The Friern Barnet Grammar School was a small

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

day school for boys located on

Friern Barnet Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards No ...

Road,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

. It was later absorbed into the co-educational Woodside Park School foundation which was later renamed The North London International School and is today known as The Dwight School London, notably one of the first schools to offer the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

as an alternative to traditional British

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

studies.

History

The school was founded in 1884 as St John's High School for Boys by the Reverend

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

Frederick Hall MA of

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

,Kelly's Directory of Essex, Hertfordshire & Middlesex, 1894: p148 http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/pageviewer.asp?fn=0000c7cw.tif&dn=LUL19025tif&zoom=s rector of the Parish of St James and St John, Friern Barnet, to educate boys from middle-class families capable of meeting fee payments, as distinct from his efforts to provide the free schooling – financially supported by parishioners – of infants. The rector was also the founder of the Friern Barnet Grammar School for Girls (c. 1891) and commissioned the imposing St John's church building opposite the boys' school. This was a late work in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style by eminent architect

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...

(whose works include

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. His ...

and

St John's Cathedral, Brisbane St John's Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia. It is dedicated to St John the Evangelist. The cathedral is situated in Ann Street ...

) begun in 1890 and completed by his son Frank in 1911. Reverend Hall had been curate at Pearson's St. Augustine's, Kilburn. On the site of the school was the original temporary iron construction known as th
school-church
of St. John, where both classes and church services were held. This was later replaced by a one-storey building enlarged in the 1950s and the existing building, a two-storeyed block, was built in 1973. After 1890 the establishment was known as Friern Barnet Grammar School for Boys having its own preparatory school from 1904. However the school was never populated by more than two hundred pupils. The school's charitable arm was the subsidiary group, Friends of Friern Barnet Grammar School. In 1995, Friern Barnet Grammar became the Senior Department of Woodside Park School, rebranded and began admitting girls. Woodside Park School later became what is now Dwight School London. Over a number of years an intense rivalry developed between pupils of the Grammar School and those from the government maintained Friern Barnet County School (latterly Friern Barnet Secondary School), which in 1961 opened nearby in Hermington Avenue.

Information

Motto: Vita Lux Hominum Latin: Life and Light of Mankind (from

St John Saint John or St. John usually refers to either John the Baptist or John the Apostle. Saint John or St. John may also refer to: People Saints * John the Baptist ( – ), preacher, ascetic, and baptizer of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelis ...

1:4 ''In him was life, and the life was the light of men'') School Crest: Phoenix School Houses: ''Formerly'' – Collingwood,

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

, Frobisher, Grenville,

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

''Latterly'' –

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

(yellow), Livingstone (green),

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

(red) Annual Events: Founder's Day, Speech Day (Prize Giving), Sports' Day In 1961, prizes were presented by the Member of Parliament for

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. north of Charing Cross, nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, London, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Hendon. It is ...

, Mrs Margaret Thatcher who "in an inspiring address spoke to the boys about their vocation in the life of the community for which school days are a preparation".

Headmasters

Headmasters: * A B McFarlane (1885–1888) * C D Punchard (1888–1890) *Edward Hugh Pritchard (1890–1895) * C E Lacy (1895–1906) * J Ashley (1906–1908) *Robert Ames * Herbert Ames (1908–1941) *Charles Secker Smith (1943–1948) National Archive File DRO/012/I/G8/3 (Letter from November 1947) * C P F Alderson (1948–1951) * Rev P E Thomas (1954–1960) * Rev D Atkinson (1960–1964) * A Heaps (1964–1981) * John Pearman (1981–1995) * Dr Peter Reynolds (Acting) (1995) * Chris Platford (Acting) (1995)

Notable former pupils

* Tasnime Akunjee (1977–) – Lawyer * Sir (Walter) Leonard Allinson (1926–2022) – British diplomat,

Oxonian The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

(

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

) * (1904–1989) – Professor of Human Ecology at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, 1949–71 * Chris Carter (1953–) – Founder band member

Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, later joined by Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson and Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pioneers of in ...

, Carter Tutti * Lieutenant William Randolph Cooper (1897–1918) – 2nd Lieutenant,

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Re ...

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

casualty (killed at Givenchy, 1918) * Thomas Crosbie-Walsh (1880–1954) – Food scientist, editor ''Food Industries Manual'' & ''Food Manufacture'', fellow of the

Royal Institute of Chemistry The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation. Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland (ICGBI), its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its ai ...

Cyril Fletcher Cyril Fletcher (25 June 1913 – 2 January 2005) was an English comedian, broadcaster, pantomime impresario, actor, gardener and businessman. His catchphrase was 'Pin back your lugholes'. He was best known for his "Odd Odes", which later fo ...

(1913–2005) – Comedian * Peter Friese-Greene –

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

cameraman, grandson of

William Friese-Greene William Friese-Greene (born William Edward Green, 7 September 1855 – 5 May 1921) was a prolific English inventor and professional photographer. He was known as a pioneer in the field of motion pictures, having devised a series of cameras bet ...

– inventor of

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

, son of

Claude Friese-Greene Claude Friese-Greene (3 May 1898 – 6 January 1943) was a British-born cinema technician, filmmaker and cinematographer, most famous for his 1926 collection of films entitled '' The Open Road''. Biography Claude, born Claude Harrison Gree ...

– developer of the colour film process * Colin Gottlieb (1961– ) – Chief Executive Officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Omnicom Media Group * Ertan Hurer (1961–) –

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Councillor ( Enfield), Conservative parliamentary candidate (

Hackney North and Stoke Newington Hackney North and Stoke Newington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 1987 by Diane Abbott, a member of the Labour Party who served as Shadow Home Secretary from 6 October 2016 to 5 April 2020. Abbo ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

) * Stefano Ispani – Chief Executive, Ponti's Group * Alexander James Jr (b. 1925) – son of

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and Scotland footballer Alex James * Sydney James Johnstone OBE (1881–1971) – Geologist and Principal, Mineral Resources Department,

Imperial Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust was a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pr ...

, fellow of the

* Barry Owen Jones (1934–) – Artist and director, Coach House Gallery,

Royal Watercolour Society The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wa ...

member * Lord Kershaw (1906–1962) – Edward Aubrey Kershaw, 3rd

Baron Kershaw Baron Kershaw, of Prestwich in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1947 for Fred Kershaw, who later served as a Lord-in-waiting in the Labour government of Clement Attlee. the t ...

of Prestwich * General

Wilfred Kitching Wilfred Kitching CBE (22 August 1893 – 15 December 1977) was a British Salvation Army officer who was their seventh General between 1954 and 1963. Biography Born in Wood Green, London, to Theodore and Jane Kitching (née Cranshaw); his f ...

CBE (1893–1977) – 7th General of the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

* Dr

Edgar Mann Lieutenant Colonel Edgar John Mann MB (24 June 1926 – 21 June 2013) was a British politician, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Isle of Man, the then head of the island's Government. Early life and career Born on 24 June 192 ...

(1926–2013) – formerly Chairman of the Executive Council of the Isle of Man (

Tynwald Tynwald (), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald () or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Leg ...

) *

Simon Nicol Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in t ...

(1950–) – Founder band member

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

* Dr J M R Owens (1926–) – John Owens, formerly Reader in History,

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

, author,

(

) *His Honour Judge Pullinger – Judge John Elphick Pullinger (1930–2000), scholar of the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and also of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, Judge Advocate General for the Near and Far East 1972–1975, Circuit Court Judge on SE Circuit 1982–1990, Croydon Law Courts 1982–2000 *Colonel Arthur Oliver Samson CBE (1888–1955) –

Middle East Force United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...

* L F Smeeton (1889–1975) – Leslie Fred Smeeton, Official Secretary, Tasmanian Government Office, London * Michael Ugwu (1980–) – Music Producer and Businessman *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

OBE (1941–) – Classical guitarist,

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

member

Notable staff

*Mr F J C Gustard (1902/3–1938) who was a master at the school, Frederick Gustard – cricket journalist and statistician, contributor to

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

, author ''England v. Australia. A guide to the Tests, 1934'' & ''Somerset County Cricket. Facts and figures from 1891–1924''. *The founder, The Rev. Frederick Hall MA of Jesus College, Cambridge. Rector of

, Rural Dean of

Hornsey Hornsey () is a district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood to the west and Alexand ...

and

St Paul's St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

. Died 1902. The author of, ''A Short Historical Account of the Collegiate Church of St Peter – Wolverhampton'', 1865; ''A Simple Service Book for Children'', 1866; ''Fasting Reception of the Blessed Sacrament: A Custom of the church Catholic'', 1881. *Headmaste
A B McFarlane
Alexander Bruce McFarlane (1861–1921), latterly Headmaster, Allahabad High School, India, and Principal, Mico Training College, Kingston, Jamaica. Portrait �
Alexander Bruce McFarlane (1861–1921)
*Headmaste
Edward Hugh Pritchard
latterly

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

E H Pritchard, Mayor of

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

(1924–25). *Headmaster Charles Deane Punchard (1861–1940), the author of ''Tales from Shakespeare: With Introduction and Notes by C.D. Punchard'' (Charles Lamb, Mary Ann Lamb, Charles Punchard, 1899), ''Pitman's English Grammar Revised'' (1911), ''Helps to the Study of Addison's Essays'' (1898), ''Helps to the Study of Leigh Hunt's Essays'' (1899), ''A Summary of Johnson's Milton''. *Mr W G Urry (1913–81) who was a master at the school, later Dr William G Urry, mediaeval historian and

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

Archivist and Librarian (1948–1969).Obituary, The Times, 27 February 1981, p16

References

*National Archives: Saint James the Great, Friern Barnet DRO/012/I/G8
'Friern Barnet: Education'
A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 29–32, 33–36. Available from www.British-history.ac.uk *''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

External links

Friern Barnet Grammar School Old Friars

1930s School Building
{{authority control Defunct schools in the London Borough of Barnet Educational institutions established in 1884 Educational institutions disestablished in 1995 Defunct grammar schools in England Private boys' schools in London 1884 establishments in England 1995 disestablishments in England Friern Barnet