Shrewsbury School
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Shrewsbury School is a leading British boys public school (UK), located in Shrewsbury in the county of Shropshire. It is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious schools in England. Most of its graduates go on to the "Oxbridge" universities and many other "elite" universities. It was listed by the Clarendon Report as one of the great schools of England. It is a boarding school for boys aged 13 ("Year 9") to 18 ("Year 13") with a current enrollment of about 670 students.
History
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Shrewsbury School ("The Free School") was founded in 1552 by King Edward VI, and in 1571 was augmented by Queen Elizabeth I. In 1868 the school was named one of the nine ‘great’ schools of England (along with Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Merchant Taylors' Rugby, St Paul's, Westminster and Winchester) in the Public Schools Act passed by the British Parliament. Headmasters include Sir Thomas Ashton, Samuel Butler, Benjamin Hall Kennedy, C.A. Alington, and Sir Eric Anderson. Sir Thomas Ashton, the first headmaster, gave the school a classical and humanistic tone that has been retained, though sciences and other studies are now also prominent in the curriculum.
Charles Darwin made the following quote about the school Nothing could have been worse for the development of my mind than Dr. Butler's school, as it was strictly classical, nothing else being taught, except a little ancient geography and history. The school as a means of education to me was simply a blank. (The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1887)
Old Salopians
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Ex-pupils are named 'Old Salopians', and some famous Alumni include
- John Langshaw Ayer
- Christopher Booker
- Tim Booth (lead singer of the band James)
- Samuel Butler
- Charles Darwin
- Paul Foot
- Fulke Greville, 1st Lord Brooke
- Nick Hancock
- Michael Heseltine
- Ian Hislop
- Lord Hutton (Hutton Commission)
- Richard Ingrams (Private Eye)
- Andrew Irvine (mountaineer)
- Nic Owen (TV presenter)
- Michael Palin
- John Peel (the DJ)
- Sir Martin Rees (Astronomer Royal)
- Willie Rushton
- Nevil Shute
- Sir Philip Sidney
- Mark Sinker (author, journalist and former editor of The Wire magazine)
External links
- Shrewsbury School website (http://www.shrewsbury.org.uk/)