Kimbolton School

The Castle was bought by Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester, in 1615. His descendants owned the Castle for 335 years until it was sold in 1950.

Charles Edward Montagu, the 4th Earl, who was created 1st Duke of Manchester in 1719, had reconstruction works carried out between 1690 and 1720. Sir John Vanbrugh and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor redesigned the facades of the Castle in a classical style, but with battlements to evoke its history as a castle, the portico was later added by Alessandro Galilei. The Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini redecorated some of the reconstructed rooms in 1708. These rooms included the main staircase, now called the Pellegrini Staircase, and the chapel. Gilded furnishings in a Louis XIV-inspired style by French upholsterers working in London were also commissioned.

For a later Duke, Robert Adam produced plans for the Castle Gatehouse and other garden buildings, including an orangery. Only one of these buildings, the gatehouse, was constructed, in around 1764. Mews buildings were added to provide stables, and an avenue of giant sequoias was planted in the 19th century.

The Castle was used by the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II, and the 10th Duke of Manchester sold the Castle to the School in 1950. The furnishings were scattered in sales and some have come to national collections. There is limited public opening during the school holidays and at weekends.

The Castle is mostly used for 6th form and Spanish teaching, and houses staff areas plus the 6th form common-room.

The Castle also used for meetings, weddings and social/public events. On occasion it is used as a television/film location. Most teaching and other activities take place in other buildings, on the school grounds.

The Vanbrugh Library at the Senior School holds over 12,000 books and periodicals.

There are around 300 pupils in the Preparatory School (ages 4 to 11), in four houses named after the families that owned the castle: Fitzpiers, Montagu, Stafford and Wingfield. Preparatory school pupils can be identified by their solid purple blazers.[5]

There are around 700 students in the senior school, aged 11 to 18. This includes the sixth form.

A house originally for boarders, Ingrams, was merged with Dawsons in the 1980s. Ingrams was later revived as a separate house for all First Form and Second Form pupils (these pupils are now colloquially referred to as "Ingrams"). Ingrams compete in a separate House competition to the rest of the senior school. As opposed to between houses, the students compete between classes, they have many of the same events as the senior houses.

In four Houses, named after the two founders and two previous teachers at the school: Balyes, Dawsons, Gibbards, and Owens. Until recently, all the boarders were in Dawsons House; they are now allocated to all four senior houses. Uniform differentiating the senior school from the rest of the school includes–most notably–black, purple and white striped blazers.[6]

Sixth Form students all wear solid-black suits. Upper Sixth formers are also permitted to choose their own coloured jumpers and–for male pupils–ties.[7]

The boarding houses are situated on Kimbolton High Street. The boy's boarding house, 'Kimbolton House', is by the top of the High Street, while the girl's boarding house, 'White House', is at the bottom, opposite the church.[8]

All of the boarders eat together in the Dining Hall, and attend the Chapel fortnightly.

The Old Kimboltonians' Association (OKA) provides a network between former students of the School. This usually manifests social events, sports fixtures and annual reunions.