PHC was a co-educational independent day and boarding school for students aged 11 to 18 in Preston near Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. The school was housed in a Queen Anne country house, formerly known as Temple Dinsley, which was redesigned by Edwin Lutyens, at the same time as the gardens were designed by his great friend, Gertrude Jekyll. The house is listed Grade II* on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

, and the gardens and landscaped park are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

History

Princess Helena College was founded by Miss Sophia Williams in 1820 for daughters of officers who had served in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and daughters of Anglican clergy. It was originally established in

Mornington Crescent Mornington Crescent is a terraced street in Camden Town, Camden, London, England. It was built in the 1820s, on a greenfield site just to the north of central London. Many of the houses were subdivided into flats during the Victorian era, an ...

, London, before moving to

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

and then Ealing. The school moved to Temple Dinsley in 1935. In 1874, Princess Helena, Queen Victoria's third daughter, became President of the college, and the school has enjoyed royal patronage ever since. The school became part of

United Learning United Learning is a group of state-funded schools and fee-paying independent schools operating in England. United Learning is the trading name for United Church Schools Trust (UCST) and United Learning Trust (ULT). It is one of the largest 10 c ...

in 2018, and from 2019, the college accepted boys at age 11 and age 16. The school closed at the end of August 2021 due to persistent financial difficulties that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in England, COVID-19 pandemic.

House system

Each new pupil was allocated to one of three House system, houses: Gloucester, Windsor or York. The house system offered a platform for pupils of varying ages to work together, whether it be choreographing a house dance or researching for public speaking. House points were awarded for each event and students also earned points for excellent pieces of work.

Boarding

There was one boarding house, which was in the main school. Year 11 and sixth form students had single rooms while all other year groups shared rooms with a number of peers depending on their age. There were common rooms, kitchens and other spaces for relaxation and games. Boarders had access to music practice rooms and sports facilities in evenings, together with a varied range of weekend activities.

References

External links

*
Profile
on the Independent Schools Council website
Profile
on ''The Good Schools Guide''
Profile
on the Girls' Schools Association {{authority control 1820 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1820 Gardens by Gertrude Jekyll Girls' schools in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed houses Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Hertfordshire Defunct schools in Hertfordshire 2021 disestablishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 2021 Defunct Church of England schools Works of Edwin Lutyens in England