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City of London Freemen's School
Ashtead Park
Surrey
KT21 1ET
The City of London Freemen’s Orphan School opens in Ferndale Road, Brixton for “the maintenance and the religious and virtuous education of orphans of Freemen of the City of London”. The new School is paid for by the Corporation of London. From the outset orphaned girls as well as boys are enrolled, making it one of the oldest co-educational independent schools.
The annual visit by the Lord Mayor of London to the School’s Prize Day is by now an established part of the School calendar. Fifth and sixth form boys and girls are even allowed to walk and talk together in the grounds for an hour or so after the celebrities have left – a rare treat! School numbers are now exceeding 150.
Following recommendations by the Board of Education, the Schools Committee had resolved to move the School to suitable premises outside London. The Corporation of London buys Ashtead Park and begins work to convert it from its former role as a lavish private house. At Easter, the School waves goodbye to Brixton and moves in to its new country home. Fee-paying day pupils start to be admitted and very soon the word ‘Orphan’ is removed from the School’s name. Two years later the House system is introduced, with the boys’ houses named after three famous former Lord Mayors – Gresham, Hale and Whittington – while the girls’ are divided into Wren and Gayer Houses (later to be amalgamated with the boys’ houses).
Headmaster Eric Fielden (who recently celebrated his 100th birthday!) organises the first ‘City Visit’ with all 250 pupils being transported to the Square Mile. Now an annual feature of the School calendar the ‘City Visit’ involves visits to places of interest in and around the City and a church service.
A period of rapid expansion for the School both in terms of pupil numbers and new facilities.
Michael Kemp, Headmaster from 1964 to 1987, is responsible for the building of the Swimming Pool, the Assembly Hall and a number of classrooms, increasing pupil numbers to over 500. In particular, he persuades the Corporation of London to finance the building of the Junior School which is named Kemp House in his honour.
The expansion and redevelopment initiated by Michael Kemp is carried on by David Haywood, Headmaster from 1987 to 2007. The second half of the 90s sees the building of a new Sports Hall, Art & Design Centre, Science & Technology Centre, the Ferndale Theatre and a new base for the Senior School, the Haywood Centre.
The School celebrates its 150th Anniversary with a year long series of events. The Anniversary starts with a Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral attended by the whole School (now numbering over 800) and culminates in the School being represented with a float in the annual Lord Mayor’s Show.
