation of formal Latin is known as 'Westminster Latin', and descends from medieval English scholastic pronunciation: Queen Elizabeth I, who spoke fluent Latin, commanded that Latin was not to be said "in the monkish fashion", a significant warning upon loyalties between Church and State. A service called 'Little Commem' is given in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 each year, in which the Queen's Scholars commemorate the School's benefactors, laying pink roses on the tomb of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was List of English monarchs and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor....
 in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to popularly and informally as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic architecture Church , in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster....
. Every three years a much larger service called 'Big Commem' is given in its place, where the Praefectus (the Head Boy/Captain of the Queen's Scholars) lays a wreath of pink roses on the tomb of Elizabeth I. Prospective donors are particularly invited to note the School's gratitude to benefactors. From 2010 "Big Commem" will occur in every other year.

Since the monastic Christmas revels of mediæval times, Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 Plays have been presented by the Scholars, with a prologue and witty epilogue on contemporary events. Annual plays, "either tragedy or comedy", were required by the school statutes in 1560, and some early plays were acted in College Hall before Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was List of English monarchs and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor....
 and her whole Council. However, in a more prudish age Queen Victoria did not accompany Prince Albert and The Prince of Wales to the Play, and recorded in her diary that it was "very Improper"! Today, the play is put on less frequently, any members of the school may take part, and the Master of the Queen's Scholars (currently a female historian) gives the Latin prologue.

The Queen's Scholars have privileged access to the House of Commons gallery, said to be a compromise recorded in the Standing Orders of the House in the nineteenth century, to stop the boys from climbing into the Palace over the roofs.

Entry

There are 4 main points of entry for pupils:
  • For the Under School
    Westminster Under School

    Westminster Under School is a private Preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London.The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean?s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey....
    , at ages 7, 8, and 11, judged by a combination of internal exam and interview.
  • For the Lower School, at age 13, judged by either Common Entrance
    Common Entrance

    The Common Entrance Examinations are set by the Independent Schools Examination Board, for entry at age 11+ , or at age 13+ to United Kingdom Independent School ....
    , a standardised, national set of exams for entrance to independent schools, for standard entry; or the Challenge, an internal set of exams for scholarship entry; as well as interview.
  • For the Upper School, at age 16, judged by subject-specific exams and interviews and conditional upon GCSE
    General Certificate of Secondary Education

    The General Certificate of Secondary Education is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 13-16 in secondary education in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland....
     results. This is the only point of entry for girls, and only a handful of boys join at this point each year.


As well as the Queen's Scholarships which pay one half of boarding fees, and of which there are normally eight in each year, there are Honorary Scholarships for boys who pass the Challenge and could have been scholars but do not want to board. Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking Companion of Honour, Commander of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy is a British Theoretical physics....
 was entered for the Challenge in 1952, but fell ill on the day of the Challenge examination.

Those entering the Lower School also have the opportunity to win scholarships based on musical talent, and bursaries for those whose parents are not able to fund their tuition. Ignoring scholarships and bursaries, annual fees are as follows:

Pupil type 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Per term Per year Per term Per year Per term Per year Per term Per year
Boarding £7,682 £23,046 £8,105 £24,315 £8,652 £25,956 £9,172 £27,516
Day £5,321 £15,963 £5,614 £16,842 £5,992 £17,976 £6,352 £19,056
Day (VIth entrants) £5,771 £17,313 £6,088 £18,264 £6,499 £19,497 £6,888 £20,664
Under School £3,697 £11,091 £3,900 £11,700 £4,163 £12,489 £4,412 £13,236
Annual increase ? 5.5% 6.7% 6.0%


University applications


According to a report by the Sutton Trust
Sutton Trust

The Sutton Trust is an educational Charitable organization in the United Kingdom which aims to provide educational opportunities to young people from non-privileged backgrounds....
, Westminster School has the highest Oxbridge acceptance rate of any school at 49.9% (5 year average) with 76 pupils achieving Oxbridge places in 2005. Furthermore, it also has an 85.6% (5 year average) acceptance rate into the Sutton 13
League tables of British universities

League tables of British universities which rank the performances of universities in the United Kingdom on a number of criteria, have been published every year by The Times newspaper and several other newspapers since October 1992....
 elite list of the top 13 universities for research in the UK. The report claimed that, in general, independent schools achieve 16.3% more places at Sutton 13 universities than would be expected on merely from A-level grades.

Westminster jargon


Year names

Westminster has an unusual system for naming the school years, which can cause confusion to those not familiar with the system.

  • Year 9: Vth Form
  • Year 10: Lower Shell
  • Year 11: Upper Shell (GCSE)
  • Year 12: VIth Form (AS)
  • Year 13: Remove (A2)


The Lower and Upper Shell years are named for the shell-shaped alcove up School where they were originally taught; the name has been adopted by several other schools such as with a Westminster connection.

Other jargon and slang

Abbey
When used without an article, refers to the compulsory morning service in the Abbey on Mondays and Fridays; "It's time for Abbey".
Begging a Play
Making a request for a Play (qv). The Dean annually begs a play at the Greaze, but other plays may also be begged especially by celebrities or in recognition of notable events in the life of the School.
The Challenge
The exam sat by boys applying for scholarships. It was wholly oral until 1855, its name deriving from the practice of a candidate interrupting, or 'challenging' one already speaking.
Chit
A note from a housemaster or house tutor, which allows a pupil to buy something (usually uniform) from the school shop and add the cost to the school fees. Another use is to be shown to teachers so that pupils may leave the lesson for something such as a music lesson or dentist's appointment.
Digniora
An award given to a pupil for an outstanding piece of work. Previously issued to pupils from all years (Vth form - Remove), it is now only given to boys in the lower school (Vth, Lower Shell and Upper Shell). An award of a digniora was once an extremely rare event, normally unwitnessed over the course of a Westminster career. The teacher awarding one would write digniora on the work to be honoured with instructions for the pupil to proceed to his housemaster; his housemaster would then escort the pupil to the Headmaster's study where a beaming head would fish out from a cache of surplus Maundy money
Maundy money

Maundy money, legally called "the Queen's Maundy money" is a welcoming United Kingdom coinage given to deserving Poverty people in a religious ceremony performed, in many periods with the participation of the monarch, on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter....
 a piece of silver coinage. More recently the custom has evolved where pupils who receive one go to the Under Master to be given a silver threepenny piece, generally from the early 20th century, and once 3 dignioras have been earned they can go and see the Head Master to be given a £10 book token.
Election
A year of scholars. The first election are the year 9 scholars, the second election are the year 10 scholars etc. There are usually eight scholars in each of 5 Elections.
Election Term
The third term of the academic year, from April to July. The term in which new scholars are elected, formerly in place of those examined and elected to the universities.
EMC (early morning call)
A more recent formalisation of having to present oneself to one's housemaster at 0830. The duration of this form of punishment is left up to the Housemaster's discretion. EMC is meted out usually for more menial 'crimes' such failing to do a prep (see below).
Exeat
A word used mainly by staff to refer to the half term holiday, which lasts two weeks in the Play Term and one in the Lent and Election Terms. It is the Latin for "he may go out".
Exeat Weekend
Similar to Exeat, except it lasts one weekend only. Pupils are excused from Saturday school and even boarders must return home.
Expedition
A school trip for members of the lower school, which usually involves some sort of outdoor pursuit.
Fields
Vincent Square
Vincent Square

Vincent Square is a large grass-covered square in Westminster, London, England, covering 13 acres . It provides playing fields for Westminster School....
. One is always "up Fields". See "Up".
Gating
Pupils are gated as the worst form of punishment before expulsion or suspension. A pupil who has been gated must attend detention every day (including SAP), and register at 8.15 usually for a week. This is most often given for smoking, drinking or skipping lessons.
The Greaze
Annual pancake fight. See the section on customs.
Green
Dean's Yard
Dean's Yard

Dean's Yard, Westminster, comprises most of the remaining precincts of the former monastery of Westminster, not occupied by the Abbey buildings....
; The lawn in the middle of Dean's Yard; "The school has a legal right to play football on Green" (always without an article
Article (grammar)

An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the types of reference being made by the noun, and to specify the volume or numerical scope of that reference....
).
Dean's Yard
Lent Term
The second term of the academic year, from January to Easter.
LO
Excused from Station (owing to illness, for example). LO stands for "leave off" the normal station lists. The letters now also stand for "Library Order" as upon receiving an LO pupils often must report to the library for private study.
Occupat
During the annual Anglican confirmation service, non-church goers are confined to their Houses. This is referred to as occupat.
The Pink List
The list of pupils and members of the Common Room of the school. This exists both as a small pink book (the source of the name) and as a computer database.
Play
A day's holiday, especially in conjunction with a notable event. Annual plays are the Queen's Play and the Dean's Play. A recent extraordinary play was the "Pooh Play" in recognition of the School's selling the rights to Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is a Walt Disney Company Media franchise, based on animated fictional characters who have been featured as part of the List of Disney characters....
 to the Walt Disney Corporation. The day on which a play is given is usually a Saturday. qv 'Begging a play'.
Play Term
The first term of the academic year, from September to December. The term in which the Latin Play used to take place (see Customs), although that may now be given in summer.
Praebendum (plural Praebenda)
Essentially same as a Digniora, but issued to those boys and girls in the Upper School (VIth and Remove) who submit outstanding pieces of work, or attain well-above average test results. This was introduced by Dr Stephen Spurr at the beginning of 2006.
Prep
One of two meanings:
  1. Short for 'preparation', the exact equivalent of 'homework' in other schools; "Hand in your prep tomorrow".
  2. Period in which boarders are to do their homework or meaning 1. of Prep. This lasts from 7:15pm (after dinner) until 9:00pm, with a five minute break at 8:00pm. During this period, pupils must be "up house" (see "Up"), in the Library, or in the Computer Room; "You may not leave the school during prep".
SAP (formerly SEP)
Saturday afternoon punishment; detention on a Saturday afternoon. It is usually given for bad behaviour, consistently not doing Prep (see above) (for the Upper School (VI and Remove), missing Abbey, station, Latin prayers, rude or unacceptable behaviour, or being caught smoking
Tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoking is the inhalation of smoke from burned dried or cured leaves of the tobacco plant, most often in the form of a cigarette. People may smoke casually for pleasure, habitually to satisfy an addiction to the nicotine present in tobacco and to the act of smoking, or in response to social pressure....
. Formerly SEP (Saturday Evening Punishment) which consisted of running around green.
School
The main hall. Used for assemblies, concerts, plays etc. Always referred to as "up School". See "Up".
Shag (Day)
Pupils may attend school wearing clothes not specified by the uniform code, but are expected to give to charity if they do so. This is only permitted on certain days; "It's Shag Day on Friday." Compare mufti day. As a verb, it was widely used to mean "play truant", but fell into disuse due to the more widely known but unfortunate meaning.
Station
Sports which are compulsory and held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 2:00pm onwards; "He missed Station as he was sick". Originally it meant any compulsory engagement.
Up (house, School, etc.)
"In" or "to". "You should be up house if you don't have a lesson", "Latin prayers take place up School", "Sir John Gielgud was up Grants from 1917 to 1921". Events in Vincent Square are said to be "up Fields", particularly among the Common Room. An exception to the rule is that one is never "up College" only "in College".
Water
Rowing Station (the Westminster School boat club is based in Putney
Putney

Putney is a district of south-west London in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located south-west of Charing Cross, on the southern bank of the River Thames, opposite Fulham....
)
Yard
Little Dean's Yard
Little Dean's Yard

Little Dean's Yard, known to Westminster School just as Yard, is a private gated yard at the heart of the school, within the precincts of the ancient monastery of Westminster....
; "He was in Yard" (always without an article
Article (grammar)

An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the types of reference being made by the noun, and to specify the volume or numerical scope of that reference....
). This is also often used to refer to the period after Prep from 9pm to 10pm when boarders are free to entertain themselves in Yard.


Houses

Westminster School Grants View
The School is split into 11 Houses
House system

The house system is a traditional feature of United Kingdom schools, and schools in ex-British colonies, similar to the college system of a university....
, some of which are 'day Houses' (and only admit day-pupils, those who go home after school), the others having a mix of day-pupils and boarders. The Houses are named after people connected to the house or school in various ways — mainly prominent Old Westminsters but also former Head Masters and House Masters. Other than College, Grant's is the oldest house, not only of Westminster but of any public school.

Houses are a focus for pastoral care and social and sporting activities, as well as accommodation for boarders. All the day houses are mixed-sex, and all houses admit girls; only Busby's and Purcell's provide boarding accommodation for girls - the remainder admit day girls only.

Each House has associated colours, which are worn on ties awarded for various (usually sporting) achievement while representing the House. There are also pink-striped ties awarded for achievement while representing the whole school, with the amount of pink denoting the level of achievement.

Grant's T Shirt
House Abbr. Founded Named after Colours Pupils
Boarding Non-boarding
College CC 1560 n/a Dark green Boys Girls
Grant's GG 1750 The "mothers" Grant - landladies who owned the property and put up boys in the days before boarding existed, when the School only accommodated Scholars; the old house among the Public Schools. ¦ Maroon on light blue Boys Mixed
Rigaud's RR pre-1896 (rebuilt) Stephen Jordan Rigaud
Stephen Jordan Rigaud

Stephen Jordan Rigaud was a clergyman and schoolmaster.He was appointed as the senior assistant master of Westminster School, and was put in charge of a boarding house from 1846 - 1850....
¦ Black on orange-yellow Boys Mixed
Busby's BB 1925 Richard Busby
Richard Busby

The Rev. Dr. Richard Busby was an England clergyman, and headmaster of Westminster School.He was born at Lutton in Lincolnshire, and educated at Westminster, where he first showed his academic promise by gaining a King's Scholarship....
¦ Dark blue on maroon Mixed Mixed
Liddell's LL 1956 Henry Liddell
Henry Liddell

Henry George Liddell was List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, headmaster of Westminster School, author of A History of Rome , and co-author of the monumental work A Greek-English Lexicon, which is still used by students of Greek....
¦ Blue on yellow Boys Mixed
Purcell's PP 1981 Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell...
Pink Girls Girls
Ashburnham AHH 1881 The Earls of Ashburnham
Earl of Ashburnham

The title Baron Ashburnham , of Ashburnham and Penhurst in the Sussex, was created in the Peerage of England in 1689 for John Ashburnham, 1st Baron Ashburnham, grandson of the John Ashburnham who assisted Charles I of England to escape from Oxford and Hampton Court Palace....
 whose London house is now part of the School
¦ Light blue on dark blue None Mixed
Wren's WW Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
¦ Purple on black
Dryden's DD 1976 John Dryden
John Dryden

John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of English Restoration to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden....
¦ Silver on red
Hakluyt's HH 1987 Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt

Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English people through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation ....
¦ Yellow on blue
Milne's MM 1997 A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne was an England author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work....
¦ Black on orange


College, the House of the Queen's Scholars (all of whom board), has assigned to it some of the non-boarding girls who enter the School in the VIth form.

Sport ("Station")

The School has three Eton Fives
Eton Fives

Eton Fives, one derivative of the United Kingdom game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court....
 courts, located behind Ashburnham House
Ashburnham House

Ashburnham House is a building on Little Dean's Yard in Westminster, London, United Kingdom, and is a part of Westminster School's facilities....
. The school frequently fields pupils as national entries in international competitions in rowing
Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes racing against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline....
, or "Water", and fencing at which they do very well. The Oxford University Boat Club
Oxford University Boat Club

The Oxford University Boat Club is the Sport rowing club of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century....
 use Westminster's boat house at Putney as their HQ for the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race
The Boat Race

The Boat Race, also known as the University Boat Race and The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club....
 on the Thames. The boathouse was remodelled in 1996, and won a Wandsworth design award in 1999. The school's colour is pink and one rumour for this colour is that it was derived from washed-out red shirts worn by rowers. Another rumour is that Westminster rowers raced Eton College
Eton College

Eton College, also known as Eton, is a world-famous British independent school for boys, founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England. It was founded as the King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor....
 for the right to wear pink. The story goes that on one running of the annual Eton-Westminster rowing race both crews arrived wearing the same colour pink, which was fashionable at the time. The Eton crew bought some light-blue ribbon (which later became the standard Eton colours) to differentiate themselves, but the Westminster crew won the race and the right to wear pink in perpetuity. The premier Leander Club
Leander Club

The Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest Watercraft rowing clubs in the world. It is based in Remenham in the England county of Berkshire, adjoining Henley-on-Thames....
 at Henley, which was founded in London by a number of Old Westminster rowers, later adopted it although they call the colour cerise. This unusual colour for sportsmen has occasionally provoked violent incidents in recent times - such as stones being thrown at rowers from the bank - but usually removes any need for away kit; the only problems arise when racing against Abingdon School, which also wears pink. The School's main sports ground is nearby at Vincent Square, but it is limited to football and cricket on the main area and tennis and netball on the courts; it also hosts a playground for Westminster Under School. It is not large enough for all the pupils doing these sports to use simultaneously (the football pitches are made into cricket pitches for the summer). Therefore the school hires and owns other sporting facilities near the school. These include the oldest boating club in the world, an astroturf
AstroTurf

AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Though the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a genericized trademark of any kind of artificial turf....
 ground in Battersea, and a fencing centre. 'Green' (Dean's Yard) is also used, as are the 2 school gyms (one in the Abbey Cloisters and one in the Weston's school building) and the three Fives courts, as well as informal "yard cricket", "yard football" and "Scuba Football" played in Little Dean's Yard.

Westminster has an historic joint claim to a major role in the development of Association Football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
, which remains the school's largest sport. During the 1840s at both Westminster and Charterhouse
Charterhouse

Charterhouse is an English name for any Carthusian monastery.It can refer to the following monasteries:* London Charterhouse, EnglandIt can also refer to some non-monastic names:...
, pupils' surroundings meant they were confined to playing their football in the cloisters, making the rough and tumble of the handling game that was developing at other schools such as Rugby
Rugby School

Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, Warwickshire, is regarded as one of the UK's leading co-educational boarding school and is one of the oldest public school in England....
 impossible, and necessitating a new code of rules. During the formulation of the rules of Association Football in the 1860s representatives of Westminster School and Charterhouse also pushed for a passing game, in particular rules that allowed forward passing ("passing on"). Other schools (in particular Eton College
Eton College

Eton College, also known as Eton, is a world-famous British independent school for boys, founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England. It was founded as the King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor....
 and Harrow
Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known as "Harrow", is a world-famous boys' independent school in United Kingdom. Harrow has educated boys since 1243 but was officially founded by John Lyon under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I in 1572....
) favoured a dribbling game with a tight off-side rule. By 1867 the Football Association
The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependency of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man....
 had chosen in favour of the Westminster and Charterhouse game and adopted an off-side rule that permitted forward passing. The modern forward-passing game was a direct consequence of Westminster and Charterhouse Football.

Former pupils

See also: List of former pupils of Westminster


The following people were educated at Westminster, amongst about 900 others listed in the ODNB:
  • Richard Hakluyt
    Richard Hakluyt

    Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English people through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation ....
     (1553 – 1616), writer
  • Ben Jonson
    Ben Jonson

    Benjamin Jonson was an England English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satire plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist , and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his Lyric poetry poems....
     (1573 – 1637), poet and dramatist
  • Arthur Dee
    Arthur Dee

    Arthur Dee was the eldest son of Dr John Dee , and educated at Westminster School.Arthur accompanied his father in his peregrinations across Bohemia....
     (1579-1651), alchemist and royal physician
  • George Herbert
    George Herbert

    George Herbert was a Welsh poet, orator and priest. Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education which led to his holding prominent positions at University of Cambridge and Parliament of the United Kingdom....
     (1593 – 1633), public orator and poet
  • John Dryden
    John Dryden

    John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of English Restoration to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden....
     (1631 – 1700), poet and playwright
  • John Locke
    John Locke

    John Locke was an English philosopher. Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricism, but is equally important to social contract theory....
     (1632 – 1704), philosopher
  • Sir Christopher Wren
    Christopher Wren

    Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century England designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects in history. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note....
     (1632 – 1723), architect and scientist, co-founder of the Royal Society
    Royal Society

    The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
  • Robert Hooke
    Robert Hooke

    Robert Hooke, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England natural philosopher and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
     FRS
    Royal Society

    The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
     (1635 – 1703), British scientist
  • Henry Purcell
    Henry Purcell

    Henry Purcell...
     (1659 – 1695), composer
  • Charles Wesley
    Charles Wesley

    Charles Wesley was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. Despite their closeness, Charles and his brother did not always agree on questions relating to their beliefs....
     (1707 – 1788), Methodist preacher and writer of over 6,000 hymns
  • Edward Gibbon
    Edward Gibbon

    Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788....
     FRS
    Royal Society

    The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
     (1737 – 1794), historian
  • Jeremy Bentham
    Jeremy Bentham

    Jeremy Bentham was an England jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He was the brother of Samuel Bentham. He was a political radical, and a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law....
     (1748 – 1832), lawyer, eccentric and philosopher
  • Thomas Pinckney
    Thomas Pinckney

    Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812....
     (1750 – 1828), American soldier, politician, and diplomat.
  • Matthew Gregory Lewis
    Matthew Gregory Lewis

    Matthew Gregory Lewis was an England novelist and dramatist, often referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his Gothic novel, The Monk....
     (1775-1818), dramatist
  • A. A. Milne
    A. A. Milne

    Alan Alexander Milne was an England author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work....
     (QS) (1882 – 1956), author and journalist
  • Robert Southey
    Robert Southey

    Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic poetry school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843....
     (1774 – 1843), poet, historian and biographer
  • Sir Adrian Boult
    Adrian Boult

    Sir Adrian Cedric Boult Order of the Companions of Honour was an English Conducting....
     (1889 – 1983), conductor
  • Sir John Gielgud
    John Gielgud

    Sir Arthur John Gielgud, Order of Merit , Companion of Honour was an England actor and singer, particularly known for his warm and expressive voice, which his colleague Alec Guinness likened to "a silver trumpet muffled in silk"....
     (GG) (1904 – 2000), actor and director
  • Sir Andrew Huxley
    Andrew Huxley

    Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley, Order of Merit , Royal Society is an England physiology and biophysics, who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with Alan Lloyd Hodgkin on the basis of nerve action potentials, the electrical impulses that enable the activity of an organism to be coordinated by a central nervous system....
     (b. 1917), Nobel prizewinning physiologist
  • Sir Peter Ustinov
    Peter Ustinov

    Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE or ;, born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinow, was a British actor, writer and dramatist.Ustinov was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre director and opera director, film director, stage designer, screenwriter, comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television pres...
     (1921 – 2004), actor, writer, director and raconteur
  • Tony Benn
    Tony Benn

    Anthony "Tony" Neil Wedgwood Benn , formerly 2nd Viscount Stansgate, is a United Kingdom socialist politician and the current President of the Stop the War Coalition....
     (born 1925), politician
  • Peter Brook
    Peter Brook

    Peter Stephen Paul Brook Companion of Honour, Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom theatre director and film director and innovator....
     (born 1925, LL 1937-1938), theatre director
  • Nigel Lawson
    Nigel Lawson

    Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , is a British Conservative Party politician and journalist who was Chancellor of the Exchequer between June 1983 and October 1989....
     (born 1932, WW 1945-1950), former Chancellor of the Exchequer, father of Nigella Lawson
    Nigella Lawson

    Nigella Lucy Lawson is an English Food writing, journalist and broadcaster. Lawson was born to Nigel Lawson , a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa Salmon, whose family owned the J....
  • Simon Gray
    Simon Gray

    Simon James Holliday Gray Order of the British Empire was a prolific postwar British playwright, whose work was performed worldwide.Simon Gray was born in Hayling Island, Hampshire, England....
     (born 1936, WW 1949-1954), playwright and diarist
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber
    Andrew Lloyd Webber

    Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an England composer of musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber and also the brother of the renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber....
     (born 1948, QS 1960-1965), composer and producer
  • Martin Amis
    Martin Amis

    Martin Louis Amis is an England novelist, essayist, professor, and short story writer, and the son of the novelist and poet Kingsley Amis. His works include such novels as Money , London Fields and The Information ....
     (born 1949), novelist
  • Tristram Jones-Parry
    Tristram Jones-Parry

    Tristram Jones-Parry is a United Kingdom former teacher of mathematics and former headmaster of Emanuel School and Westminster School, independent school in the UK....
     (born ????, house????), mathematics teacher and headmaster of Westminster School
  • Stephen Poliakoff
    Stephen Poliakoff

    Stephen Poliakoff CBE is an acclaimed Great Britain playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists....
     (born 1952, WW 1966-1970), director, playwright and television dramatist
  • Timothy Winter
    Timothy Winter

    Tim Winter , also known as Abdal Hakim Murad, is a British Muslim scholar and teacher. Conversant in both traditional Islamic scholarship and Western thought and civilization, Winter has made contributions in the following areas: Muslim-Christian relations, Islamic ethics, Sufism, Islamic theology, Hadith studies, orthodox Muslim res...
     (born 1960), Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge University
  • James Robbins
    James Robbins

    James Robbins is the BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent, a post he has held since January 1998. He had previously served as its Southern Africa Correspondent and its Europe Correspondent ....
     (GG 1968-1972), broadcaster
  • Shane MacGowan
    Shane MacGowan

    Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish people musician and singer best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues. His voice has been described by Jools Holland as a voice that touches the heart and soul....
     (born 1957, AHH 1972-1973), musician
  • Matt Frei
    Matt Frei

    Matthias Frei better known as Matt Frei is the BBC's Washington, D.C., correspondent, and the presenter of BBC World News America.He was born in Essen, Germany....
     (born 1963, RR 1978-1981), broadcaster
  • Helena Bonham Carter
    Helena Bonham Carter

    Helena Bonham Carter is an Academy Award-nominated England actor. Bonham Carter made her screen debut in the K. M. Peyton film, A Pattern of Roses, before appearing in her first leading role in Lady Jane ....
     (born 1966, LL 1982-84), actress
  • Noreena Hertz
    Noreena Hertz

    Prof. Noreena Hertz is an England economist, author and campaigner. She is a leading expert on economic globalisation....
     (born 1967, CC 1983-85), economist and campaigner
  • Nick Clegg
    Nick Clegg

    Nicholas William Peter Clegg , known as Nick Clegg, is the United Kingdom Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam and, since 18 December 2007, leader of the Liberal Democrats....
     (born 1967), Liberal Democrat leader
  • Ruth Kelly
    Ruth Kelly

    Ruth Maria Kelly is a United Kingdom Labour Party Politics of the United Kingdom, currently Member of Parliament for the Bolton West constituency, though she will stand down as MP at the Next United Kingdom general election....
     (born 1968, DD 1984-86), Cabinet minister
  • Marcel Theroux
    Marcel Theroux

    Marcel Raymond Theroux is a United Kingdom novelist and broadcaster. He wrote The Stranger in The Earth and The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: a paper chase for which he won the Somerset Maugham Award in 2002....
     (born 1968), novelist and broadcaster
  • Louis Theroux
    Louis Theroux

    Louis Sebastian Theroux is a British Presenter holding both UK and USA citizenship, best known for his television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met?...
     (born 1970), broadcaster
  • Jonathan Yeo
    Jonathan Yeo

    Jonathan Yeo is a British artist who rose to prominence in the 1990s as a contemporary portraitist, responsible for iconic paintings of Dennis Hopper, Prince Philip, Erin O'Connor and others....
     (born 1970), artist
  • Dido Armstrong
    Dido (singer)

    Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong professionally known as Dido is an Dido #Awards England Singer-songwriter....
     (born 1971, WW, 1987-89), British musician under the name "Dido"
  • Martha Lane Fox
    Martha Lane Fox

    Martha Lane Fox is a United Kingdom e-commerce business woman, charity trustee, board member of Channel 4 and non-executive Director of Marks & Spencer....
     (born 1973), internet entrepreneur
  • James Reynolds
    James Reynolds (correspondent)

    James Reynolds has been China correspondent for BBC News since 2006.From 1998 to 2001, he was the BBC's South America correspondent, based in Santiago, Chile....
     (born 1974), BBC Beijing Correspondent
  • Conrad Shawcross
    Conrad Shawcross

    Conrad Shawcross is a United Kingdom artist, the son of the writers William Shawcross and Marina Warner. He specialises in wooden mechanical sculptures based on philosophical and scientific ideas....
     (born 1977), artist
  • Pinny Grylls
    Pinny Grylls

    Pinny Grylls is an award winning British filmmaker. In 2001 Grylls co-founded Invisible Films with . In the next year they founded the Birds Eye View Film Festival, which has since showcased films by emerging women filmmakers around the country, and is the UK's first major film festival for female filmmakers....
     (born 1978, HH 1994-96), documentary film-maker
  • Benjamin Yeoh
    Benjamin Yeoh

    Benjamin Yeoh aka Ben Yeoh is one of the first British Chinese playwrights to have his plays performed and recognised in the UK.Born near London, England his father came from Ipoh, Malaysia and mother from Singapore....
     (born 1978), playwright
  • Mica Penniman (born 1983, DD 1996-2001) musician under the name 'Mika'
  • Max Vergara Poeti
    Max Vergara Poeti

    Max Vergara Poeti is a Colombian-Italy writer, essayist and translator.Vergara Poeti-Marentini was born in Bogot?, Colombia from a Colombian father and an Italian mother....
     (born 1983), novelist


Victoria Cross holders

Six former pupils of Westminster have won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
:
  • Edmund Henry Lenon
    Edmund Henry Lenon

    Edmund Henry Lenon Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
     (1830 - 1893) (at Westminster June 1851-1855).
  • William George Hawtry Bankes
    William George Hawtry Bankes

    William George Hawtry Bankes Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
     (1836 - 1858) (at Westminster April 1850-1856)
  • Nevill Maskelyne Smyth
    Nevill Maskelyne Smyth

    Major General Sir Nevill Maskelyne Smyth, Victoria Cross, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
     (1868 - 1941) (at Westminster June 1882-1885). He served in the First World War, later Sir Nevill Maskelyne Smyth VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
    , KCB
    Order of the Bath

    The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a United Kingdom order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements....
    , (Croix de Guerre
    Croix de guerre

    The croix de guerre is a military decoration of both France and Belgium, where it is also known as the Oorlogskruis . It was first created in 1915 in both countries and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins....
     (Belgium), Legion d'Honneur
    Légion d'honneur

    The L?gion d'honneur or Ordre national de la L?gion d'honneur is a France order established by Napoleon I of France, First Consul of the French First Republic, on May 19, 1802....
     (France))
  • Arthur Martin-Leake
    Arthur Martin-Leake

    Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Martin-Leake, Victoria Cross was an England double recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC and Bar
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
     (1874 - 1953) (at Westminster June 1888-1891), one of only three to receive twice.
  • William Hew Clark-Kennedy
    William Hew Clark-Kennedy

    William Hew Clark-Kennedy Victoria Cross, Order of St Michael and St George, Distinguished Service Order , was a Canada recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
    , CMG
    Order of St Michael and St George

    The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV of the United Kingdom whilst he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III of the United Kingdom....
    , DSO & Bar
    Distinguished Service Order

    The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth of Nations countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat....
     (1879 - 1961) (at Westminster June 1893-1896).
  • Richard Wakeford
    Richard Wakeford

    Richard Wakeford Victoria Cross was an England recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War II, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
     VC
    Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
    . (1921 - 1972) (at Westminster June 1934-1940).


Further reading

  • Westminster School Almanack (http://intranet.westminster.org.uk/almanack/index.asp)


See also

  • Old Westminsters F.C.
    Old Westminsters F.C.

    Old Westminsters F.C. is an association football club comprised of former pupils of Westminster School, London, England....
  • List of the oldest schools in the world
    List of the oldest schools in the world

    This is a list of extant schools excluding universities and higher education establishments. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documented contemporary reference to the school....
  • List of Victoria Crosses by School
    List of Victoria Crosses by School

    The schools of United Kingdom, the British Empire, and later the Commonwealth of Nations, have contributed greatly to their armed forces, with some schools having lost hundreds of former pupils, especially in the First World War and Second World War World Wars....


External links