St Ronan's School
Saint Ronan's School is a highly regarded independent co-educational preparatory school for boys and girls from 3 to 13 years located in Hawkhurst in Kent, England. It currently has about 440 pupils, the majority of them day pupils, although boarding is available from Monday night through to Thursday night for all pupils from Year 4 upwards. The present headmaster is William Trelawny-Vernon. The school was named Tatler UK Prep School of the Year in 2017-2018.
| Saint Ronan's School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| |
Water Lane , , TN18 5DJ United Kingdom | |
| Information | |
| Type | Preparatory school, Independent school |
| Motto | Floreat Saint Ronan's (Let Saint Ronan's Flourish) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Church of England |
| Established | 1883 |
| Founder | Rev. Philip Crick |
| Chairman | Andrew Ross |
| Headmaster | William Trelawny-Vernon BSc |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 3 to 13 |
| Enrolment | c.440 |
| Colour(s) | Dark blue and light blue |
| Publication | The Ronian |
| Former pupils | Old Ronian |
| Affiliation | IAPS |
| Website | http://www.saintronans.co.uk |
History
The school was founded in 1883 and was originally located in Worthing in Sussex. During the Second World War, the school was evacuated to Bicton Park near Exmouth in Devon, but afterwards moved to its present location in Tongswood House.
The house was remodelled in the late 19th century for William Cotterill, owner c. 1868 to 1892, of a mercantile family from Birmingham. Tongswood later belonged to Charles Eugene Gunther (died 1931), head of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company which later became known as OXO, who was High Sheriff of Kent in 1926.[1]
Sir Richard Vassar-Smith, 3rd Baronet, was headmaster from 1957 to 1971,[2] and was succeeded by his son, Sir John Vassar-Smith, 4th Baronet, who was headmaster of the school until his retirement in 1997.[3]
=Notable alumni
Former pupils of Saint Ronan's School include:
- Lindsay Anderson, film and theatre director
- Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith
- Frank Gardner, journalist (BBC Security Correspondent)
- Osbert Lancaster, artist
- John Raven, Classical scholar and botanist[4]
- Sir Charles Richardson, army general.
- Mark Shand, travel writer and conservationist
- Sampson Collins, cricket journalist
- Patrick Hadley, composer
References
- "Sheriffs appointed by His Majesty- in Council for the year 1926". THE LONDON GAZETTE, 19 MARCH, 1926. London. 1926. p. 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, page 3981
- "Sir John Vassar-Smith". St Ronan's School. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- John Raven by his Friends, edited by John Lipscomb and R. W. David. Published privately by Faith Raven, 1981, ISBN 0-9507345-0-0, page 12
