Heatherdown School, formally called Heatherdown Preparatory School, was an independent preparatory school for boys, near Ascot, in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

. Set in of grounds, it typically taught between eighty and ninety boys between the ages of seven and thirteen and closed in 1982. The school was a leading "feeder school" for

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

.Heidi Blake & Murray Wardrop
Heatherdown Prep: the exclusive school that taught David Cameron his ambition
from ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' dated 27 February 2010 at telegraph.co.uk, accessed 20 June 2012

Heatherlea

During their first year at the school, boys attended classes in the main school building but at night returned to Heatherlea, a small house set back from the London Road near the Royal Foresters Hotel. Heatherlea typically had around eight boys and two matrons.

Railway

The school had its own miniature steam railway that ran around a substantial area of the grounds. It was set up by Henry May, who ran a garage in Ascot. The railway was used by enthusiasts from outside the school, although boys were regularly recruited as passengers and spectators. The railway had one station, a halt, a tunnel and a turntable.

Notable former pupils

The school's pupils included: *

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Princ ...

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibl ...

Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford Andrew Ian Henry Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford (born 30 March 1962) is a British nobleman and peer. He is the son of Henry Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, and his wife, Henrietta Tiarks. Biography Bedford was educated at Hall Schoo ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom *

David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley David George Philip Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, (; born 27 June 1960), styled Viscount Malpas from birth until 1968, and subsequently Earl of Rocksavage until 1990, is a British peer and filmmaker who acted as Lord Great Cham ...

Alexander Cockburn Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together ...

, writer * Sir Edward Fielden, pilot and Second World War hero *

Giles Goschen, 4th Viscount Goschen Giles John Harry Goschen, 4th Viscount Goschen (born 16 November 1965), is a British Conservative politician. Goschen is the son of John Goschen, 3rd Viscount Goschen, by his second wife Alvin England. He was educated at Heatherdown School, ...

Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne Bryan Walter Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne, (27 October 1905 – 6 July 1992) was an heir to part of the Guinness family brewing fortune, and a lawyer, poet and novelist. He was briefly married to Diana Mitford. Early life He was born to ...

* Victor Hely-Hutchinson * George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven *

Lord Ivar Mountbatten Lord Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten, DL (born 9 March 1963) is a British aristocrat, farmer, geologist and businessman. He is a former director of SCL Group, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica. Although he is not a member of the B ...

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

, actor * William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth * Angus Ogilvy *

James Ogilvy James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (born 29 February 1964) is a British landscape designer, and the founder and editor of '' Luxury Briefing''. He is a relative of the British royal family as the elder child and only son of Sir Angus Ogilvy and Princes ...

*John Eric Drummond, 9th Earl of Perth *

Oliver Shepard Oliver Shepard (born 1946) is a British explorer. He participated in the Transglobe Expedition, the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe from pole to pole. Shepard was educated at Heatherdown School, near Ascot in Berkshire, followed by ...

David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife David Charles Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife (born 3 March 1961) is a British peer and businessman. He is the only surviving son of the late James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife, and his former wife Caroline Dewar. He was styled Earl of Macduff until 1 ...

George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews George Philip Nicholas Windsor, Earl of St Andrews (born 26 June 1962) is an English philanthropist, former diplomat and relative of the British royal family. He was a member of HM Diplomatic Service in New York and Budapest. St Andrews became ...

*King

Jigme Singye Wangchuck Jigme Singye Wangchuck ( dz, འཇིགས་མེད་སེང་གེ་དབང་ཕྱུག་, ; born 11 November 1955) is a member of the House of Wangchuck who was the king of Bhutan (Druk Gyalpo) from 1972 until his abdicati ...

, 4th King of Bhutan According to Francis Elliot and James Hanning's biography of David Cameron, the school was renowned for its academic and sporting excellence.

Closure

The last Headmaster of the School was James V. Edwards. After closing in 1982 for financial difficulty, the buildings were bought by the Licensed Victuallers, in order to set up a junior school. The buildings were eventually demolished in 1989 at which point the site was redeveloped to house both the LVS junior school and the senior school, which moved to Ascot from its previous location in

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the ...

References

{{coord , 51.4126, -0.7033, type:edu_region:GB, display=title History of Berkshire Defunct schools in Bracknell Forest Educational institutions disestablished in 1982 1982 disestablishments in England Demolished buildings and structures in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1989 Winkfield

Heatherlea

Railway

Notable former pupils

Closure

See also

References