Reed's School is an independent secondary

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

for boys with a mixed

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...

located in

Cobham, Surrey Cobham () is a large village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, centred south-west of London and northeast of Guildford on the River Mole. It has a commercial/services High Street, a significant number of primary and private ...

, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils (620 boys, 80 girls) with 100 full-time boarders (80 boys, 20 girls). The school was founded in 1813, by Andrew Reed and incorporated by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

in 1845 under the presidency of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

, the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister ...

and the

Marquess of Salisbury Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly th ...

. Since 1951, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

has acted as the school's 15th patron and has visited the school twice, in 1997 and in 2014, as the reigning monarch.

Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of the school are known as 'Old Reedonians'.

History

Founding

A notable early sponsor was the

, a future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

London Orphan Asylum, London (1813-1871)

The foundation was established to provide relief to destitute orphans, including children whose fathers had died and whose mothers were unable to provide for them. Initially the Asylum used two houses; one at Hackney Road,

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...

for the boys and one in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

for the girls. Exploring Surrey's Past The asylum's first unified site was at Lower Clapton Road, Clapton, where

Newcome's School Newcome's School was a fashionable boys' school in Hackney, then to the east of London, founded in the early 18th century. A number of prominent Whig families sent their sons there. The school closed in 1815, and the buildings were gutted in 182 ...

had stood. There were 206 pupils in 1826 and 453 in the 1860s. During the asylum's time in East London, it was famous for having had some 2000 hymns written for it by the English architect

James Edmeston James Edmeston (10 September 1791 – 7 January 1867) was an English architect and surveyor; he was also known as a prolific writer of church hymns. He was born in Wapping, Middlesex, England. His maternal grandfather was the Reverend Samuel B ...

, a strong supporter of and frequent visitor to the London Orphan Asylum. Following the school's 1871 move to Watford, the East London buildings were used by the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

. Only the facade of the classical-style building remains, and forms part of the

Clapton Girls' Academy Clapton Girls' Academy (formerly Clapton Girls Technology College) is a secondary school with academy status located in Lower Clapton, in the London Borough of Hackney, London, England. The school is situated north of Hackney Central on the ...

London Orphan Asylum/School, Watford (1871-1939)

) for the new school. The Prince of Wales, later

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

, and his wife the Princess of Wales and future

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...

, laid down the foundational stones on 15 July 1869 and the school formally opened in 1871. The school was renamed to the "London Orphan School" in 1915, following a merge with the recently closed Royal British Orphan School in Slough it was again renamed the "London Orphan School and Royal British Orphan School", before finally being named "Reed's School" in 1939, in honour of the late founder. In the early 1880s the London Orphan Asylum lost two football matches against the then named Watford Rovers, now known as

Watford F.C. Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club’s original foundation is 1881, aligned with that of its antecede ...

Headmasters at the Watford site included Oliver Carter Cockrem and H.W. Russell. In the 1980s the buildings were converted into residential accommodation.

Reed's School, Totnes & Towcester (1939-1945)

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the school was evacuated from Watford. The site was used as an Army hospital and then by the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

Reed's School, Cobham (1945–present)

The Sandy Lane site had been purpose-built for the Sandyroyd School in around 1905 by architects Treadwell and Martin, who were also responsible for the design of Scott's restaurant (now part of the Trocadero Centre) and other notable structures. The new site provided facilities including a heated indoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two squash courts. A new headmaster,

Robert Drayson Robert Quested Drayson DSC (5 June 1919 – 15 October 2008) was an English naval officer and schoolmaster. During the Second World War Drayson was decorated for sinking the German Navy auxiliary cruiser ''Komet''. After the War he returned to C ...

, was appointed in 1955 and remained until 1964, when he migrated to

Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...

. , while retaining its charitable element.

Royal Patrons since 1815

The school has had many royal patrons. *1815

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, (Edward Augustus; 2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III. His only legitimate child became Queen Victoria. Prince Edward was created Duke of Kent a ...

*1817

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, (27 January 1773 – 21 April 1843) was the sixth son and ninth child of King George III and his queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was the only surviving son of George III who did not ...

*1819

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , house = , father = Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , mother = Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf , birth_date = , birth_place = Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death ...

*1819

Leopold I of Belgium * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Lou ...

*1821

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Ernest Augustus (german: Ernst August; 5 June 177118 November 1851) was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death in 1851. As the fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Hanover, he initially seemed unlikely to become a ...

*1822

Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profe ...

*1823

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

*1826

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850) was the tenth child and seventh son of the British king George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 18 ...

*1826

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

*1837

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

*1843 Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha *1856 The Prince of Wales, later

*1870 The Princess of Wales, later

*1910

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

*1936

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

*1951

Sports

The major sports at Reed's School are rugby, hockey and cricket with academies in tennis, skiing and golf. The senior pupils (13+) play rugby, hockey and cricket in the autumn, spring and summer terms respectively. Pupils in the junior school (11–13) play hockey, rugby and then cricket. The indoor tennis centre was opened by alumnus and former British number one,

Tim Henman Timothy Henry Henman (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis. He was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in th ...

on 18 November 2014. The foundation stone for the 25 metre, five lane indoor swimming pool was laid by Duncan Goodhew on 15 November 1990. Reed's has won the

International School Sport Federation The International School Sport Federation (ISF) is an international sports governing body for school sport. Founded in 1972 with 21 European signatory nations, the federation has been organising international competitions to encourage education t ...

's world schools' tennis championship more than any other team (in 2009, 2011 and 2015).

Headmasters

* Robert Heath, (1826–1852) * Henry Beattie, (1852–1869) * A. F. Houliston (1869–??) * W. F. Jones * H. W. Bussell (1878–1886) * A. R. Clemens (1886–1887) * Dr. Oliver Carter Cockrem (1887–1915) * E. Hartley Parker (1915–1921) * John J. Jackson (1921–1924) * G. K. Allen (1924–1931) * C. R. Attenborough (1931–45) * H. E. D. Axton (1945–1954) *Philip Scott, acting (1954–1955) *

(1955–1964) * Rodney Exton (1964–1977) – Hampshire cricketer and schoolmaster *

John Baird Tyson John Baird Tyson, , (7 April 1928, in Partick – 10 March 2014) was a British school teacher who mapped previously unexplored areas of the Himalayas. Tyson's father was deputy headmaster at St Paul's School in London, where he was brought up. H ...

(1978–1982) – mountaineer and teacher * David Prince (1983–1997) * David Jarrett (1997–2014) – the first person to win a cricket

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

for both Oxford and Cambridge * Mark Hoskins (2014–present)

Notable staff and associated people

, architect and prolific hymn writer; wrote "Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us" for the children of the London Orphan Asylum * Sir Benjamin Louis Cohen, former President of the London Orphan Asylum * Sir

William Blizard Sir William Blizard FRS FRSE PRCS FSA (1 March 1743 – 27 August 1835) was an English surgeon. Life He was born in Barn Elms, Surrey, the fourth child of auctioneer William Blizard. After an apprenticeship to a surgeon and apothecary in Mortl ...

, consulting surgeon to the London Orphan Asylum *

Brett Garrard Brett Spencer Garrard (born 21 August 1976) is a male British former field hockey player. Family: Wife: Isobel.Garrard Children: Lysia.Garrard, Corben.Garrard and Nyla.Garrard He is an Uncle to Mila.Koppenol and Van.Koppenol Hockey career Gar ...

, hockey coach *

Richard Gilliat Richard Michael Charles Gilliat (born 20 May 1944 Ware, Hertfordshire) is a retired English first-class cricketer. Gilliat was educated at Charterhouse School, Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford. He represented Oxford University Cricket Cl ...

, former head of admissions and Hampshire cricketer, retired in 2017 *

Keith Medlycott Keith Thomas Medlycott (born 12 May 1965) is an English former cricketer, a left-arm spinner and middle order batsman for Surrey and Northern Transvaal. He is known in the game as "Medders". First-class career Medlycott's career in first-class ...

, cricket coach * Tom Hardy, actor

Notable Old Reedonians

Royalty

* Prince Zeid Raad of Jordan, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights * Prince Mired Raad of Jordan

Business

Alan Bott Captain Alan John Bott (14 January 1893 – 17 September 1952) was a World War I flying ace who was credited with five aerial victories. He later became a journalist, editor and publisher who founded Pan Books.Shores ''et.al.'' (1990), p.82. ...

, founder of

Pan Books Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, es ...

*Sir Simon Robey, banker and co-founder of Robey Warshaw

Literature

* Thomas Burke *

Richard Dinnick Richard Dinnick (born 22 January 1968) is a British screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer and audio playwright. He is a frequent guest at writing events (including the London Screenwriters' Festival) and such ''Doctor Who'' conventions as Ga ...

, screenwriter and author

Sport

* Henrik Breimyr, Norwegian professional football player * Jeffrey Bruma, professional footballer, currently playing for

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...

Alex Corbisiero Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...

, rugby player for

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

* Jamie Delgado, British tennis player and coach * Daniel Douthwaite, British cricketer * Jack Draper, British tennis player * Chris Eaton, British tennis player *

Evan Hoyt Evan Hoyt (born 16 January 1995) is a Mexican-born British tennis player. Hoyt has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 319, achieved on 16 September 2019. In doubles, he peaked at No. 217 on 12 August 2019. Hoyt has won one ATP Ch ...

, British tennis player * Jack Gower, British alpine ski racer *

, British tennis player * Oskar Kolk, cricketer * James Morrison, golfer * Luke Steyn, ski racer * Theo Vukašinović, rugby player * Jack Kenningham, rugby player

Arts/entertainment

* Richard Bagguley, muralist and artist * Marcel Grant, filmmaker *Dr. Keith Scholey, nature documentary producer * Elvi Hale, actress * Tom Hardy, actor *Sir

Simon Keenlyside Sir Simon Keenlyside (born 3 August 1959) is a British baritone who has performed in operas and concerts since the mid-1980s. Biography Early life and education Keenlyside was born in London, the son of Raymond and Ann Keenlyside. Raymond play ...

, opera singer *

Nigel Mitchell Nigel Mitchell is a British television and radio presenter and voice-over artist. Early life and education Nigel was born in Kingston Upon Thames. He attended Shrewsbury House School in Surbiton, from where he gained a scholarship to Reed's Sch ...

, television and radio presenter * Sir Nolan, music producer and songwriter * Shaun Scott, actor *

Renton Skinner Daniel Renton Skinner (born 25 January 1973) is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou and is also one half of the Brian and Roger podcast. Early li ...

, actor and comedian *

Toby Tarrant Tobias Charles Tarrant (born 29 October 1991) is an English radio broadcaster on Radio X. Career Tarrant started his national radio broadcasting career on Capital FM, presenting the early breakfast show in 2014. In October 2016, he moved to t ...

, radio DJ and son of Chris * Jamie Treays, aka Jamie T, singer-songwriter

Politics

Edward Kellett-Bowman Edward Thomas Kellett-Bowman JP (born Bowman; 25 February 1931 – 22 November 2022) was a British business and management consultant. He has also had a political career as a local councillor and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) ...

, Conservative Member of the European Parliament

Law

Stuart Popham Stuart Godfrey Popham, (born July 1954) is a British lawyer. A former senior partner at Clifford Chance, he is the vice chairman of EMEA Banking at Citigroup. He is a King's Counsel and the former chairman of Chatham House. Early life Stuart ...

, British lawyer

Architecture

*Mark Fenwick, founder, Fenwick Iribarren. Architects of three of the eight new stadia at World Cup 2022 in Qatar, including

Stadium 974 Stadium 974 (, previously known as Ras Abu Aboud Stadium) is a football stadium now slated for dismantlement in Ras Abu Aboud, Doha, Qatar, about 10 km east of Doha. Opened 30 November 2021, it is a temporary venue, made from 974 recycled sh ...

References

External links

Reed's School website
{{authority control Boys' schools in Surrey Independent schools in Surrey Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Boarding schools in Surrey Educational institutions established in 1813 Relocated schools 1813 establishments in England