St Christopher School is a

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 A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...

and

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. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

Letchworth Garden City Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first Garden city movement, garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 United Kin ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England. Established in 1915 as the Garden City Theosophical School, it has long been a flagship of

progressive education Progressive education, or educational progressivism, is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. In Europe, progressive education took the form of the New Education Movement. T ...

. The present name was adopted in 1919.

Character

The school is co-educational, taking both day and boarding pupils between the ages of three and eighteen. It has a Montessori School, a Junior School, and a Senior School, with a

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

.St Christopher School

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 ...

, accessed 7 May 2023 There is no uniform, and all in the school are called by their first names.

History

The origins of the school lie in

Theosophy Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...

, and some seeds were sown in a lecture by

George Arundale George Sydney Arundale (1 December 1878 in Surrey, England — 12 August 1945 in Adyar, India) was a Theosophist, Freemason, president of the Theosophical Society Adyar and a bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church. He was the husband of th ...

on 26 December 1912 at a

Theosophical Society Adyar The Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. The designation 'Adyar' is sometimes added to the name to make it clear that this is the Theosophical Society headquartered there, after the American se ...

convention in Adyar,

Madras State Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The subject was "Education as Service", and Arundale referred to a book with that title by

Jiddu Krishnamurti Jiddu Krishnamurti ( ; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian Philosophy, philosopher, speaker, writer, and Spirituality, spiritual figure. Adopted by members of the Theosophy, Theosophical tradition as a child, he was raised to fill ...

. A group of those present then wrote to the Theosophical Society in England, asking for a school on Theosophical lines to be established. Fund-raising began in 1913, and the project was supported by Arundale,

Annie Besant Annie Besant (; Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was an English socialist, Theosophy (Blavatskian), theosophist, freemason, women's rights and Home Rule activist, educationist and campaigner for Indian nationalism. She was an arden ...

, and Josephine Ransom.McNab (2014), pp. 7–8 Letchworth was chosen as the site of the school, as it had a flourishing theosophical community. Two houses were bought, 28 and 30 Broadwater Avenue, and the Garden City Theosophical School opened on 20 January 1915, with Dr John Horace Armstrong Smith, a theosophical physician, as head, and with fourteen children enrolled. By the autumn term, the number had risen to 41. The school soon took over some buildings on Barrington Road, built in 1909 for a short-lived school called Letchworth School. In 1919, a new building was built at the junction of Spring Road and Broadway, and the school adopted its current name. The Barrington Road site was then used for boarders.Johnson (1976), p. 77"History"
stchris.co.uk, accessed 7 May 2023 The school's early years were much influenced by Krishnamurti's book. Key principles from the outset were

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

, physical health achieved through exercise, a belief in the benefits of beautiful surroundings, and racial toleration. Exam results were to be "a private matter between teacher and pupil".McNab (2014), p. 10 By 1918, all children were members of a pupil forum called the Moot, which greatly influenced the running of the school. In 1920, the Theosophical Educational Trust bought a lease of the historic Rectory of Letchworth, to which children were moved from Brackenhill Home School, in Kent, another of the trust's foundations. It later became a house of the St Christopher School called Arunwood and is now used by the Montessori department. The Rectory was one of the childhood homes of

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

, whose father was Rector. In 1928, the school was consolidated onto the Barrington Road site. Letchworth-school-hockey small

From 1925 to 1953, Lyn Harris and his wife Eleanor Harris were joint heads of the school. They were followed by Nicholas King-Harris, in post from 1954 to 1980. In 1934, the school's former buildings on Broadway were sold to the

Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary is a Roman Catholic religious institute founded in Ghent, Belgium. An enclosed religious order, its main apostolate is helping the needy and the sick, inspired by the work of Saint Vincen ...

to become the Middle School Building, theatre, and gymnasium of the new St Francis' College, Letchworth.

Heads

*1915–1918: Dr J. H. Armstrong SmithMcNab (2014), pp. 11–22 *1919–1925: Beatrice Ensor and Isabel King *1925–1953: Lyn and Eleanor Harris"Through war and peace 1925–53", McNab (2014), pp. 27–36 *1954–1980: Nicholas King-Harris"Changing times 1954–80", McNab (2014), pp. 37–46 *1981–2004: Colin Reid"Fresh visions 1981–2006", McNab (2014), pp. 47–56 *2004–2006: Donald Wilkinson *2006–2020: Richard Palmer *2020–2022: Emma-Kate Henry *2023– : Rich Jones

Notable staff

* Ernest Elmore (1901–1957), sports and drama master * Dame Mary Marsh (born 1946), deputy head in 1990s

Notable former pupils

Ed Asafu-Adjaye Edward Yaw Okyere Asafu-Adjaye (born 22 December 1988) is an English footballer who plays for side Royston Town, where he plays as a defender. Career Born in Southwark, London, Asafu-Adjaye started his career at Luton Town as a scholar, he w ...

(born 1988), footballer * Rufus Keppel, 10th Earl of Albemarle (born 1965), designer *

Catherine Bearder Catherine Zena Bearder (née Bailey; born 14 January 1949) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament between 2 July 2014 and 12 November 2019. She was a Member of the Eu ...

(born 1949), politician *

Peter Blegvad Peter Blegvad (born August 14, 1951) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, writer, and cartoonist. He was a founding member of German/English avant-pop band Slapp Happy, which later merged briefly with Henry Cow, and has released many sol ...

(born 1951), musicianPeter Blegvad biography
Calyx: The Canterbury Website, accessed 7 May 2023 * Gavin Campbell (born 1946), actor and presenter *

Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 September 1934) is an English professional golfer. Coles had a successful career in European golf, winning 29 important tournaments between 1956 and 1982. After reaching 50, he won a further 14 important Seniors ...

(born 1934), professional golfer *

Jacqui Dankworth Jacqueline Caryl Dankworth (born 5 February 1963) is a British jazz singer. She is the daughter of jazz singer Cleo Laine and musician John Dankworth. Career Dankworth was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. She attended St. Chris ...

(born 1963), singer * Julia Darling (1956–2005), author * Jenny Diski (1947–2016), author *

JJ Feild John Joseph Feild (born 1 April 1978) is a British American film, television, and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. He played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' tele ...

(born 1978), actor *

Sonia Friedman Sonia Friedman is a British West End and Broadway theatre producer. On 27 January 2017, Friedman was named Producer of the Year for the third year running at The Stage Awards, becoming the first person to win the award three times. In 2018, ...

(born 1965), theatre producer *

A. A. Gill Adrian Anthony Gill (28 June 1954 – 10 December 2016) was a British writer, best known for writing about food and travel, and for his work in television. Publications he contributed to included ''The Sunday Times'', wrote for '' Vanity Fair'' ...

(1954–2016), journalist * Connie Glynn (born 1994), author *

Paul Hamlyn Paul Hamlyn, Baron Hamlyn, (born Paul Bertrand Wolfgang Hamburger; 12 February 1926 – 31 August 2001) was a German-born British publisher and philanthropist, who established the Paul Hamlyn Foundation in 1987. Early life He was born Paul Be ...

(1926–2001), publisher *

David Horovitch David Horovitch (born 11 August 1945) is an English actor, perhaps best known for playing the character of Inspector Slack in ''Miss Marple''. He appeared in the ''Game of Thrones'' prequel series ''House of the Dragon'' as Grand Maester Mello ...

(born 1945), actor *

Stephen Howarth Stephen Purbeck Howarth (born 23 July 1981), known as S.P., is a poet, Stuckism, Stuckist artist and actor. He was expelled from college for his paintings. He has Stuckist demonstrations, demonstrated against the Turner prize at the Tate galler ...

(born 1981), poet, artist, and actor * Elizabeth Jenkins (1905–2010), writer *

George Lamb George Martin Lamb (born 20 December 1979) is an English former radio and television presenter, farmer and businessman. In 2012, he presented the Channel 4 game show ''The Bank Job''. He is the son of actor Larry Lamb. Education Born in Hammer ...

, broadcaster * Rolf Landsberg (1920–2003), physicist and University RectorDieter Hoffmann,

Bernd-Rainer Barth Bernd-Rainer Barth (born East Berlin 1957) is a German historian of the modern period. Life The son of an East German diplomat, Barth spent a large part of his early life in Hungary, studying between 1977 and 1983 at the Eötvös Loránd Universit ...

, "Landsberg, Rolf * 28.2.1920, † 27.12.2003 Chemiker, Rektor der Technischen Hochschule für Chemie Leuna-Merseburg", in ''Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur: Biographische Datenbanken'', 21 March 2015 * Prince Rupert Loewenstein (1933–2014), manager of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Adam Sweeting
"Prince Rupert Loewenstein obituary"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 22 May 2014
archived
accessed 7 May 2023 *

Olly Mann Olly Mann is a British podcaster, broadcaster and BBC presenter. He is best known as the presenter of the weekend evening show on LBC and for his work with longtime collaborator Helen Zaltzman with whom he presented the award-winning podcast '' ...

, comedian and writer *

Anthony Moore Anthony Moore (also known as Anthony More) (born 13 August 1948) is a British experimental music composer, performer and producer. He was a founding member of the band Slapp Happy, worked with Henry Cow and has made a number of solo albums, i ...

(born 1948), musician and composer * Neil Murray (born 1950), musician * Roger Phillips (1932–2021), photographer *

Freya Ridings Freya Olivia Rose Ridings (born 19 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Ridings rose to prominence in 2017 with her ballad, " Lost Without You", which became a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart. She followe ...

(born 1994), singer, songwriter *

Shawn Slovo Shawn Slovo (born 1950) is a South African screenwriter, best known for the film '' A World Apart'', based on her childhood under apartheid. She is the daughter of South African Communist Party leaders Joe Slovo and Ruth First. She wrote the scree ...

(born 1950), writer * Richard Walker (1918–1985), angler *

Michael Winner Michael Robert Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was an English filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...

(1935–2013), film producer and director

References

*L. B. Pekin, ''The Way of Life at St Christopher School, Letchworth'' (1939) *Reginald Snell, ''St Christopher School 1915–1975'' (1975) *

, ''The Angry Island: Hunting the English'' (2005) *Chris McNab, ''St Christopher School: a short history'' (Shire Publications, 2014)

Notes

External links

* ISI Inspectio
ReportsSchool web siteOld Scholars: St Christopher Club
oldscholars.info {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Christopher School, Letchworth Boarding schools in Hertfordshire Private schools in Hertfordshire Educational institutions established in 1915 1915 establishments in England Letchworth Buildings and structures in Letchworth