Nicholas Bomford
Nicholas Raymond Bomford was a British schoolmaster who served as headmaster of Monmouth, Uppingham and Harrow schools.
Early life and education
Bomford, the son of a farmer, Ernest, and Pat, was born in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire in 1939. His father's family had farmed in the Vale since the 16th century. He attended Kelly College in Devon, followed by Trinity College, Oxford, where he read history, and captained the university rifle club.Career
Bomford's first teaching posts were at the Britannia [Royal Naval College] and Wellington College, Berkshire. He was appointed headmaster of Monmouth School in 1977, at the age of thirty-eight. During his time at the school, he initiated the construction of the school's new science block, opened by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in May 1982. The same year he took up the role of head at Uppingham School. During his tenure at Uppingham, in November 1984, Bomford entertained the then queen, Elizabeth II on a visit to the school, as the culmination of its quatercentenary celebrations. A history of the school, published in 2018, described his headship: " valued pupils as individuals, managed a smooth-running school, and led a harmonious community". Between 1986 and 1989 he chaired the Headmasters' Conference.In 1991 he succeeded to the headship of Harrow School, his final post until his retirement in 1999. At Harrow he oversaw the building of the Ryan Theatre, where he witnessed Benedict Cumberbatch, then a pupil, perform in a staging of The Browning Version. His time at Harrow also saw the commencement of a major restoration of the school's Vaughan Library, which was completed in 2000; and the appointment of the first women to the school's teaching staff.