Wrekin College - History

History

The school was founded in 1880 as Wellington College by Sir John Bayley. Upon its foundation, the school was given sister college status with King's College, Cambridge, in an attempt to attract students from the area to the College. Nowadays, Wrekin College's relationship with King's College, Cambridge has become rather distant, although the sister college relationship remains. In 1915 less than 100 acres (0.40 km2) of the Lilleshall Hall estate were purchased from the Duke of Sutherland, who retained the Hall and 50 acres (200,000 m2). In 1920, it was sold to the Revd Percy Warrington, a Church of England clergyman and renamed Wrekin College. The influential Anglican Clergyman E. J. H. Nash was chaplain from 1929–1932. The Rev. Canon Guy Pentreath was a notable headmaster from 1943 to 1952. Girls were introduced to the sixth form by headmaster Geoffrey Hadden in 1975. It became fully co-educational in 1983. There are currently 420 pupils of which 30% are boarders and 40% are girls. The school now admits pupils from the age of eleven.

In 2006, the trust was merged with that of the Old Hall Preparatory School (founded 1845), which moved from its original site in the Old Hall on Limekiln Lane to the site of Wrekin College.

During the First World War the college refused to give up the rugby posts, to be scrapped as raw materials, for the war effort. They were consequently stolen from the grounds of the college.

In 1907, The Old Wrekinian Association, (OWA), was created by just a small group of 14 past pupils and has today almost 4000 members who have subscribed to the mailing list. The sole purpose of the OWA is to help past students keep in touch with not only one another but also the school. The OWA Record magazine is published twice a year and it contains news of the OWA members and the school. There are eight officials of the OWA, and they are as follows:

President: The Rt Hon Sir John Roch (W.46–52) Chairman: Jonathan Grant (W.79–83) Vice-Chairman: Jonathan Grant (W.79–83) Treasurer: David Ellison (T.54–58) Auditor: David Stevens (N.58–62) Secretary: Mervyn Joyner (former Staff 62–94) Social Secretary: Serena Kyle (C.75–77) Secretary 200 Club: Michael de Weymarn (Staff 74-11)

They meet at least twice a year along with the current Wrekin College headmaster, OW School Governors and OW Branch representatives.

The OWA website can be accessed here: http://www.oldwrekinians.org/