FEATURES
with a stuffed bear in pride of place, was moved to Big Modern. In 1927 a full length English play, Arms and the Man, was produced on Speech Day weekend, the start of a tradition. The division between Classical and Military began to disappear and more practical subjects were introduced to the curriculum. Plans for the celebration of the College Centenary in 1941 included the building of New Block, opened in 1939, and a new gymnasium, which never happened. War put paid to any further projects. World War II At the start of World War II the government commandeered College buildings. The Junior School moved to Stowell Park and College to Shrewsbury where they shared all the facilities, Cheltenham playing games in the morning and having lessons in the afternoon and Shrewsbury following their normal pattern of morning classes and afternoon games. Exile lasted only two terms and College returned home in May 1940. Previously the boys had eaten their meals in their boarding houses, but it was decided that it would be more economical to feed them all together. The former Chapel was converted from library to dining hall. Clothes rationing led to the wearing of boiler suits as uniform and large areas of the playing field were cultivated for vegetables in support of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign. Commander Robert Ryder (L, 1925), Royal Navy, was awarded the Victoria Cross – the fourteenth OC to be so honoured. Thirlestaine House and its grounds were bought in 1947, adding valuable teaching space and the impressive Long Gallery, originally built as a picture gallery by Lord Northwick. HRH the Princess Elizabeth visited College in March 1951 and toured the grounds escorted by prefects. She came again, this time as Her Majesty the Queen, in 1991, to help College celebrate its 150th anniversary.
Swimming pool The most distinctive item of College uniform, the ‘Colleger’ was a mortar board worn by the boys from the very beginning, though with decreasing frequency, and finally abandoned in 1966.
Recent developments Junior School celebrated its centenary in 2008 with a grand pageant, the publication of a book (Celebr08!) and many other events.
The girls arrive The 1970s saw perhaps the biggest change in the history of College – the arrival of girls. At first there were only a few in the Sixth Form but in the early 80s more girls joined. The first Girls’ house was Chandos (opened in 1981), formerly the Second Master’s house but as the number of girls increased and College went fully coeducational in 1998, Chandos was expanded to include Roseleigh East & Roseleigh West and an extention was built on the back. Queen’s House was officially opened by Anne Cadbury (Hon. OC, Past Parent, Past Grandparent & Past Council Member) in June 1994 and was used initially as a Sixth Form extention of Chandos before becoming College’s Day Girl House in 2002.
The Sport facilities were greatly enhanced by the new Sports Hall, which included a new swimming pool, which was opened by Sir Colin Cowdrey in September 1996. The original ‘College Baths’ were the first Victorian Public School Baths built and remain in existence today; however, they were sold in the 1990s to the Hospital.
Ashmead was opened on 13th October 2000 by HRH The Princess Royal, the fact that it lies between two of the Boys’ houses is symbolic of the shift towards College becoming a fully fledged co-educational school. Westal came into being in 2006 and initially was for Sixth Form girls only, before moving to a new purpose-built building between the two AstroTurfs in 2013. The house was officially opened by Melinda Letts (H, 1973), who was one of the first girls to enter College in the early 1970s. The first female Head of College was Cecilia Warren-Thomas (Cha, 2003).
The CCF were relocated from ‘The Village’ site to its present site behind the Sports Hall. In 2012 College hosted a visit from HRH The Earl of Essex KG GCVO to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the College Combined Cadet Force. The visit was also a fitting reminder of over 6,000 Old Cheltonians who have served their country since the school was founded in 1841. To this day, every pupil joining Lower College takes part in CCF to help develop the kind of discipline, self-reliance and leadership skills that are of utmost importance for all modern career paths. Most recent developments have refurbished the Library and Big Classical and have provided a direct route from the front of College to the Quad. The Science labs have been refurbished to university standard and both AstroTurfs have been resurfaced. This article is a ‘potted’ history of College to date. The book Then & Now by Tim Pearce (Past Staff Member) provides a far more detailed account of College history from 1841-1991, and is available for purchase – to place your order, please contact Rebecca, r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.org. The Association & Society look forward to seeing you at one of the 175th Anniversary events.
Westal
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New science lab
Labor omnia vincit! n