History
Founded in 1432 by William Sevenoke as a part of his last will and testament, the school was intended to give a classical education to boys from the town, free of church constrictions. Sevenoke's will also provided for almshouses for poor men and women. Sevenoaks School is one of the oldest lay foundations in England. Sevenoke was Mayor of London and, as a friend of Henry V, may have been influenced by the MP for Shropshire and King's pleader, David Holbache, who founded Oswestry in 1407. According to William Lambarde and Richard Johnson (Nine Worthies of London), Sevenoke was a foundling, whose decision to establish the school and almshouses may have been inspired by his early history.
The school was housed in small buildings around the town (even outside the town in the 1730s) until a permanent schoolhouse was built in 1730 to the designs of Lord Burlington, a friend of the headmaster of the time, Elijah Fenton.
The school remained small until the late 19th century. At one stage, under the headmastership of the Revd Simpson, the school housed only four boys.
In 1884 the governors appointed James Birkett as headmaster. It was Birkett's vision to elevate the school's status to that of a First Grade Classical School. He started this revolution, reducing the number of free places to the townfolk and expanding boarding. When he resigned in the 1890s the school had over 100 boys. Birkett's revolution was continued by George Heslop who increased the size to a peak of 134 boys and then by G.A. Garrod.
In 1919 the headmaster's wife, Mrs Garrod, started a new school for younger boys; Sevenoaks Prep School started with six pupils in the school "Cottage Block".
James Higgs-Walker succeeded Garrod in 1924. Higgs-Walker, or "Jimmy" as he was known by the boys, started a revolution at the school with the introduction of day houses, the expansion of school sports and extracurricular activities and the vast expansion of the school with the help of the school's greatest benefactor since the founder, Charles Plumptre Johnson (or C.P.J.), who served as a governor from 1913 to 1923 and chairman from 1923 to his death in 1938. Johnson donated many gifts to the school with his brother, Edward:
- The Flagpole, 1924
- Thornhill, 1924 (Johnson's House)
- Johnson's Hall, 1936 (Now Johnson's Library)
- The Sanitorium, 1938
- Park Grange and the surrounding estate, 1946
Higgs-Walker led the school until 1956 when he was succeeded by L.C. Taylor.
Read more about this topic: Sevenoaks School
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