العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolROSSALL SCHOOL
(Redirected from Rossall)
'Rossall School' is a British, co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. It was founded in 1844 by The Rev. St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year. Its establishment was "with the object of giving to the sons of clergymen and others an education similar to that of the great public schools, but without the great cost of Eton or Harrow, and embracing also a more general course of instruction in modern literature and science." Set in a 161 acre estate next to Rossall Beach, Rossall is also a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and was granted a royal charter on October 21st 1890."The Rossall Register 1844-1894" - Available on DVD-ROM from Anguline Research Archives
The daily timetable consists of 5 one hour schools (periods) a day: with a break between schools 2 & 3 and lunch after school 3. With optional activities after school. Tea is also offered to boarders. Lessons are from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning. It offers both A-levels and the International Baccalaureate Diploma to its Sixth form students.
The school offers various levels of responsibility to the sixth form students. The monitors may be chosen for various reasons, with some becoming monitors by default, for example House Captains automatically become school monitors, as does the captain of rugby.
The school uniform consists of a blue blazer, white shirt, tie, grey/black trousers and black shoes. Members of the sixth form may wear a dark suit, whilst the School Captains may wear a distinctive striped blazer. Each house has its own set of ties based on the house colours. There are also a variety of colours and half-colours ties given as a reward for those who have achieved things for their house or for the school. House Captains automatically qualify for full house colours and School Captains automatically qualify for full school colours. There are also ties for School Monitors, who may also where a coloured shirt.
There are 64 clubs and societies currently in operation at Rossall. Amongst them are the more traditional such as Rugby, Football, Fives and Hockey but there are also many other more unique clubs such as the Croquet Club, Literary Society and Astronomy Club, the latter making use of the school's telescope and planetarium.
Rossall has numerous school choirs including the Beecham Singers, a choir principally for those in the local community to join. The Beecham Singers give regular recitals throughout the year, often for charity. The school's chapel choir has gained an excellent reputation in recent years. The choir is performing at increasingly important and impressive venues, most notably over the past few years at York Minster. The choir's most high profile recital will come this summer when they will be going on tour of Paris culminating in a performance at Notre Dame Cathedral
Rossall is also noted for being the first school in the United Kingdom to form a Combined Cadet Force (CCF),[1] being founded in February 1860 with the threat of a French/Irish Catholic invasion at its height. Other schools such as Eton College drew up their corps a few months later. The institution is still present in the school today with around 100 cadets currently enlisted. In recent years the shooting team has excelled with notable victories in the Home Guard Cup and Loyal’s Regimental Cup.
★ Big School - The Main Assembly Hall
★ Bully - A term from Ross Hockey. A bully is the scrum-like element of the game that requires 8 people from both teams.
★ Brew Room - The small kitchens in each house in which the students may prepare food for themselves.
★ Chagger - The nickname for the houses changing rooms.
★ Chit - A small note that is filled out to purchase clothes or stationery from Rosshop.
★ Common Room - The name of the Teachers Lounge. Teachers are known as members of Common Room.
★ Congers - Congregational hymn practice in chapel.
★ The Cop - The dyke that runs around Rossall - most noticeable around the playing fields.
★ The Gazebo - The small structure with the flagpole that sits atop the mound next to Mitre Fleur-de-Lys. The gazebo is the oldest structure at Rossall, dating from no later than 1733. (See picture above)
★ Gating - Pupils are gated as the worst form of punishment before expulsion or suspension. Students who are gated are only allowed to wear their school uniform and must stay within the school grounds, usually in the house. There are also usually extra punishments involved such as litter-picking or essay writing. This is most often given for smoking, drinking or skipping lessons.
★ Moni's Lawn - The elevated area of grass next to the dining hall on which only school monitors can walk
★ Nagger - The nickname for the Matron's office where laundry is cleaned etc.
★ Rossall Fives - Rossall's unique version of fives - an amalgamation of Rugby, Winchester and Eton Fives - though it resembles Rugby Fives more than the other two codes.
★ Rossall Hockey (Ross Hockey) - A relatively famous[2] game unique to Rossall - a cross between Rugby and Hockey played on the beach in the harshest winter months.
★ Rosshop - Rossall's own shop which sells the school's uniform, sports equipment etc.
★ Senior Club - The sixth form bar
★ Shore - A Ross Hockey pitch
★ The Square - The main school quad
★ Zephyr - A rugby top
★ The Bin - The Headmaster
The Rossall School song, ''The Carmen'' was composed in 1868 by Dr. C.H.Lloyd, later organist at Gloucester Cathedral and Christ Church College and then Director of Music at Eton. It is sung at major school events including Old Rossallian dinners and end of term assemblies. Tradition has it that when singing it one must stand up on a bench/chair and belt it out with appropriate gusto. Usually only the first verse is sung, however there are 3 full verses. Here are the first and last verses with poetic, English translation.
The full lyrics:
Like many independent schools Rossall adopted a house system early on, with each pupil belonging to a house. It forms an integral part of life at the school and there are frequent inter-house events in sports as well as the arts.
The current houses are:
Having been founded in 1844, on land that had historically belonged to the Allen Family, Rossall nearly shut down within a few years due to huge outbreaks of Scarlet Fever - not unusual for boarding schools of the time. The foundation stone to the Sumner Library was laid in 1848 by the first ever Bishop of Manchester, James Prince Lee - the diocese having only been created that same year.
In the 1860s a new school chapel had to be built to cope the increasing number of students, the old chapel serving, as it does today, as the school library. The new chapel was designed by Edward Graham Paley, extended by Robert Lorimer and includes numerous carvings by Eric Gill. The chapel organ was designed by Harrison & Harrison. The school underwent further development from 1880s to 1900 to accommodate more students and to create further facilities such as the gym which still stands. By the end of Queen Victoria's reign Rossall was widely considered to be in top 30 public schools in the UK [3] also earning itself a place in the Public Schools Yearbook and the Public School News section of the Cambridge Review. [4]
However in 1911 Rossall encountered another crisis when the Rossall Bursar, Major Anstead (A very peculiar chap who was always seen riding a horse in full military uniform.), was found to be attempting to enlist in London for military service in South Africa. The Rossallian who spotted him informed the police. Simultaneously Rossall was nearly forced to file for bankruptcy. After investigation it turned out that Major Anstead had been tampering with the books and had embezzled over £70,000, equivalent to more than £1million today. He had used the money to finance his extravagant lifestyle, uniforms and an expensive mistress in London. "Rossall Will Be What You Make It" - Peter Bennett (1992) - Published by Rossall Archives Despite these difficulties, by the end of the 1920s Rossall's academic results were amongst the best in the country with record numbers achieving scholarships to Oxbridge and attaining distinctions in the Higher Certificate examinations.
During the world wars large numbers of Old Rossallians lost their lives in combat - the majority of whom are now commemorated in the extension memorial chapel. During the Second World War Rossall also accommodated Alleyn's School who had to be evacuated from London as a result of the risk of bombing as well as numeroud governmental departments. Rossall itself got moved up to Naworth Castle in Cumbria for the first year of the war but moved back to its original premises following the vacating of the premises by the Office of Works, Board of Education and Ministry of Pensions.. Another side effect of the war was that there was only one centenary dinner celebrating the 100th year of Rossall. Rather more unusual was the fact that it was conducted by Old Rossallians imprisoned in Changi Jail - a Japanese Prisoner of War camp.
The original school dining hall burnt down in the 1920s. The replacement, the current dining hall, was built the wrong way around. Not only was it built the wrong way around, it was constructed from bricks encased in a weatherable coating that would dissolve away to leave it looking in the same condition as the rest of the square. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the north Lancashire climate and the Irish Sea, the bricks have yet to fully weather, or in most cases weather in any way at all. Hence its peculiar colour compared with the rest of the Rossall buildings. The largest section of wood panelling behind the headmaster's table in the dining hall is made from an oak tree that grew in the back garden of George Mallory.
The school left the 1940s in good health, even attracting Benjamin Britten to give a concert in Big School in 1954. It continued to succeed and in the 1970s, in a bid to ensure the highest standards during a period of declining boarding, girls were allowed to enroll. Throughout the 1980s the school continued to prosper, though going through great financial difficulty at the turn of the millennium. Rossall has since had a large amount of investment, with the boarding houses currently undergoing refurbishment and large restructuring throughout the years. The middle school now runs from years 7 to 9, one year longer than traditionally. As a part of the modernising of the school the IB was introduced as an alternative to A-Levels towards the end of the 1990s, being only the 3rd school in the UK to do so, and there is now also a large international boarding contingent.
Rossall is still committed to relatively affordable private education in relation to the rest of the UK - 80% of those who attend the school are the first in their family to attend an independent school[5] and a large number of scholarships and bursaries are available. 2007 sees the return of the Rossall Summer School - developed to give children from outside of the UK the opportunity to develop their English speaking skills as well as being a chance for those thinking of going to a boarding school to prepare for the change in daily lifestyle.
★ In the early 20th century one particularly unpopular school chaplain, Revd. Sleap, was subject to an assassination attempt from the students. Arsenic in the sugar was the means chosen by the students to rid the school of the hated priest. However, the plot was outed before any of the affected sugar was consumed.
★ Stone from Rossall can be found in the cloisters of Canberra Grammar School along with stones from Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, Charterhouse, Uppingham, Clifton, Tonbridge, Shrewsbury, Sherborne, Wellington, Cheltenham, Repton and Radley. [6]
★ Rossall is one of nine schools to have won the Halford Hewitt Public Schools Golf Tournament more than twice. The schools are (in order of victories): Charterhouse (16), Harrow (11), Eton (10), Tonbridge (6), Rugby (5), Watson's (4), Rossall (3), Shrewsbury (3), Merchiston (3). Rossall is also positioned 8th overall in the Anderson Sclae of past performances in the competition. [7]
★ The bust of Sir Frank Fletcher in the Sumner Library was created by Jacob Epstein
Many notable people have studied at Rossall over the years.
★ Bill Ashton - Founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
★ Sir Thomas Beecham - Conductor and founder of numerous orchestras including the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic.
★ Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham - Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and King George V
★ David Brown - Aston Martin and Lagonda owner.
★ Father Thomas R.D. Byles - Catholic priest who refused to leave the Titanic so he could help fellow passengers. He perished as it sank.
★ Leslie Charteris - author and creator of The Saint
★ Michael Dickinson - World Record Holding National Hunt trainer
★ J.G. Farrell - novelist and winner of the Booker Prize
★ Wilfred Fletcher C.B.E - Designer of the first Severn Bridge and the Tamar Bridge
★ F. W. Harvey - Poet
★ Lord Frederick Lugard - Governor of Nigeria and Hong Kong, also founder of the University of Hong Kong
★ Charles Kay Ogden - Linguist, psychologist, philosopher and inventor of Basic English
★ Brian Redman - Successful racing car driver - 3 times Formula 5000 champion amongst other notable victories
★ Walter Clopton Wingfield - The Inventor of Lawn Tennis
★ Peter Winterbottom - Former England Rugby Union Captain. He also played for the Lions.
The school alumni society is called the Rossallian Club. The Rossallian Club has numerous gatherings every year all over the UK and, with the advent of a large international boarding contingent in recent years, all over the world - the first ever OR meal in Germany took place in 2006. The school also has its own masonic lodge, founded in 1928, that meets three times a year at Freemasons's Hall in London. It is part of the Public School Lodges Council and is open to any Old Rossallian who wishes to join.[8]
Rossall is also home to the Lawrence House Astronomy & Space Science Centre - the only centre dedicated solely to the teaching of Astronomy[9]. The project consists of the 9 foot Victorian Telescope in Rossall's Assheton Observatory as well as a building of its own containing a lecture theatre, classrooms and a portable planetarium.
The project has been funded by the Lawrence House Trust and predominantly run by Dr. Nick Lister, originally the head of D.T. at the school and now Astronomer in Residence. Dr Lister studied at Plymouth University before getting his PHD from University College London. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and was recently appointed as vice-president of the Association for Astronomy Education, where he succeeded Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, who has now become president of the organisation.
When initial assessments were being made for the feasibility of restoring the observatory, both the telescope and observatory were in a poor condition, having notably been victim to an attempt to burn it down by some local children. However, the telescope is made predominantly from brass and thus suffered minimal corrosion. Similarly the lens of the telescope, despite 30 years of neglect, survived unscathed allowing for restoration. This was carried out at first by several dedicated parents and governors of the school, amongst them Syd Little.
Soon after the basic restoration ideas were raised for a larger project allowing the teaching of astronomy on a larger scale. After getting clearance from the original owners of the telescope to go ahead with the project, Rossall was given funds from the Lawrence House Trust, an educational charity, to go forward with their plans. The centre had an official opening on Tuesday 26th September 2006 with Old Rossallian and former Astronomer Royal Sir Francis Graham Smith in attendance. The centre's motto is 'Astronomy For All' meaning that it offers courses to Rossall Students but also at a small cost to the general public. Courses also range from beginner to advanced to ensure that anybody who wishes to study Astronomy can do so.
Possibly because of its emphasis on practical astronomy as a subject, Rossall School was depicted as the school attended by Dan Dare, the fictional space hero in The Eagle comic who was a favourite character of boys of the 1950s–60s.
Senior School [10]
★ Day - £2,855.00
★ Extended Day - £3,565.00
★ IB Day - £3,185.00
★ Boarding - £7,270.00
★ IB Boarding - £7,995.00
Middle School
★ Day - £2,600.00
★ Extended Day - £3,565.00
★ Boarding - £4,995.00
'Click any image to see it full-size'
1. http://www.archivist.f2s.com/bsu/cadets/victorian.htm
2. http://www.newstatesman.com/200010090007
3. http://www.jstor.org/view/03617882/ap010047/01a00050/5?frame=noframe&userID=9052d092@ucl.ac.uk/01cce4405d00501bec9d0&dpi=3&config=jstor
4. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content?content=10.1080/0046760032000151492 P.606
5. http://www.rossallianclub.co.uk/uploads/pubdownloads/newsletter12-04.pdf
6. http://www.cgs.act.edu.au/history.html
7. http://www.halfordhewitt.com/
8. http://www.rossallianclub.co.uk/about/default.asp
9. School Website: Astronomy
10. School Website:Fees
'Rossall School, Its Rise and Progress' - Canon St Vincent Beechy (1894)
'The Centenary History of Rossall School' - W Furness (1945, Gale and Polden)
'A Very Desolate Position' - Peter Bennett (1977, Rossall Archives)
'Rossall Will be What You Make it' - Peter Bennett (1992, Rossall Archives)
'The Tide Flows On' - Derek Winterbottom (2006)
★ Official site
★ Rossallian Club Website
★ Lawrence House Astronomy and Space Science Centre Website
★ Rossall Summer School Website
'Rossall School' is a British, co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. It was founded in 1844 by The Rev. St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year. Its establishment was "with the object of giving to the sons of clergymen and others an education similar to that of the great public schools, but without the great cost of Eton or Harrow, and embracing also a more general course of instruction in modern literature and science." Set in a 161 acre estate next to Rossall Beach, Rossall is also a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and was granted a royal charter on October 21st 1890."The Rossall Register 1844-1894" - Available on DVD-ROM from Anguline Research Archives
Rossall Today
Rossall School Archway
The daily timetable consists of 5 one hour schools (periods) a day: with a break between schools 2 & 3 and lunch after school 3. With optional activities after school. Tea is also offered to boarders. Lessons are from Monday to Friday and Saturday morning. It offers both A-levels and the International Baccalaureate Diploma to its Sixth form students.
Monitors
The school offers various levels of responsibility to the sixth form students. The monitors may be chosen for various reasons, with some becoming monitors by default, for example House Captains automatically become school monitors, as does the captain of rugby.
| Role | Appointed By | Duties |
|---|---|---|
| House Monitor | Housemaster | Usually have to take certain rolls, ensure house duties and punishments are enforced for missing chapel or roll and maintain the status quo in the house. |
| School Monitor | Housemaster & Headmaster | The running of the school chapel services and the running of the dining hall at meal-times |
| House Captain | Housemaster | Ensuring that house monitors do their job properly, creating rotas for their House Monitors, helping with social problems within the house and organising house teams for inter-house competitions. |
| School Captain | Headmaster | Organising all of the School Monitors as well attending other functions on behalf of the school |
The Gazebo
School Uniform
The school uniform consists of a blue blazer, white shirt, tie, grey/black trousers and black shoes. Members of the sixth form may wear a dark suit, whilst the School Captains may wear a distinctive striped blazer. Each house has its own set of ties based on the house colours. There are also a variety of colours and half-colours ties given as a reward for those who have achieved things for their house or for the school. House Captains automatically qualify for full house colours and School Captains automatically qualify for full school colours. There are also ties for School Monitors, who may also where a coloured shirt.
School Activities
There are 64 clubs and societies currently in operation at Rossall. Amongst them are the more traditional such as Rugby, Football, Fives and Hockey but there are also many other more unique clubs such as the Croquet Club, Literary Society and Astronomy Club, the latter making use of the school's telescope and planetarium.
The School Choirs
Rossall has numerous school choirs including the Beecham Singers, a choir principally for those in the local community to join. The Beecham Singers give regular recitals throughout the year, often for charity. The school's chapel choir has gained an excellent reputation in recent years. The choir is performing at increasingly important and impressive venues, most notably over the past few years at York Minster. The choir's most high profile recital will come this summer when they will be going on tour of Paris culminating in a performance at Notre Dame Cathedral
The CCF
Rossall is also noted for being the first school in the United Kingdom to form a Combined Cadet Force (CCF),[1] being founded in February 1860 with the threat of a French/Irish Catholic invasion at its height. Other schools such as Eton College drew up their corps a few months later. The institution is still present in the school today with around 100 cadets currently enlisted. In recent years the shooting team has excelled with notable victories in the Home Guard Cup and Loyal’s Regimental Cup.
Some Rossallian Jargon
The "Dick Richards Pavillion"
★ Big School - The Main Assembly Hall
★ Bully - A term from Ross Hockey. A bully is the scrum-like element of the game that requires 8 people from both teams.
★ Brew Room - The small kitchens in each house in which the students may prepare food for themselves.
★ Chagger - The nickname for the houses changing rooms.
★ Chit - A small note that is filled out to purchase clothes or stationery from Rosshop.
★ Common Room - The name of the Teachers Lounge. Teachers are known as members of Common Room.
★ Congers - Congregational hymn practice in chapel.
★ The Cop - The dyke that runs around Rossall - most noticeable around the playing fields.
★ The Gazebo - The small structure with the flagpole that sits atop the mound next to Mitre Fleur-de-Lys. The gazebo is the oldest structure at Rossall, dating from no later than 1733. (See picture above)
★ Gating - Pupils are gated as the worst form of punishment before expulsion or suspension. Students who are gated are only allowed to wear their school uniform and must stay within the school grounds, usually in the house. There are also usually extra punishments involved such as litter-picking or essay writing. This is most often given for smoking, drinking or skipping lessons.
★ Moni's Lawn - The elevated area of grass next to the dining hall on which only school monitors can walk
★ Nagger - The nickname for the Matron's office where laundry is cleaned etc.
★ Rossall Fives - Rossall's unique version of fives - an amalgamation of Rugby, Winchester and Eton Fives - though it resembles Rugby Fives more than the other two codes.
★ Rossall Hockey (Ross Hockey) - A relatively famous[2] game unique to Rossall - a cross between Rugby and Hockey played on the beach in the harshest winter months.
★ Rosshop - Rossall's own shop which sells the school's uniform, sports equipment etc.
★ Senior Club - The sixth form bar
★ Shore - A Ross Hockey pitch
★ The Square - The main school quad
★ Zephyr - A rugby top
★ The Bin - The Headmaster
The Carmen
The Rossall School song, ''The Carmen'' was composed in 1868 by Dr. C.H.Lloyd, later organist at Gloucester Cathedral and Christ Church College and then Director of Music at Eton. It is sung at major school events including Old Rossallian dinners and end of term assemblies. Tradition has it that when singing it one must stand up on a bench/chair and belt it out with appropriate gusto. Usually only the first verse is sung, however there are 3 full verses. Here are the first and last verses with poetic, English translation.
The full lyrics:
| Latin (As sung) | Loose English Translation |
|---|---|
| Concinamus admirantesPropter fluctus aestuantes Stantem te, Rossallia! Alma mater, te bibamus, Tui calices poscamus! Hanc sententium decamus, Floreat Rossallia! Ornet inconcussa virtus, Rara Fides, honor certus; Te colant, Rossallia! Hinc per saecla saeculorum Fama crescat; vox tuorum Una surgat filiorum, Floreat Rossallia! | Children of the Billowy OceanLet us sing with deep emotion, Rossall, life and fame to thee! From thy founts of sacred learning, Let us drink with thirst returning, All our hearts with wishes burning, Rossall love and fame to thee! Be thy motto, Truth outspoken, Manly Virtue, Faith unbroken; Rossall, let these dwell with thee! Never dying, may thy glory Still live on in heart and story; Love be fresh when time is hoary, Rossall still to feel for thee! |
Houses
Like many independent schools Rossall adopted a house system early on, with each pupil belonging to a house. It forms an integral part of life at the school and there are frequent inter-house events in sports as well as the arts.
The current houses are:
Spread Eagle House
| House Name | Student's Gender | Part of: | Houseparent | Colours | Founded | House Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Anchor' | Boys + Girls | Middle School | Mr. & Mrs. C. Parsons | Red and Blue | 2004 | Boarding |
| 'Dolphin (merged with Dragon Crescent)' | Girls | Senior School | Mrs. A. Jurczak | Black and Yellow | 1980 | Day |
| 'Dragon' | Boys + Girls | Middle School | Mr. K. Sullivan | Green and Gold | 2006 | Day |
| 'Falcon' | Boys + Girls | Middle School | Mrs L. Furniss | Gold and Blue | 2006 | Day |
| 'Lugard Boys' | Boys | ISC | Mr. I. Moore | Red and Black | 1985 | Boarding |
| 'Lugard Girls' | Girls | ISC | Miss J. Mercer | Red and Black | 1985 | Boarding |
| 'Maltese Cross' | Boys | Senior School | Mr. S. Hoffman | Sky Blue and Grey | 1886 | Boarding + Day |
| 'Mitre Fleur-de-Lys' | Boys | Senior School | Mr. S. Corrie | Magenta, Yellow and Black | 1875 | Boarding + Day |
| 'Pelican' | Boys | Senior School | Mr. J. Riding | Salmon and Black | 1888 | Boarding + Day |
| 'Rose' | Girls | Senior School | Mrs. K. Griffiths | Green and Black | 1884 | Boarding |
| 'Spread Eagle' | Boys | Senior School | Mr. I. McCleary | Black and White/Silver | 1868 | Boarding + Day |
| 'Stag's Head' | Boys + Girls | Middle School | Mrs J. Cross | Gold and Red | 2006 | Day |
History
1844 to 1914
Rossall Sumner Library (Formerly the school chapel)
Having been founded in 1844, on land that had historically belonged to the Allen Family, Rossall nearly shut down within a few years due to huge outbreaks of Scarlet Fever - not unusual for boarding schools of the time. The foundation stone to the Sumner Library was laid in 1848 by the first ever Bishop of Manchester, James Prince Lee - the diocese having only been created that same year.
In the 1860s a new school chapel had to be built to cope the increasing number of students, the old chapel serving, as it does today, as the school library. The new chapel was designed by Edward Graham Paley, extended by Robert Lorimer and includes numerous carvings by Eric Gill. The chapel organ was designed by Harrison & Harrison. The school underwent further development from 1880s to 1900 to accommodate more students and to create further facilities such as the gym which still stands. By the end of Queen Victoria's reign Rossall was widely considered to be in top 30 public schools in the UK [3] also earning itself a place in the Public Schools Yearbook and the Public School News section of the Cambridge Review. [4]
However in 1911 Rossall encountered another crisis when the Rossall Bursar, Major Anstead (A very peculiar chap who was always seen riding a horse in full military uniform.), was found to be attempting to enlist in London for military service in South Africa. The Rossallian who spotted him informed the police. Simultaneously Rossall was nearly forced to file for bankruptcy. After investigation it turned out that Major Anstead had been tampering with the books and had embezzled over £70,000, equivalent to more than £1million today. He had used the money to finance his extravagant lifestyle, uniforms and an expensive mistress in London. "Rossall Will Be What You Make It" - Peter Bennett (1992) - Published by Rossall Archives Despite these difficulties, by the end of the 1920s Rossall's academic results were amongst the best in the country with record numbers achieving scholarships to Oxbridge and attaining distinctions in the Higher Certificate examinations.
1914 to 1945
Rossall International Study Centre, formerly the largest Headmaster's House in the UK
During the world wars large numbers of Old Rossallians lost their lives in combat - the majority of whom are now commemorated in the extension memorial chapel. During the Second World War Rossall also accommodated Alleyn's School who had to be evacuated from London as a result of the risk of bombing as well as numeroud governmental departments. Rossall itself got moved up to Naworth Castle in Cumbria for the first year of the war but moved back to its original premises following the vacating of the premises by the Office of Works, Board of Education and Ministry of Pensions.. Another side effect of the war was that there was only one centenary dinner celebrating the 100th year of Rossall. Rather more unusual was the fact that it was conducted by Old Rossallians imprisoned in Changi Jail - a Japanese Prisoner of War camp.
The original school dining hall burnt down in the 1920s. The replacement, the current dining hall, was built the wrong way around. Not only was it built the wrong way around, it was constructed from bricks encased in a weatherable coating that would dissolve away to leave it looking in the same condition as the rest of the square. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the north Lancashire climate and the Irish Sea, the bricks have yet to fully weather, or in most cases weather in any way at all. Hence its peculiar colour compared with the rest of the Rossall buildings. The largest section of wood panelling behind the headmaster's table in the dining hall is made from an oak tree that grew in the back garden of George Mallory.
1945 to Present
An ariel view of Rossall
The school left the 1940s in good health, even attracting Benjamin Britten to give a concert in Big School in 1954. It continued to succeed and in the 1970s, in a bid to ensure the highest standards during a period of declining boarding, girls were allowed to enroll. Throughout the 1980s the school continued to prosper, though going through great financial difficulty at the turn of the millennium. Rossall has since had a large amount of investment, with the boarding houses currently undergoing refurbishment and large restructuring throughout the years. The middle school now runs from years 7 to 9, one year longer than traditionally. As a part of the modernising of the school the IB was introduced as an alternative to A-Levels towards the end of the 1990s, being only the 3rd school in the UK to do so, and there is now also a large international boarding contingent.
Rossall is still committed to relatively affordable private education in relation to the rest of the UK - 80% of those who attend the school are the first in their family to attend an independent school[5] and a large number of scholarships and bursaries are available. 2007 sees the return of the Rossall Summer School - developed to give children from outside of the UK the opportunity to develop their English speaking skills as well as being a chance for those thinking of going to a boarding school to prepare for the change in daily lifestyle.
Trivia
★ In the early 20th century one particularly unpopular school chaplain, Revd. Sleap, was subject to an assassination attempt from the students. Arsenic in the sugar was the means chosen by the students to rid the school of the hated priest. However, the plot was outed before any of the affected sugar was consumed.
★ Stone from Rossall can be found in the cloisters of Canberra Grammar School along with stones from Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, Charterhouse, Uppingham, Clifton, Tonbridge, Shrewsbury, Sherborne, Wellington, Cheltenham, Repton and Radley. [6]
★ Rossall is one of nine schools to have won the Halford Hewitt Public Schools Golf Tournament more than twice. The schools are (in order of victories): Charterhouse (16), Harrow (11), Eton (10), Tonbridge (6), Rugby (5), Watson's (4), Rossall (3), Shrewsbury (3), Merchiston (3). Rossall is also positioned 8th overall in the Anderson Sclae of past performances in the competition. [7]
★ The bust of Sir Frank Fletcher in the Sumner Library was created by Jacob Epstein
Old Rossallians
The Old Rossallian Tie
Many notable people have studied at Rossall over the years.
★ Bill Ashton - Founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
★ Sir Thomas Beecham - Conductor and founder of numerous orchestras including the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic.
★ Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham - Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and King George V
★ David Brown - Aston Martin and Lagonda owner.
★ Father Thomas R.D. Byles - Catholic priest who refused to leave the Titanic so he could help fellow passengers. He perished as it sank.
★ Leslie Charteris - author and creator of The Saint
★ Michael Dickinson - World Record Holding National Hunt trainer
★ J.G. Farrell - novelist and winner of the Booker Prize
★ Wilfred Fletcher C.B.E - Designer of the first Severn Bridge and the Tamar Bridge
★ F. W. Harvey - Poet
★ Lord Frederick Lugard - Governor of Nigeria and Hong Kong, also founder of the University of Hong Kong
★ Charles Kay Ogden - Linguist, psychologist, philosopher and inventor of Basic English
★ Brian Redman - Successful racing car driver - 3 times Formula 5000 champion amongst other notable victories
★ Walter Clopton Wingfield - The Inventor of Lawn Tennis
★ Peter Winterbottom - Former England Rugby Union Captain. He also played for the Lions.
The school alumni society is called the Rossallian Club. The Rossallian Club has numerous gatherings every year all over the UK and, with the advent of a large international boarding contingent in recent years, all over the world - the first ever OR meal in Germany took place in 2006. The school also has its own masonic lodge, founded in 1928, that meets three times a year at Freemasons's Hall in London. It is part of the Public School Lodges Council and is open to any Old Rossallian who wishes to join.[8]
Headmasters of Rossall
Inside the Sumner Library
| First year at Rossall | Final year at Rossall | Name | Education | Career after Rossall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1844 | 1849 | Dr John Woolley | Oxford | First Principal of the University of Sydney. |
| 1849 | 1869 | Rev. William Alexander Osborne | Cambridge | Retired after Rossall |
| 1870 | 1875 | Rev. Robert Henniker | Oxford | |
| 1875 | 1886 | Dr. Herbert Armitage James | Oxford | Headmaster of Cheltenham College and Rugby School. |
| 1886 | 1896 | Rev. Charles Coverdale Tancock | Oxford | |
| 1896 | 1908 | Rev. Dr. John Pearce Way | Oxford | |
| 1908 | 1932 | Rev. Canon Edward John Walford Houghton | Sherborne & Oxford | |
| 1932 | 1937 | Harold George Michael Clarke | St Paul's & Cambridge | |
| 1937 | 1957 | Rev. Charles Edgar Young | Charterhouse & Oxford | |
| 1957 | 1967 | Geoffrey Sale | ||
| 1967 | 1973 | Roger Wykeham Ellis | Headmaster of Marlborough College. | |
| 1973 | 1987 | Dr John Sharp | Keighley Grammar & Oxford | Retired after Rossall |
| 1987 | 2001 | Richard David Walton Rhodes | Rossall and Durham | Retired after Rossall |
| 2001 | Present | Timothy Wilbur | Kent |
Lawrence House Astronomy & Space Science Centre
The refurbished Rossall Observatory. (Inset - the observatory before restoration)
Rossall is also home to the Lawrence House Astronomy & Space Science Centre - the only centre dedicated solely to the teaching of Astronomy[9]. The project consists of the 9 foot Victorian Telescope in Rossall's Assheton Observatory as well as a building of its own containing a lecture theatre, classrooms and a portable planetarium.
The project has been funded by the Lawrence House Trust and predominantly run by Dr. Nick Lister, originally the head of D.T. at the school and now Astronomer in Residence. Dr Lister studied at Plymouth University before getting his PHD from University College London. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and was recently appointed as vice-president of the Association for Astronomy Education, where he succeeded Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, who has now become president of the organisation.
When initial assessments were being made for the feasibility of restoring the observatory, both the telescope and observatory were in a poor condition, having notably been victim to an attempt to burn it down by some local children. However, the telescope is made predominantly from brass and thus suffered minimal corrosion. Similarly the lens of the telescope, despite 30 years of neglect, survived unscathed allowing for restoration. This was carried out at first by several dedicated parents and governors of the school, amongst them Syd Little.
Soon after the basic restoration ideas were raised for a larger project allowing the teaching of astronomy on a larger scale. After getting clearance from the original owners of the telescope to go ahead with the project, Rossall was given funds from the Lawrence House Trust, an educational charity, to go forward with their plans. The centre had an official opening on Tuesday 26th September 2006 with Old Rossallian and former Astronomer Royal Sir Francis Graham Smith in attendance. The centre's motto is 'Astronomy For All' meaning that it offers courses to Rossall Students but also at a small cost to the general public. Courses also range from beginner to advanced to ensure that anybody who wishes to study Astronomy can do so.
Possibly because of its emphasis on practical astronomy as a subject, Rossall School was depicted as the school attended by Dan Dare, the fictional space hero in The Eagle comic who was a favourite character of boys of the 1950s–60s.
Fees (Per Term)
The Museum Theatre
Senior School [10]
★ Day - £2,855.00
★ Extended Day - £3,565.00
★ IB Day - £3,185.00
★ Boarding - £7,270.00
★ IB Boarding - £7,995.00
Middle School
★ Day - £2,600.00
★ Extended Day - £3,565.00
★ Boarding - £4,995.00
Gallery
'Click any image to see it full-size'
References
1. http://www.archivist.f2s.com/bsu/cadets/victorian.htm
2. http://www.newstatesman.com/200010090007
3. http://www.jstor.org/view/03617882/ap010047/01a00050/5?frame=noframe&userID=9052d092@ucl.ac.uk/01cce4405d00501bec9d0&dpi=3&config=jstor
4. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content?content=10.1080/0046760032000151492 P.606
5. http://www.rossallianclub.co.uk/uploads/pubdownloads/newsletter12-04.pdf
6. http://www.cgs.act.edu.au/history.html
7. http://www.halfordhewitt.com/
8. http://www.rossallianclub.co.uk/about/default.asp
9. School Website: Astronomy
10. School Website:Fees
Further reading
'Rossall School, Its Rise and Progress' - Canon St Vincent Beechy (1894)
'The Centenary History of Rossall School' - W Furness (1945, Gale and Polden)
'A Very Desolate Position' - Peter Bennett (1977, Rossall Archives)
'Rossall Will be What You Make it' - Peter Bennett (1992, Rossall Archives)
'The Tide Flows On' - Derek Winterbottom (2006)
External and other links
★ Official site
★ Rossallian Club Website
★ Lawrence House Astronomy and Space Science Centre Website
★ Rossall Summer School Website
Lancashire Schools
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
