Ashville College

In 1875 the United Methodist Free Church Assembly agreed to establish a college that promoted a sound and advanced education. A set of six committee members were appointed to search for suitable premises and thereafter became the founding fathers of the school: Alderman R. Ellis, Rev. E. Boaden, Rev. R. Chew, Rev. J. Garside, W. H. C. Hardy and Rev. K. Kirksop. Ald. Ellis found a small private school and estate called Ashville on the outskirts of Harrogate and purchased it for £5,800. Dr William Richardson was appointed as headmaster and the school opened on 17 July 1877 with 30 pupils and two masters, with school fees being £25 per annum.[1]

In 1889 the school underwent a period of expansion which began with the opening of the East Wing in order to house more boys. By 1902 the school site included a cricket pavilion, tennis courts and a gymnasium. The school's clock tower was built in 1911.

In World War I, 300 of the school's pupils were called up and 38 died in the conflict, including 8 who died in the Battle of the Somme. In 1921 a cenotaph was built, funded by the Old Boys' Association.

In the 1920s and 1930s the school underwent further expansion to include the Memorial Hall, Library, Music Rooms and an open-air swimming pool.

In 1929 Ashville purchased New College, Harrogate for £40,000 which included 27 acres of land. In 1932 the school merged with Elmfield College bringing its student population to 280 boys and making Ashville the largest private school in the north of England.

At the outbreak of World War II, Ashville was requisitioned to the Royal Air Force and the school was evacuated to The Hydro Hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere.[2] During the war 465 of the school's pupils volunteered for the forces, 59 were killed and 90 decorations were awarded to Old Ashvillians. The school did not return to its original site in Harrogate until 1946.

In 1982 girls were admitted to the school for the first time, initially only as day pupils until 1989 when the girls' boarding house was opened.

Ellis (Green), Riverdale (Red), Duckworth (Yellow), Windermere (Blue)

In December 2018, Ashville College was officially accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). This makes it one of the few schools in the United Kingdom to hold this status.

Greenholme (junior boys and girls), Briggs (senior boys), Mallinson (senior boys), Norfolk (senior girls)

Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem")

Richard Marshall

• Dr William Richardson BA LLD (1877-1889)
• Dr John Bowick BA LLD (1890-1905)
• Rev. Alfred Soothill (1905-1926)
• Joseph T. Lancaster MA MLitt (1927-1957)
• G. Ronald Southam (1957-1977)
• David Norfolk MA (Oxon) (1977-1987)
• Michael Crosby (1987–2003)
• Andrew Fleck (2003–2010)
• Mark Lauder (2010-2017)
• Richard Marshall (2017-)

• Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale (1873–1957), industrialist
• Jim Carter (born 1948), actor, Mr Carson in Downton Abbey
• Iain Coucher (born 1962) former CEO, Network Rail
• Jamie Donoughue, Academy Award nominated film director, producer and writer[3]
• Sir Stephen Furness, 1st Baronet (1872 – 1914) shipping magnate and Liberal MP
• Andy Gray (born 1977), footballer
• John Grieve, CBE, QPM, (born 1946) police officer and university professor[4]
• Simon Heywood (born 1959) actor (The Bill etc.) but most notably as teacher, Mr Smart in 1980s Grange Hill
• Henry Iles (1871–1951), entertainment entrepreneur
• Harold McIlvenny (1922 – 2009) footballer
• Sir Stuart Sidney Mallinson, CBE, DSO, MC, DL, JP (1888–1981)
• Tony Richardson (1928–1991), Academy Award winning film and theatre director
• Jay Smith, pub landlord, television personality[5]
• Colonel Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott (1901 – 1973) Conservative MP
• Julian Sturdy (born 1971) Conservative MP for York Outer
• Ian Swales (born 1953) Liberal Democrat MP for Redcar[6]
• Canon Dr Howard Tomlinson BA, PhD, FRHistS, former headmaster of Hereford Cathedral School and historical author
• Blanc Wan, pianist and writer
• Eugen Weber (1925–2007), historian
• Peter Whitehead (1937–2019), writer and filmmaker

• Booth, William (1990) A History of Ashville and The Ashvillian Society. Harrogate: The Ashvillian Society, to mark their centenary (1890–1990).

• Official school website
• Old Ashvillian Society
• Profile on the ISC website