Harlow College - The Original 'Harlow College' 1862-1965

The Original 'Harlow College' 1862-1965

The Harlow College of today was preceded by a boys' school (boarding and day), originally known as St. Mary's College, but later as Harlow College. The college was opened by the Reverend Charles Miller on 29 May 1862, in Old Harlow. It was founded with the aim "to provide a superior education for the sons of gentlemen and (when sufficient amounts have been obtained) to train at low charge, the sons of missionaries abroad, of clergymen similarly engaged at home, as well as orphan sons of gentlemen who have been reduced in circumstances".

The original buildings were built by the architect R. J. Withers. A local newspaper reported at the time, that the sum of £3,500 had been obtained from a building society, repayable at £440 per year. The original design was estimated to cost £13,000 and with the whole forming a quadrangle, the front being lower by two stories than the rest. At the eastern end a chapel was planned, in similar style and architecture, for the sole use of students". When the school opened in May 1862, the eastern wing had been built, together with half the northern annexe, however, the projected front and chapel were never built, robbing the architect of his cloistered vision. The nearby church of St. John the Baptist was used as the school's chapel.

For most of its history, there were about 180 boys on the roll. The main building comprised dining hall, classrooms, library, sick rooms, dormitories, office and staff rooms. In addition to the main block, there was an art room, gymnasium, science lab, common room and two playing fields. The school provided a five to six year course in mathematics, French, science, geography, history and art. The boys played cricket, tennis and athletics in the summer term, football in the winter and cross-country in the spring.

Sources cite the 1904-35 period as a golden era for Harlow College, during which the college was under the headmastership of Ernest Percival Horsey. Under his leadership, the College prospered and became one of the best-known scholastic establishments in the area, with pupils attending from all over the world. A pupil in the 1920s remembered: "It was Mr. Horsey who made the school what it is".

In the early 1960s, various development plans were planned for the Old Harlow area. In 1964, Harlow College was told that the site occupied by the school would be required for housing and the College was, therefore, due for demolition the following year. The headmaster Roy Purgavie briefly looked into relocating to Hertfordshire, but this was not possible, and the College closed in 1965. The modern Jocelyns housing area now occupies the site.

There is an active old boys' society. http://oldharlovians.blog.co.uk/ and a website http://www.oldharlovians.co.uk/.