Lancing College

Lancing College (formerly College of St Mary and St Nicolas)
File:Lancing logo.jpg
Location
Lancing , West Sussex , BN15 0RW United Kingdom
Information
Type	Public School
Motto	'Beati Mundo Corde' (Blessed are the pure in heart)
Religious affiliation(s)	Church of England
Established	1848
Founder	Canon Nathaniel Woodard
Chairman	Robin M Reeve MA
Head Master	Jonathan W J Gillespie MA
Gender	Mixed
Age	13 to 18
Enrollment	c.500
Houses	9
Colour(s)	Blue and White
Publication	The Quad, Lancing College Magazine, Lancing Club Magazine,
Former pupils	Old Lancing
Affiliation	Woodard Corporation
Website	http://www.lancingcollege.co.uk/

Lancing College is a co-educational English Independent school, founded in 1848 by Rev. Nathaniel Woodard, whose aim was to provide education based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith. Lancing was to be the first of a family of over 30 schools founded by Woodard (others include Hurstpierpoint College, Ardingly College and Worksop College).

File:24 lancing college.jpg

The College from the East

Typical of Public Schools, the College places emphasis on what might be described as traditional strengths - Anglican Christianity (Chapel attendance is compulsory for all pupils, regardless of their religious beliefs) and sporting prowess (notably football, squash, tennis, hockey and cricket).

The College is based in 550 acres (2.2 km²) of countryside in West Sussex near the village of Lancing, west of the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The College is situated on a hill which is part of the South Downs and the campus dominates the local landscape. The College overlooks the River Adur and the Ladywell Stream, a holy well or sacred stream within the College grounds has pre-Christian significance.

The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Girls were first admitted in 1971. The school is dominated by a Gothic revival Chapel, and follows a high church Anglican tradition. The College of St Mary and St Nicolas (as it was originally known) was intended for the sons of upper middle classes and professional men; in time this became Lancing College, moving to its present site in 1857.

The school's buildings of the 1850s were designed by the architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter, with later ones by John William Simpson.

Lancing College boards boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 18 at a cost of about £26,000 a year. A small number of the pupils attend Lancing on academic and musical scholarships provided by the school; of the other pupils, some may receive some kind of bursary. The College has many notable past pupils. Former pupils are referred to as OLs.

School life

The School day begins with 'callover' early in the morning, ending around 6pm with sports during the afternoons of alternate days. At 7pm there are two hours of 'evening school' where pupils are expected to remain in their studies and complete any prep that may have been set during the academic day. Pupils are also expected to attend lessons on Saturday mornings.

The College is divided up into houses, each house resident to between 30 and 80 pupils.

Lancing Lower Quad

House	Colours	Number	Gender	Type	Housemaster/mistress	Named after
Head's	Red/Rose	1	M	Day	Mr Chappell	formerly The Head Master's House
Second's	Silver/Maroon	2	M	Boarding	Mr D Connolly	formerly The Second Master's House
School	Purple/Silver	3	M	Boarding	Dr A Betts	consists of the former Olds [sic] and Sanderson (New) Houses
Field's	Rose/White	4	F	Boarding	Mrs H Dugdale	The Rev. Edmund Field
Gibbs'	Silver/Purple	5	M	Boarding	Mr M Smith	Henry Martin Gibbs
Sankey's	Green	6	F	Day	Miss N Dragonetti	John Sankey, 1st Viscount Sankey
Teme	Green/blue	7	M	Boarding	Dr S Norris	The River Teme
Manor	Yellow	8	F	Boarding	Mrs A Stone	Manor house, a house of the school in the first half of the 20th century
Handford	Blue	9	F	Boarding	Mrs C Palmer	Basil Handford

Each house has a distinctive set of 'colours' which are awarded to students for merit and/or commitment for representing the house. The award allows male students to wear a house tie.

Besides academic study pupils are involved in activities that include football, rugby, tennis, squash, badminton, lacrosse, basketball, fives, hockey, running, debating, farming, riding, clay pigeon shooting, Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, sailing, and the Combined Cadet Force.

Chapel

College Chapel

The foundation stone of the College Chapel was laid in 1868, but the Chapel itself was not finished in Woodard's lifetime. In fact, the Chapel remains unfinished. It stands at about 50 metres (with foundations going down 20 metres into the ground), but the original plans called for a tower at the West end which would raise the height to 100 metres. One reason that the Chapel ended up as high as it did was that Woodard insisted that it be built to its full height at one end first, so that even if he died before completion the height could not be cut down to save money. The Chapel is built in the English gothic style of the 14th century, with 13th century French influences. It was designed by R. H. Carpenter and William Slater, and is built of Sussex sandstone from Scaynes Hill.

The Chapel was dedicated to St Mary and St Nicolas in 1911, although the College worshiped in the finished Crypt from 1875. Inside can be found, amongst other things, the tomb of the founder, two organs, and a magnificent rose window designed by Stephen Dykes Bower which is the largest rose window in England being 32ft in diameter. The chapel itself is the largest school chapel in the world.

The eastern organ is a two manual mechanical organ built by the Danish firm, Frobenius and was installed and voiced 'in situ' in 1986. That year marked the completion of the rebuild of the four manual Walker organ at the west end of the chapel - both of which were showcased in the opening concert by the American organ virtuoso, Carlo Curley.

A stained glass window was recently commissioned in memory of Trevor Huddleston OL, and was consecrated by Desmond Tutu on Tuesday 22nd May, 2007.

The Chapel is open to the public every day, Monday to Saturday from 10.00 until 16.00, and Sunday from 12.00 until 16.00. Full school services are held every Wednesday morning during term time at 08.35, and on certain Sundays throughout the year. There is also a Eucharist every morning at 07.40, and Benediction on a Friday evening followed by a lower school service on Saturday mornings at 8:25.

Campus

Most school buildings and boarding houses are positioned around the central quads with the Chapel positioned adjacent to the College drive. The school has an operational farm, river access, squash courts, fives courts, swimming pool, a multigym, weightroom, two all weather astro-turfs, twenty-eight tennis courts, two theatres, two libraries and extensive classrooms.

The school is one of only a small number in the country to have Eton fives courts. The Upper Field's cricket square is most highly regarded.

Jonathan Gillespie became the headmaster of the school in September 2006, moving from his position as a housemaster at Fettes College; Gillespie studied Languages at Cambridge University.

Developments

Upper quadrangle from the great school

Despite the principles of Victorian austerity on which the school was founded, Lancing has recently completed a number of developments that include a new Design Centre. A new Art School is to be built, due for completion in 2008.

A Development Council is operating under the chairmanship of Sir Tim Rice. It acts in an advisory capacity on development and fundraising matters.

Lancing College - Notable Alumni

List of notable OL's

The College Drive

Notable former staff members include

• Sir William Gladstone KG Bt, former Head Master and Chief Scout of the United Kingdom, descendent of William Gladstone, 19th Century Prime Minister.
• G.O. Smith, sportsman rated the greatest footballer of the nineteenth century.
• The Rt. Rev. John Inge, former chemistry teacher and Assistant Chaplain and current Bishop of Worcester
• The Rt. Rev. Hon. Arthur Temple Lyttelton, Provost of St Mary and St Nicolas College (Lancing College), third Bishop of Southampton (1898–1903)
• Sheppard Frere, former House Master, Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Provinces at the University of London (1961–1966), Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at Oxford University

Hoe Court

South West side of the College

The College owns a number of properties based along the College Drive and all the properties in Hoe Court, a road extending from the rear of the College towards the village of Lancing.

Lancing College Preparatory School at Mowden

Lancing College Preparatory School at Mowden is an independent Nursery, Pre-preparatory and Preparatory School for approximately 175 children between the ages of 3 and 13. The Head Master is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools.

Mowden School, as it was originally known, was founded by Mr B A Snell at Mowden Hall, in Essex, in 1896. In 1901, it moved to Lansdowne Place, Hove and in 1913 moved again to its present site. Mr Edward Snell took over from his father in 1937 and, on his death in 1973, his son, Christopher, became Head Master.

In September 2002, the School passed into the care of Lancing College and the current Head Master, Mr Alan Laurent, took over from the Snells. Although the house was purpose built for a preparatory school in 1913 by Christopher Snell¹s grandfather, there has been a continuing programme of modernisation and development.

In addition to a dedicated IT Room, each classroom has its own computer and there is a well-equipped Science Laboratory, Technology Room and an attractive Library and Reading Room. Spacious sports fields surround the School, which accommodate pitches for all the main games and sports, including an all-weather Astroturf area.

Lancing Prep pupils are also fortunate to be able to share the magnificent facilities of Lancing College, for which a mini-bus link is in place. Traditionally the School was for boys only, but in September 2002, girls were accepted for the first time and the School became co-educational.

Mowden School became Lancing College Preparatory School at Mowden (or Lancing Prep as it is known) in September 2005.

Headmasters of Lancing College

• The Rev Henry Jacobs (Aug–Dec 1848)
• The Rev Charles Edward Moberly (1849–1851)
• The Rev John Branthwaite (1851–1859)
• The Rev Henry Walford (1859–1861)
• The Rev Robert Edward Sanderson (1862–1889)
• The Rev Harry Ward McKenzie (1889–1894)
• The Rev Ambrose John Wilson (1895–1901)
• Bernard Henry Tower (1901–1909)
• The Rev Canon Henry Thomas Bowlby (1909–1925)
• Cuthbert Harold Blakiston (1925–1934)
• Frank Cecil Doherty (1935–1953)
• John Christopher Dancy (1953–1961)
• Sir Erskine William Gladstone KG Bt (1961–1969)
• Ian David Stafford Beer (1969–1981)
• James Stephen Woodhouse (1981–1993)
• Christopher John Saunders (1993–1998)
• Peter M. Tinniswood (1998–2005)
• Richard R. Biggs (acting, 2005–2006)
• Jonathan Gillespie (Sept 2006–present)

External links

• Lancing College school website
• The Woodard Corporation - A Group of Public Schools
• Old Lancing: OL's
• Lancing Old Boys Football Club
• Lancing Old Boys Tennis
• The Old Lancing Lodge (Freemasons)
• Lancing Prep school website
• Lancing Prep Pupils Magazine Blog