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Stowe School

Stowe School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in Stowe, England. It opened on 11 May 1923, initially with 99 schoolboys, and with J. F. Roxburgh as the first headmaster. The school is a member of the 18 member Rugby Group, the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and the G30 Schools' Group. Originally for boys only, the school is now coeducational, with 541 boys and 374 girls - 915 students enrolled in the school as of September 2023.

As of the 2024/25 Academic Year, Stowe School charges up to £46,701 per year (£15,567 per term, three terms per academic year for 2024/25). The school offers three fee brackets based on the type of placement. Boarders are charged £46,701 per year, while pupils in the limited "Day in Boarding" program pay between £33,576 and £38,076 annually. These students are assigned to one of the school's boarding houses and have the opportunity to board there for a maximum of two nights per week. Pupils in one of the school's three Day Houses—Winton, Cheshire, and Croft—are charged £28,464 per academic year. Students in the Day houses are not given the option to board. The school provides bursaries and other means of financial assistance to admitted students who exhibit outstanding abilities in the Arts, Academics, Sports, and other areas. A typical scholarship at Stowe is worth 5% of the school fee.

The school has been based since its beginnings at Stowe House, formerly the country seat of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos. Along with many of the other buildings on the school's estate, the main house is now a Grade I Listed Building and is maintained (since 1997) by the Stowe House Preservation Trust.

History

Stowe School opened in 1923. The main building is Stowe House, whose exterior was completed by 1779. Funding for the school came through the Rev. Percy Warrington and the Martyrs Memorial Trust. The school's first architect was Clough Williams-Ellis.

The first Headmaster was J. F. Roxburgh. He aimed to focus on the individual child and introduce them to beauty and learning; he wanted a civilised school founded on Christian values.

The Beatles played a concert at Stowe School on 4 April 1963. A recording of the concert was revealed in 2023, and leaked to the public later in the year.

Today

The school's cricket ground is used as a first class ground by Northamptonshire CCC.

The Stowe Corner of Silverstone Circuit is named after the school.

A Southern Railway "Schools Class" steam locomotive, No. 928, which was built in 1934 was named after the school, and is preserved at the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex.

In 2016, a Daily Telegraph investigator posing as a parent of a Russian pupil was told by the then school registrar that while pupils would always be expected to pass the entrance exam, it would help secure a place if a borderline child's parents were able to donate "about £100,000 or something like that."

Boarding houses

There are 13 boarding houses: 8 boys' houses and 5 girls' houses. There are also three Day Houses - 2 boys' houses and 1 girls' house. The boarding houses are mostly named after members of the family of Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. Each house has a number or letter assigned to it.

Cricket ground

The first recorded match on the school cricket ground came in 1928 when Stowe School played St Paul's School. Buckinghamshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match there in 1947, when the opponents were Berkshire. Between 1947 and 1982 the ground held five Minor Counties Championship matches, the last of which saw Buckinghamshire draw against Bedfordshire. The ground has also hosted a single MCCA Knockout Trophy match which saw Buckinghamshire play Bedfordshire.

The ground has also held a single List A match for Northamptonshire in the 2005 totesport League, against Gloucestershire. and has held fourteen Second XI fixtures for the Northamptonshire Second XI in the Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.

Headmasters

1923–1949: J. F. Roxburgh
1949–1958: Eric Reynolds
1958–1964: Donald Crichton-Miller
1964–1979: Robert Drayson
1979–1989: Christopher Turner
1989–2003: Jeremy Nichols
2003–present: Anthony Wallersteiner

Notable former pupils

Former pupils of Stowe School are known as Old Stoics. Matthew Vaughn is currently the President of the Old Stoic Society.
Old Stoics include:

Michael Alexander (1920–2004), British Army officer
John Anderson (1918–1943), British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross
Noel Annan, Baron Annan (1916–2000), British intelligence officer and academic
Adam Atkinson (born 1967), Bishop of Bradwell
John Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee (born 1956), Conservative politician and grandson of Prime Minister Clement Attlee
George Barclay (1920–1942), Royal Air Force fighter pilot and World War II flying ace
Alexander Bernstein, Baron Bernstein of Craigweil (1936–2010), British television executive and member of the Labour Party
Oliver Bertram (1910–1975), English racing driver
Richard Boston (1938–2006), English journalist and author
John Boyd-Carpenter, Baron Boyd-Carpenter (1908–1998), Conservative politician
Richard Branson (born 1950), British businessman
Lyndon Brook (1926–2004), British actor
Jack Brooksbank (born 1986), English businessman and husband of Princess Eugenie
Simon Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood (1937–2023), British barrister, judge and Justice of the Supreme Court
Florence Brudenell-Bruce (born 1985), British actress and model
Martin Buckmaster, 3rd Viscount Buckmaster (1921–2007), British diplomat
James Burnell-Nugent (born 1949), Royal Navy officer and Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Henry Cavill (born 1983), British actor
Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire (1917–1992), recipient of the Victoria Cross and founder of the Cheshire Foundation
Oliver Churchill (1914–1997), SOE officer during World War II
Simon Clegg (born 1959), British sports businessman, former CEO of the British Olympic Association and Ipswich Town Football Club
Peter Coke (1913–2008), English actor, playwright and artist
Oliver Colvile (born 1959), Conservative politician and MP
John C. Corlette (1911–1977), English architect, Gordonstoun teacher and founder of Aiglon College
John Cornford (1915–1936), English poet and communist
Andrew Croft (1906–1998), SOE officer during World War II and Arctic explorer
Joanna "Jo" da Silva (born 1967), engineer and founder of Arup International Development Group
Chelsy Davy (born 1985), Zimbabwean businesswoman and former girlfriend of Prince Harry
Michael Deeley (born 1932), British film producer and Academy Award winner
Robin Devereux, 19th Viscount Hereford (born 1975)
Simon Digby (1932–2010), English oriental scholar
Roland "Roly" Drower (1953–2008), English software engineer, journalist, activist, poet and composer
Ben Duckett (born 1994), English cricketer
John David Eaton (1909–1973), Canadian businessman
Hugh Dundas (1920–1995), Royal Air Force fighter pilot and broadcasting executive
John Dundas (1915–1945), Royal Air Force fighter pilot and World War II flying ace
Alex Farquharson, British curator and art critic
Thomas Firbank (1910–2000), Welsh-Canadian author, farmer and military officer
Gareth Forwood (1945–2007), British actor
David Foster (1920–2010), Royal Navy pilot and business executive
Reginald "Reg" Gadney (1941–2018), English painter and thriller-writer
Howard Goodall (born 1958), English composer
Michael Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 1943), English television executive and businessman
Harry Gregson-Williams (born 1961), British composer, conductor, orchestrator and record producer
George Haig, 2nd Earl Haig (1918–2009)
Rose Hanbury (born 1984), peeress, model and political staffer
Edward Hardwicke (1932–2011), English actor
Peter Hayman (1914–1992), British diplomat
Jack Hayward (1923–2015), English businessman, philanthropist and former owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Robert Heber-Percy (1911–1987), English eccentric
Nicholas Henderson (1919–2009), British diplomat and writer
Nigel Henderson (1917–1985), English documentary artist and photographer; asked to leave after burning a Union Flag
John Henniker-Major, 8th Baron Henniker (1916–2004), British diplomat
Annabel Heseltine (born 1963), British journalist
Roger Hodgson (born 1950), English singer-songwriter and founding member of British rock band Supertramp
Oscar Humphries (born 1981), Australian art dealer and journalist
Robert Kee (1919–2013), British journalist, historian and writer
Danny Kinahan (born 1958), Ulster Unionist politician and MP
Adam King (born 1999), English cricketer
Marc Koska (born 1961), English inventor
Percy "Laddie" Belgrave Lucas (1915–1998), Royal Air Force officer, golfer, author and MP
Nicholas Lyell, Baron Lyell of Markyate (1938–2010), English Conservative politician, Solicitor-General for England and Wales and Attorney-General for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
George Parker, 8th Earl of Macclesfield (1914–1992)
Gavin Maxwell (1914–1969), British naturalist and author
Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green (1942–2014), British businessman, politician and author
George Melly (1926–2007), English jazz singer, critic, writer, and art history lecturer
Crispian Mills (born 1973), English singer-songwriter and film director
Christopher Robin Milne (1920–1996), English author, bookseller and son of A. A. Milne
George Monbiot (born 1963), British writer, journalist and activist
Iain Moncreiffe, 11th Baronet (1919–1985), British officer of arms and genealogist
Chandos Morgan (1920–1993), British priest, military chaplain and Archdeacon of the Royal Navy
David Niven (1910–1983), British actor, author and military officer
Edward Donough "Toby" O'Brien (1909–1979), British journalist, propaganda expert and spy
Marilyn Okoro (born 1984), British track and field athlete
Dalton Philips (born 1968), Irish businessman
Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton (1925–2010), British philosopher
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1923–2005)
Miranda Raison (born 1977), British actress
James Reeves (1909–1978), British writer
Graham Riddick (born 1955), Conservative politician and MP
Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill (1921–2011)
John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover (1927–2022), British businessman and politician
David Shepherd (1931–2017), British artist and conservationist
Tilly Smith (born 1994), 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami rescuer
David Stevens, Baron Stevens of Ludgate (born 1936), member of the UK Independence Party
Edmund "Ed" Stoppard (born 1974), British actor
Richard Sutton (born 1937), businessman
Henrik Takkenberg (1967–2006), musician
Karan Thapar (born 1955), Indian journalist
Richard "Ric" Thorpe (born 1965), Bishop of Islington
Simon Towneley (1921-2022), Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire
Bubby Upton (born 1999), British equestrian
Matthew Vaughn (born 1971), British director and producer
Michael Ventris (1922–1956), English architect, classicist and philologist who deciphered Linear B
Jon Vickers (1916–2008), British trade union leader
Rollo Weeks (born 1987), British businessman and actor
Laurence Whistler (1912–2000), English artist and poet
Graeme White (born 1987), English cricketer
Nicholas Winton (1909–2015), British stockbroker and humanitarian
Henry Worsley (1960–2016), British explorer
Peregrine Worsthorne (1923–2020), British journalist and writer
David Wynne (1926–2014), British sculptor
George Zambellas (born 1958), Royal Navy officer, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff

Notable masters and staff

Theodore Acland (1890–1960), housemaster 1924–1930; later headmaster of Norwich School
T. H. White (1906–1964), English teacher 1932–1936; author known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958
Harry Gregson-Williams (born 1961), composer in residence 2012–2013; Old Stoic and Hollywood composer
Peter Farquhar (1946–2015), English teacher 1983–2004; author and murder victim