Divine Mercy College is a former

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

independent secondary boarding school for boys in the English county of

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

. It was co-founded in 1953 by rev. Józef Jarzębowski of the Marian Fathers with lay members of the Polish community in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

with the intention of providing an education that combined a British curriculum with Polish language, culture and history for the children of Polish

displaced persons Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...

resettled in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. A

Charitable foundation A foundation (also referred to as a charitable foundation) is a type of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that usually provides funding and support to other charitable organizations through grants, while also potentially participating d ...

was formed to purchase, with a mortgage, the

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

17th-century country house with out-buildings and a park designed by

Capability Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

on the banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

. The property had been used by the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and had been vacated since. The school was housed in purpose-built blocks in the grounds of

Fawley Court Fawley Court is a country house, with large mixed-use grounds standing on the west bank of the River Thames at Fawley, Buckinghamshire, Fawley in the English county of Buckinghamshire. Its former estate once encompassed both adjacent Phyllis Cou ...

, just outside

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

. The main house in

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

, sometimes attributed to

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

, with interiors by

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...

was used for the library, a museum, the chapel and refectory and kitchens with administrative offices on the upper floors. The teaching staff consisted of lay women and men - some of them university teachers from pre-war Poland - and the small community of exiled Polish Marian fathers headed initially by Jarzębowski (1897-1964), also a writer, historian and

Antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

. The name of the school was inspired by its first headmaster's devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Although pupils were mainly of Polish descent, there were others who were from British families or the sons of foreign diplomats. Pupils sat British public examinations and a number went on to universities in England or abroad. After the early death of Jarzębowski, the following rector was a war veteran and writer, fr. Andrzej Janicki MIC. Over the years the school and its attractive setting had become a popular destination for the Polish community in Southern England, especially on religious feast days. With the general fall in school rolls during the mid-1980s, Divine Mercy College did not escape the decline and was obliged to finally close its doors to pupils in 1986. The college became a conference and retreat centre for the next 20 years or so. The property was sold after a unilateral decision by the Marian Fathers in 2010 despite controversy, lawsuits and an extended campaign to save the

asset and its valuable museum collection for the newly greatly expanding Polish community in the UK, following Poland's accession to the European Union. , p. 6-7 in English http://www.nowyczas.co.uk/wydania/154/nowyczas.pdf Retrieved 15 June 2018

References

External links

Fawley Court former website

Fawley Court
described in John Preston Neale, ''Views of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland'', Second Series, Volume III, b1826
Listed buildings in and around Fawley Court estate
{{authority control Defunct museums in England 1953 establishments in England 1986 disestablishments in England Boarding schools in Buckinghamshire Boys' schools in Buckinghamshire Defunct schools in Buckinghamshire Educational institutions disestablished in 1986 Educational institutions established in 1953 Country houses in Buckinghamshire Grade I listed buildings in Buckinghamshire Grade I listed houses Paley and Austin buildings Polish diaspora organizations Gardens by Capability Brown Museums of Polish culture abroad Defunct boarding schools in England Catholic boarding schools in England

See also

References

External links