Reed's School


Reed's School is an independent secondary day and boarding school for boys with a co-educational sixth form located in Cobham, Surrey, England. There are currently around 700 day pupils and 100 full-time boarders. The school was founded in 1813, by Andrew Reed and incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1845 under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Wellington and the Marquess of Salisbury. From 1951 until her death in 2022 Queen Elizabeth II acted as the school's 15th patron and visited the school twice, in 1997 and in 2014, as the reigning monarch. Alumni of the school are known as 'Old Reedonians'.

History

Founding

London Orphan Asylum, London (1813–1871)

The foundation was established to provide relief to destitute orphans, including children whose fathers had died and whose mothers were unable to provide for them. Initially the Asylum used two houses; one at Hackney Road, Shoreditch for the boys and one in Bethnal Green for the girls. The asylum's first unified site was at Lower Clapton Road, Clapton, where Newcome's School had stood.
Following the school's 1871 move to Watford, the East London buildings were used by the Salvation Army. Only the facade of the classical-style building remains, and forms part of the Clapton Girls' Academy

London Orphan Asylum/School, Watford (1871–1939)

) for the new school. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, and his wife the Princess of Wales and future Queen Alexandra, laid down the foundational stones on 15 July 1869 and the school formally opened in 1871.
The school was renamed to the "London Orphan School" in 1915, following a merge with the recently closed Royal British Orphan School in Slough it was again renamed the "London Orphan School and Royal British Orphan School", before finally being named "Reed's School" in 1939, in honour of the late founder.
In the early 1880s the London Orphan Asylum lost two football matches against the then named Watford Rovers, now known as Watford F.C.
Headmasters at the Watford site included Oliver Carter Cockrem and H.W. Russell.
In the 1980s the buildings were converted into residential accommodation.

Reed's School, Totnes & Towcester (1939–1945)

During World War II the school was evacuated from Watford. The site was used as an Army hospital and then by the Ministry of Labour.

Reed's School, Cobham (1945–present)

The Sandy Lane site had been purpose-built for the Sandyroyd School in around 1905 by architects Treadwell and Martin, who were also responsible for the design of Scott's restaurant and other notable structures. The new site provided facilities including a heated indoor swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two squash courts.
A new headmaster, Robert Drayson, was appointed in 1955 and remained until 1964, when he migrated to Stowe.
, while retaining its charitable element.

Royal Patrons since 1815

The school has had many royal patrons.
The major sports at Reed's School are rugby, hockey and cricket with academies in tennis, skiing and golf. The senior pupils play rugby, hockey and cricket in the autumn, spring and summer terms respectively. Pupils in the junior school play hockey, rugby and then cricket. The indoor tennis centre was opened by alumnus and former British number one, Tim Henman on 18 November 2014.
Reed's has won the International School Sport Federation's world schools' tennis championship more than any other team.

Headmasters

  • David Jarrett – the first person to win a cricket blue for both Oxford and Cambridge
  • Mark Hoskins

    Notable staff and associated people

  • James Edmeston, architect and prolific hymn writer; wrote "Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us" for the children of the London Orphan Asylum
  • Sir Benjamin Louis Cohen, former President of the London Orphan Asylum
  • Sir William Blizard, consulting surgeon to the London Orphan Asylum
  • Keith Medlycott, cricket coach
  • Tom Hardy, actor

    Notable Old Reedonians

Royalty

  • Prince Zeid Raad of Jordan, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
  • Prince Mired Raad of Jordan

    Business

  • Alan Bott, founder of Pan Books
  • Sir Simon Robey, banker and co-founder of Robey Warshaw

    Literature

  • Thomas Burke
  • Richard Dinnick, screenwriter and author

    Sport

  • Henrik Breimyr, Norwegian professional football player
  • Paul Brown-Bampoe, professional rugby union player
  • Jeffrey Bruma, professional footballer, currently playing for PSV Eindhoven
  • Alex Corbisiero, rugby player for Northampton Saints, England and the British and Irish Lions
  • Jamie Delgado, British tennis player and coach
  • Daniel Douthwaite, British cricketer for Glamorgan
  • Jack Draper, British tennis player who recently placed in the semi finals of the US open
  • Chris Eaton, British tennis player
  • Alastair Gray, British tennis player
  • Phil Salt, England cricketer
  • Evan Hoyt, British tennis player
  • Jack Gower, British alpine ski racer
  • Tim Henman, British tennis player
  • Oskar Kolk, cricketer
  • James Morrison, golfer
  • Luke Steyn, ski racer
  • Theo Vukašinović, rugby player
  • Jack Kenningham, rugby player

    Arts/entertainment

  • Richard Bagguley, muralist and artist
  • Marcel Grant, filmmaker
  • Dr. Keith Scholey, nature documentary producer
  • Elvi Hale, actress
  • Tom Hardy, actor
  • Sir Simon Keenlyside, opera singer
  • Nigel Mitchell, television and radio presenter
  • Sir Nolan, music producer and songwriter
  • Shaun Scott, actor
  • Renton Skinner, actor and comedian
  • Toby Tarrant, radio DJ and son of Chris
  • Jamie Treays, aka Jamie T, singer-songwriter

    Politics

  • Edward Kellett-Bowman, Conservative Member of the European Parliament

    Law

  • Stuart Popham, British lawyer