Arnold House was a private boys preparatory school in

Llanddulas Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, Wales, midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway in the community of Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel. The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Og ...

, Conwy, north Wales, known especially for its association with

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

History

The school was founded Arnold House Preparatory School around 1867 at 29 Parkgate Road in the city of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, north England. The founders were Reverend James Clement Collier Pipon (also the first headmaster) together with Susan Augusta Griffiths, his wife. In 1874, Susan Griffiths died shortly after the birth of Philip James Griffiths Pipon, their only child. The following year, the school moved to the village of

on the coast of north Wales. The school was renamed Arnold House School in 1875. It was an independent preparatory boarding school for boys, intended for the sons of army/navy officers, businessmen, clergy, gentry, and the middle classes in general. The school prepared pupils for the

Common Entrance Common Entrance Examinations (commonly known as CE) are taken by independent school pupils in the UK as part of the selective admissions process at age 13, though ten independent schools do select at 11 using different test papers. They are se ...

examination aimed at entry to

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

and also naval colleges. In the 1920s, pupil numbers increased and the school was divided into three boys' houses – Bingham's, Conwy's, and Pipon's – named after three alumni, all of whom became

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

s in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. The school closed around 1943 because of reducing numbers of pupils and

World War II 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 ...

. From that time, it became a Jewish

convalescent home A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

. Later, school buildings were converted for residential use. The main building is known as Llanddulas Hall.

Alumni

The following were notable alumni: * Rear Admiral The Hon. Edward Barry Stewart Bingham VC * Captain Basil Brooke, Royal Navy officer *

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland's finest thespians, and was renowned for his inte ...

, Irish actor *

Geoffrey Francis Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marl ...

(Baron Fisher of Lambeth),

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

during 1945–1961 * Sir Edward Townley Peel KBE, DSO, MC * Vice-Admiral Sir James Murray Pipon * Rear-Admiral Rafe Grenville Rowley-Conwy DSM

Headmasters

The following were headmasters of the school: * 1867–1901: Rev. James C.C. Pipon * 1901–1903: Donald S. Bird * 1903–1928: Charles P. Banks * 1928–1932: Capt. Charles C. Banks * 1932–1939: Robert W. FitzAucher * 1939–1941: Keith A. Gaskell * 1941–1943: James C. Robinson

Evelyn Waugh

The novelist

taught History, Latin, and Greek at the school during January to July 1925, after finishing as a student at

Oxford University 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 ...

. He stayed at

Plas Dulas Plas Dulas was a historic mansion in Llanddulas, Conwy, north Wales, with literary associations. Plas Dulas stood in the Garthewin estate, as part of a large farm, Llyndir. In the early 19th century, the Wynne family sold the land to Elizabeth ...

nearby during the 1920s. While at Plas Dulas, he wrote his first book ''

Decline and Fall ''Decline and Fall'' is the first novel by the English author Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1928. It was Waugh's first published novel; an earlier attempt, titled '' The Temple at Thatch'', was destroyed by Waugh while still in manuscript fo ...

'', published in 1928. His experiences during his time at the school inspired the fictional school Llanabba Castle in this satirical novel. In his 1964 autobiography, two years before he died, Waugh confessed that he attempted suicide by drowning in the sea at Llanddulas during his time at the school.

References

{{reflist 1863 establishments in England 1875 establishments in Wales 1943 disestablishments in Wales Educational institutions established in 1863 Educational institutions disestablished in 1943 Defunct schools in Cheshire West and Chester Defunct schools in Conwy County Borough Defunct boys' schools in the United Kingdom Defunct boarding schools in Wales Defunct elementary and primary schools Defunct private schools Primary schools in Conwy County Borough Private schools in Conwy County Borough Boarding schools in Wales Boys' schools in Wales Preparatory schools in Wales Houses in Conwy County Borough Houses in Denbighshire Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel