Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent, fee-paying
public school in
Dulwich, a suburb of south-east
London,
United Kingdom. It was founded in
1619 by
Edward Alleyn, a successful
Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars. It currently has 1450 boys, making it the largest (in terms of numbers of pupils) public school in the
UK. Most of these boys are day boys, but 128 are boarders, based in three boarding houses, "Orchard", "Ivyholme", and "Blew". The latter two are for
Sixth Form boys, of whom most are from outside the UK, making up the majority of the boarders. The school owns a boathouse on the Thames, the base for Dulwich College Boat Club.
Edward Alleyn, who owned the
manorial estate of Dulwich, decided to create a foundation dedicated to charity and education. It would educate twelve poor pupils, aged between six and eighteen, who would be taught by qualified graduates of
Oxford University. Though Alleyn was a successful actor his fortune was acquired from the more unsavory enterprises of bear-baiting and prostitution, arguably the foundation was formed in part to absolve himself from gaining "immoral" earnings. The foundation was constituted on
June 21,
1619, when
James I signed the
letters patent. One stipulation was that the Master should always be unmarried and descended from Alleyn, which criteria proved difficult to meet.
 |
Dulwich College's new buildings in 1869. |
The school was reconstituted by an
Act of Parliament in
1857, when it moved from its old site in Dulwich Village, where the
chapel still remains, to its present site. The new college buildings were designed in a hybrid of
Palladian and
Gothic styles in red brick and terracotta, by
Charles Barry, Jr. (the eldest son of Sir
Charles Barry, who designed the
Palace of Westminster).
The reformed school's new master, Carver, was the first master not to share the name of the school's founder "Alleyn" (or latterly "Allen"). Upon the reform the school was split in two, with the "A" stream moving up to the new location, and the "B" stream staying in the village, where it became "
Alleyn's School", which now exists on the other side of Dulwich Village.
During
World War II, Dulwich College was evacuated to
Betws-y-Coed in
Snowdonia and there remains a memorial planting of trees in that village in memory of this period.
Although it has always been a private foundation, for some time in the middle part of the
20th century a large percentage of the pupils were on full scholarships funded by
local authorities in and around
Greater London. These "assisted places" gradually disappeared and were abolished in
1997.
Alleyn's and
JAGS belong to the same foundation, and the college has also founded international schools in
Phuket,
Shanghai and
Beijing. All of the franchise schools are built in the notable red-brick style of the London School, but with modern and oriental twists on the theme. Recently the school's franchise in
Phuket ended its association with Dulwich due to disagreements over the curriculum; it is now known as "British Curriculum International School, Phuket".
At the College
The school has a very extensive archive, especially of material relating to drama and the arts, thanks to its founder, the actor Edward Alleyn. Included in the archives is a first folio of
William Shakespeare and some original poems by
John Donne. Other interesting artefacts held by the College include the "
James Caird", the lifeboat in which
Ernest Shackleton made his intrepid voyage to Elephant Island, as well as other items such as sledges, skis and clothing from Shackleton's famous journey for survival.
Above the fireplace in the "Masters' Library" are two panels depicting Liberty and Fortune bought by Edward Alleyn; they were originally on
Elizabeth I's state barge.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
The College was also bequeathed a large collection of paintings by
Francis Bourgeois in
1811, which had originally been intended to form the nucleus of the
Polish King's collection. Following the
partitions of Poland the paintings were left to the College, which set up the
Dulwich Picture Gallery under a trusteeship in a building designed by Sir
John Soane, which became Britain's first public
art gallery. The Gallery is now run under the auspices of the board of the estate's governors, which now acts as the foundation's overseer.
The College appears in an 1871 painting by
Camille Pissaro.
Because of its proximity to Central London and its combination of impressive architecture and partly "rural" look it has been a popular location for filming and photography for feature films, docu-dramas and adverts. It is actively advertised as a location by "Dulwich College Enterprises", the for-profit business side of the school.
Recently, Dulwich College was used as part of the film set for the
Tomb Raider film, and
Legally Blonde. In
Tomb Raider, Lara Croft can be seen in the College Great Hall during the
auction at the beginning of the film. The graduation ceremony at the end of
Legally Blonde was also filmed in the Great Hall, because
Reese Witherspoon was in the UK for the filming of
The Importance of Being Earnest.
Recently it was used in a "docu-drama" about the young "Rockstar" life of
Tony Blair.
Years of birth and death (when listed) are given in full. Years at the college are given last, using two digits if unambiguous. Alumni are known as "Old Alleynians".
Arts and Entertainment
*
Peter Bazalgette, television producer
*
Clive Bull, (born
1959) broadcaster, narrator; 1970-1977
*
Raymond Chandler writer (
1888-
1959): 1900-1905
*
Rodney Clarke opera singer: 89-96
*
Jeremy Deller artist
*
Chiwetel Ejiofor (born
1976) film actor: 90-95
*
Stephen Finer artist
*
C.S. Forester writer (
1899-
1966): 15-16
*
Denis Goodwin script writer 41(?)-44(?)
*
Nigel Harman TV actor
*
Gordon Jacob (
1895-
1984) composer
*
Phil Manzanera musician: 60-69
*
Bob Monkhouse comedian: 42-45 (expelled)
*
Michael Ondaatje (born
1943) writer
*
Anthony Payne (born
1936) composer, "elaborated" the sketches of
Elgar's 3rd symphony
*
Rupert Penry-Jones (born
1970) actor: 82-89
*
Michael Powell film director
*
Graham Swift (born
1949) writer
*
P. G. Wodehouse (
1881-
1975) writer: 1894-1900
*
Ed Simons one half of the
Chemical BrothersSport
*
Trevor Bailey (born
1923) cricketer: 37-42
*
Arthur Gilligan (
1894-
1976) England cricket captain: 06-14
*
Andrew Sheridan (born
1979), rugby player: 90-
*
Keiran West Olympic oarsman: 86-95
*
Roger Knight (born
1946)cricketer and Secretary of the
Marylebone Cricket Club*Nick Easter (born: 1977) Professional rugby Player for Premier League Harlequins
Politics
*
Chris Mole Member of Parliament: 69-76
*
Philip Hollobone Member of Parliament: 76-83
*
Peter Lilley (born
1943) Member of Parliament: 83-
*His Excellency
Anand Panyarachun (born
1932) Prime Minister of Thailand
*
Hartley Shawcross (
1902-
2003) lawyer and Labour politician, lead British prosecutor at the
Nuremberg Trials*
John Silkin (
1923-
1987), Member of Parliament, brother of the below
*
Samuel Silkin, Baron Silkin of Dulwich (
1918-
1988) former Member of Parliament
*
John Spellar Member of Parliament: 58-65
*
David Ford Leader of the Northern Irish
Alliance Party and Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Other occupations
*
Edward George (born
1938) Governor of the
Bank of England: 49-57
*
Raymond Dennis Keene, OBE Chess Grandmaster, Born 1948: 59-66
*
John Lewis philosopher (
1889-
1976)
*
K. B. McFarlane historian (
1903-
1966)
*
G.E. Moore philosopher (
1873-
1958)
*
Ernest Shackleton (
1874-
1922) explorer: 1887-90
*
Peter Twinn mathematician/cryptographer
*
Ken Frost MA FCA company director, web publisher and ranked 11th in the Financial Power List 2006
*Sir
John Ritblat, property tycoon, principal donator towards the John Ritblat Gallery of the
British Library*
Lionel Barber,
Financial Times editor
*
Berthold Wells Key , Major General during
Second World War*
Dulwich College
