St Lawrence College, Ramsgate

The college was founded in 1879 as South Eastern College (colours: gold and black). The name was changed in September 1906[1] because of its location in the St Lawrence area of Ramsgate. New colours were also given: maroon and white. The school rapidly outgrew the single house, leading to the main building of the present day college by 1884. The chapel was completed in 1927. During the world wars, the school was evacuated to Chester (1915) and Courteenhall in Northamptonshire (1940), seat of Sir Herewood Wake, because of its position on the South-East coast. Later in the school's existence, girls were admitted, and the current mix of sexes is now roughly equal.

There were initially four houses: Light Red, Dark Red, Light Blue and Dark Blue; these later became Grange, Tower, Manor and Lodge. During World War II a fifth house was added called Courtenay when a nearby school having failed to maintain numbers was incorporated into the school. Newlands was later added for day scholars and Deacon followed as the Junior end of this house.

In 1930, Richard Maunsell designed for the Southern Railway a fleet of 40 "Schools Class" locomotives one of which was named St Lawrence. These locos were compact but particularly powerful, weighing over 100 tons with tender. As late as 1958 the St Lawrence Loco (BR 30934) was attached to the School Train departing from Ramsgate. Parts of the tender still exist on the Bluebell Railway.

The Senior School is divided into five separate houses. The oldest, Tower and Lodge, the two boy's boarding houses, were created in 1889. Newlands is the boys' day house, while Laing is the girls' day house. Boarding girls are part of Bellerby. All houses are located in the main school building except Bellerby, who have their own building which is situated in the site of the previous Taylor Hall.

Cameron and Courtenay are mixed boarding and day sub-houses, respectively, for the Middle School (Kirby). They accommodate students from age 11 to 13. They are housed in the modern Kirby House Building, which opened in January 2007 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. In January 2013, Mark Aitken retired his post of Headmaster and was succeeded by Antony Spencer.

St Lawrence College Junior School is located on the same site as the Middle and Senior schools and accommodates pupils from age 3 to 11. The Junior School pupils study in the Hamblen Block which includes classrooms for Years 3-6.

In 2009, the Daily Telegraph placed the school 330 in its League Table of Independent School A-level results, with 48.81% of pupils gaining A or B grades at A-level.[2] In 2012, the school gained a pass rate of 92.9% with 18% of them being at grades of A and A* at A-level. The GCSE results had a pass rate of 86.5% and 15.5% being at grades of A*. In 2017, the school had 30% A*/A grades at A-level, and 33% A*/A at GCSE, despite the introduction of the new exams.[3]

Old Lawrentians (OLs) of note include:

• Alfred Bellerby, Olympic long jumper[4][5]
• Hubert Broad, World War I aviator and test pilot[6]
• John Carr, first-class cricketer and British Army officer
• Michael Curtis, Newspaper Editor
• Sir Conrad Corfield, KCIE, CSI, MC and Chief Advisor in India
• John Russell Carlisle, Director of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association
• General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB, CBE, MC, DL, former Chief of the General Staff, defense advisor to the Conservative party.[7]
• Gordon Edington, CBE, chair NCH[8]
• Captain David Hart Dyke, CBE LVO ADC RN, HMS Coventry, Falklands War 1982
• Ted Fillary, Cricketer
• Humphrey Hawksley, BBC World Affairs Correspondent (BBC News)
• John Ironmonger, Novelist
• Sir Maurice Laing CBE DL FRICS, construction industry entrepreneur, first president of the CBI
• Herbert Linnell, cricketer
• Eric Mansfield, Aeronautical Engineer, won the Royal Medal in 1994
• Sir George Middleton, diplomat
• Major Claude Myburgh, cricketer and soldier
• Major General Frank Crowther Roberts, VC DSO OBE MC
• John Ruddock, Actor
• Clifford Dyce Sharp, Journalist and Editor
• Alexander Siddig, Actor
• Michael Steed, Political scientist
• The Right Honourable John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
• John Vernon Taylor, Bishop of Winchester
• Colin Tilsley, Missionary

• St Lawrence College website
• Old Lawrentian Society
• Profile on the ISC website
• Profile on the HMC website