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PHC was a co-educational independent day and boarding school for students aged 11 to 18 in
Preston near
Hitchin
Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...
in Hertfordshire, England.
The school was housed in a
Queen Anne country house, formerly known as Temple Dinsley, which was redesigned by
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
, at the same time as the gardens were designed by his great friend,
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll ( ; 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932) was a British Horticulture, horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United Sta ...
. 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, ...
, and the gardens and landscaped park are listed Grade II* on the
Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
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.
History
Princess Helena College was founded by Miss Sophia Williams in 1820 for daughters of officers who had served in the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
and daughters of
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
clergy. It was originally established in
Mornington Crescent
Mornington Crescent is a terraced street in Camden Town, London Borough of Camden, 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 dur ...
, 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 in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
and then
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
. 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 private 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 char ...
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
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
House system
Each new pupil was allocated to one of three
houses
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
: 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
*
Profileon the
Independent Schools Council
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...
website
Profileon ''
The Good Schools Guide
''The Good Schools Guide'' is a guide to British schools, both state and private.
The guide's contributors are predominantly parents, but include researchers and former headteachers. It uses a conversational tone. Selection of schools is made ...
''
Profileon the
Girls' Schools Association
The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) is a membership association for the heads of independent and state girls' schools in the United Kingdom. It is a constituent member of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), and works with the 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