Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding preparatory school in

Summertown, Oxford Summertown in North Oxford is a suburb of Oxford, England. Summertown is a one-mile square residential area, north of St Giles, the boulevard leading out of Oxford's city centre. Summertown is home to several independent schools and the city's ...

. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (known as "Summers mi").

History

Summerfield became a boys' preparatory school in 1864, with seven pupils. Its owner, Archibald MacLaren, had been educated at

Dollar Academy Dollar Academy is a 5–18 Private schools in the United Kingdom, private co-educational day and boarding school for boys and girls in Scotland. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the foot of the Ochil ...

and was a fencing teacher who ran a gymnasium in Oxford. He believed strongly in the importance of physical fitness. His wife, Gertrude, was a classical scholar and teacher, a daughter of David Alphonso Talboys. The school motto is ''

Mens sana in corpore sano () is a Latin phrase, usually translated as "a healthy mind in a healthy body". The phrase is widely used in sporting and educational contexts to express that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological well-b ...

'', "A healthy mind in a healthy body". The school grew and needed more staff, two of whom married into the Maclaren family: the Reverend Dr Charles Williams ("Doctor"), who took over the scholarship form from Mrs Maclaren and married Mabel Maclaren in 1879, and the Reverend Hugh Alington, who married Margaret Maclaren in 1885 and took over the boys' games. The school remained in the hands of the Maclaren, Williams, and Alington families for its first 75 years. At the end of the 19th century, "Doctor" became headmaster and there was much building at the school. A second school, "Summers mi", was opened at

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origin ...

, Sussex, for boys to benefit from the sea air. In 1918 Doctor passed the headmastership on to Hugh Alington. There was a lean spell in the 1930s, and numbers fell, but John Evans and Geoffrey Bolton ("G.B.") took over in 1939. 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 ...

three other schools were evacuated to Summer Fields – Famborough School, Hampshire, Summers mi, and

St Cyprian's School St Cyprian's School was an English preparatory school for boys, which operated in the early 20th century in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Like other preparatory schools, its purpose was to train pupils to do well enough in the examinations (usual ...

from

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

– and this restored the numbers. In 1955, the school became a charitable trust, with a board of governors, including

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...

, who had been at the school as a boy and was soon to become prime minister. During the 1960s, Pat Savage was headmaster, with the assistance of Jimmy Bell and Pat Marston. By the centenary year in 1964, the school's appearance had changed relatively little (see illustration), but it was thriving and energetic enough to celebrate with a hardback book of 332 pages, with contributions from "O.S.", or Old Summerfieldians, including stories about

Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

, and Harold Macmillan, and a friendly greeting in verse from the arch-rival Horris Hill School. A former pupil recollected Pat Marston as follows: In 1975, Nigel Talbot Rice took over as headmaster. He put the school on a sound financial footing through a series of appeals which paid for an ambitious building programme: new classrooms, the Macmillan Hall and Music Centre, an indoor swimming-pool, the Wavell Arts and Technology Centre (named after Earl Wavell), and the Sports Hall. In 1997, Talbot Rice retired and was succeeded by Robin Badham-Thornhill. In 2010 David Faber, an old boy and governor, took over as headmaster. In 2002 a new lodge called "Savage's" was built. Later a new year group was added at the bottom of the school.

Summer Fields today

The boys are organised into four "leagues". One of them is named Maclaren, after the Founder; the others are Moseley, after Henry Moseley, Congreve, after William La Touche Congreve, and Case, after William Sterndale Case, a master from 1910 to 1922. Each league has its own identifying colour: Case red, Congreve yellow, Maclaren green, and Moseley blue. In leagues, the boys wear a polo shirt in the league colour, along with the rest of the uniform, blue corduroys, and black shoes. On Sundays as well as on special days, such as the school concert, and the end of term, boys wear a tweed jacket, with a light blue coloured shirt, black shoes, and grey flannel trousers. Their ties are in their league colours. The school has traditionally been a rival of the Dragon School, which is also in north Oxford.

Old Summerfieldians

:See also :People educated at Summer Fields School * Gubby Allen (1902–1989), cricketer *

Julian Amery Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, (27 March 1919 – 3 September 1996) was a British Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the ...

(1919–1996), politician * Ralph Assheton, 1st Baron Clitheroe (1901–1984), politician *

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(1902–1968), film director *

Cyril Asquith, Baron Asquith of Bishopstone Cyril Asquith, Baron Asquith of Bishopstone, PC (5 February 1890 – 24 August 1954) was an English barrister and judge who served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary from 1951 until his death three years later. The youngest child of British prim ...

(1890–1954), judge * Cuthbert Bardsley (1907–1991), bishop * Tom Parker Bowles (1974– ), writer *

Harold Caccia, Baron Caccia Harold Anthony Caccia, Baron Caccia, (21 December 1905 – 31 October 1990) was a British diplomat who rose to become Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1962 to 1965. Biography Born in Pachmarhi, British India, Cacc ...

(1905–1990), diplomat * Sir Olaf Caroe (1892–1981), colonial administrator *

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(1952–2017), broadcaster and journalist * William La Touche Congreve VC, DSO, MC (1891–1916) *

Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreig ...

, (1887–1962), politician * Robin Durnford-Slater (1902–1984), admiral * David Faber (1961– ), politician, schoolmaster'Faber, David James Christian', in ''Who's Who 2010'' (London: A. & C. Black, 2009) *

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall (born 14 January 1965) is an English celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer, and campaigner on food and environmental issues. Fearnley-Whittingstall hosted the '' River ...

(1965–), chef and food writer * Neville Ford (1906–2000), cricketer * Harold Freeman-Attwood (1897–1963), soldier * Julian Grenfell (1888–1915), poet *

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Lord Inge, Chief of the General Staff * Monsignor

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(1888–1957), theologian * Sir Christopher Lee (1922–2015), actor *

(1894–1986),

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

* Sir William Macpherson (1926–2021), judge and Chief of the

Clan Macpherson Clan Macpherson ( , ) is a Scottish clan from the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and a member of the Chattan Confederation. History Origins The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is ''Mac a' Phearsain'' which means ''son of the parson''. ...

Patrick Macnee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British-American actor best known for his breakthrough role as secret agent John Steed in the television series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1961–1969). Starting out ...

(1922–2015), actor * Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley (1887–1915), physicist * Adam Nicolson (1957–), writerAdam Nicolson. ''Prepared for Anything''. The Times Magazine, June 25, 1994. pages 24-30. * Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet (1831–1915), physicist * Victor Pasmore (1908–1998), artist and architect''Summer Fields Register 1864–1960'', Oxonian Press, 1960. * Sir James Pitman (1901–1985), inventor of the Initial Teaching Alphabet *

(1883–1950), Viceroy of India File:Henry Moseley.jpg, Henry Moseley, physicist File:Archibald Wavell2.jpg,

Archibald Wavell Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World War, during which he was wounded ...

, Viceroy of India File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-1-17(cropped).jpg,

, Prime Minister File:Christopher Lee at the Berlin International Film Festival 2013.jpg,

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horr ...

, actor File:Hugh fearnley whittingstall.jpg,

, celebrity chef

Notes

References

Sources

* ''Summerfields School Register 1864-1960'', Oxonian Press 1960 * * Nicholas Aldridge, ''Time to spare? A History of Summer Fields'', 1989

External links

Summerfields.com, official school website

Profile
on 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 {{authority control Boys' schools in Oxfordshire Educational institutions established in 1864 Schools in Oxford Boarding schools in Oxfordshire Preparatory schools in Oxfordshire 1864 establishments in England