Highlights from our 175th Anniversary

Archive Exhibition

As part of our ongoing 175th Anniversary celebrations this year, in the Lent Term we staged a fascinating exhibition from the College’s archives in the Waiting Room. The exhibition was expertly curated by OQ Julia Rank and beautifully staged by our Alumnae and Development team. On display were a range of artefacts, each showcasing a different aspect of the College’s history. Alongside what you might expect to find in a school’s archive, such as certificates of proficiency from the 1850s and journals from former staff members, there were also more unusual items including a leaf from the wreath that the College sent to Queen Victoria’s funeral! We were delighted to welcome nearly 300 members of the Queen’s community to the College for the opening of our 175th Anniversary Archive Exhibition. It was wonderful to see so many alumnae catching up with each other and their former teachers, while collectively learning more about the College’s illustrious past.

Founder’s Day

We also hosted a wonderful Founder’s Day celebration at St Marylebone Parish Church on the exact anniversary of the College’s founding 175 years ago. Mr Tillett spoke about our founder F.D. Maurice, the very early days of Queen’s and the lessons we can learn today from Maurice’s extraordinary life.

“We owe it to him I think, to our College, and to ourselves to be tolerant, reflective and courageous. If we can do that, we will do him proud, we will help ourselves, and, in our own way, we might just make the world a slightly better place. That, ultimately, is what F.D. Maurice was all about, and what we are all here for.” Richard Tillett, Principal

Our 175th Anniversary celebrations are still ongoing until the end of 2023 – watch this space for more news about how we are marking this historic occasion, including a joint College/Prep production of ‘Annie!’ at the Shaftesbury Theatre in November!

175th Summer Concert in Regent Hall

In June, more than 150 pupils performed in a very special Summer Concert to mark our 175th Anniversary. The concert was held at an external venue – the Regent Hall on Oxford Street, which has fantastic acoustics and often hosts professional concerts – to enable as many parents and friends of Queen’s to join as possible. The audience was treated to an array of talent, with performances from a host of ensembles, choirs and our orchestra, as well as some exceptional solo performances. A very big thank you to the Music Department, led by Mr Hughes (aka Elton John...!) for putting on such a wonderful show to celebrate our very special anniversary. For photos of this event, see page 15.