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{{short description|Public school in Tonbridge, Kent, England}}
{{Infobox School2
{{distinguish|Tonbridge Grammar School}}
| name = Tonbridge School
{{pp-pc}}
| image = [[Image:Tonbridge School Logo.gif|100px]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
<!-- FAIR USE of Image:Tonbridge School Logo.gif : see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Image:Tonbridge School Logo.gif for rationale -->
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
| motto = ''Deus Dat Incrementum'' ([[Latin]]: God Gives Growth)
{{Infobox school
| established = 1553
| name = Tonbridge School
| type = [[Public school]]
| image = Tonbridge School - geograph.org.uk - 3016375.jpg
| head_name = Headmaster
| image_size = 238
| head = Mr. Tim Haynes
| coordinates = {{coord|51.2000|0.2765|type:edu_region:GB_dim:100|format=dec|display=inline,title}}
| city = [[Tonbridge]]
| motto = {{langx|la|Deus Dat Incrementum}}<br />(God Giveth the Increase)
| state = [[Kent]]
| established = {{start date and age|1553}}
| country = [[England]]
| closed =
| pupils = 750
| type = [[Public school (UK)|Public school]]<br />[[Private schools in the United Kingdom|Private]] day and [[Boarding school|boarding]]
| website = [http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/ www.tonbridge-school.co.uk]
| religion =
| president =
| head_label = Headmaster
| head = James Priory
| r_head_label =
| r_head =
| chair_label =
| chair =
| founder = Sir Andrew Judde
| specialist =
| address = High Street
| city = [[Tonbridge]]
| county = [[Kent]]
| postcode = TN9 1JP
| country = England
| local_authority =
| urn = 118959
| ofsted =
| staff =
| enrolment = c. 800
| gender = Boys
| lower_age = 13
| upper_age = 18
| houses = [[#Houses|7 boarding, 5 day]]
| free_label_2 =
| free_2 =
| free_label_3 =
| free_3 =
| colours = Black, white and maroon
{{color box|Black}} {{color box|White}} {{color box|DarkRed}}
| publication = ''The Tonbridgian''
| alumni = [[List of Old Tonbridgians|Old Tonbridgians]]
| website = [http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/ tonbridge-school.co.uk]
}}
'''Tonbridge School''' is a [[Public school (United Kingdom)|Britishpublic school]] (English [[independentPrivate schoolschools in the United Kingdom|independentfee-charging]] all[[boarding boysschool|boarding]] and [[boardingday school]] for boys aged 13–18) in [[Tonbridge]], [[Kent]], England, founded in [[1553]] by Sir [[Andrew Judde]] (sometimes spelt Judd). It is a member of the [[Eton Group]] and employs,has withoutclose dispute,links with the greatest[[Worshipful manCompany of allSkinners]], time...one Keithof Sammonsthe oldest London [[livery companies]].
 
There are currently around 800 boys in the school, aged between 13 and 18. The school occupies a site of {{convert|150|acre|ha|abbr=off|-1}} on the edge of Tonbridge, and is largely self-contained, though most of the boarding and day houses are in nearby streets. Since its foundation, the school has been rebuilt twice on the original site. For the academic year 2023/24, Tonbridge charges full boarders up to £16,648 per term and £12,490 per term for day pupils,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/admissions/fees-and-charges|title=Tonbridge School Fees and Charges|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref> making it the 4th and 6th most expensive [[Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference|HMC]] boarding and day school respectively.
The school occupies an extensive site of about 150 acres (607,000&nbsp;m²) on the northern edge of the town of [[Tonbridge]], [[Kent]], and is largely self-contained within that site. Since the foundation the school has been rebuilt twice on the original site.
 
The headmaster is James Priory who began his tenure at the school in 2018.
There are currently 750 boys in the school, aged between 13 and 18, with 429 boarders and 321 day pupils.
 
The school is one of only a very few of the ancient public schools not to have turned co-educational, and there are no plans for this to happen.
The current Headmaster is Tim Haynes, who has been in post since September [[2005]]. He was previously Headmaster of [[Monmouth School]].
 
Tonbridge School was listed in the 2024 edition of ''[[The Schools Index]]'' as one of the world's best 150 private schools and among top 30 UK senior schools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McNamee |first=Annie |date=6 April 2024 |title=These are UK's best private schools, according to a prestigious ranking |url=https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/these-are-uks-best-private-schools-according-to-a-prestigious-ranking-040624 |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=Time Out United Kingdom |language=en-GB}}</ref>
 
==History==
The school was founded in [[1553]] by Sir Andrew Judde under the [[Letters Patent]] of [[monarch|King]] [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]].
 
===Foundation===
The [[Charter]] ordained that the Governors of the school after the death of the Founder were to be the [[Worshipful Company of Skinners]], one of the oldest City [[Livery Companies]].
 
The school was founded in 1553 by [[Andrew Judde]], being granted its [[royal charter]] by [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]]. The first headmaster was the Revd John Proctor, a fellow of [[All Souls College, Oxford]]. From 1553 until his death in 1558, Judde was the sole governor of the school, and he framed the statutes that were to govern it for the next 270 years. On Judde's death, the school was passed to the Skinners' Company, after a dispute with Judde's business partner [[Henry Fisher (MP for Maidstone)|Henry Fisher]].
Sir Andrew, himself a distinguished member of this Company, left property in the [[City of London]] and in the parish of [[St Pancras]] as an endowment for the school. The income from these estates is at the disposal of the Governors for the general benefit of the Foundation. The memory of Sir Andrew Judd and other benefactors is honoured in an annual Commemoration Service, held on Skinners' Day at the very end of the Summer [[Academic term|Term]].
 
For the next hundred years few details of the school survive apart from rare records in the Skinners' Company books. Headmaster Proctor died in 1558, and was succeeded by a series of headmasters, usually clergy and always classical scholars. They included the Revd William Hatch (1587–1615), the first [[Old Tonbridgian]] headmaster. According to the Skinners' records, the Revd Michael Jenkins (1615–24) was appointed because "he was the only one who turned up". During his time as headmaster, the school received a series of generous endowments from [[Thomas Smythe]], the first governor of the [[East India Company]] and son of Andrew Judde's daughter Alice.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Orchard|first1=Barry|title=A Look at the Head and the Fifty: A History of Tonbridge School|publisher=James & James|pages=6–14}}</ref>
The school first really began to flourish in the C19th when it and other Public Schools supplied the demand for capable men to administer and soldier for the British Empire. It is recorded that alumni served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and even under the 8th Earl of Elgin during the Second Opium War. Indeed Headmaster Knox once noted that "wherever the Union Flag stands o'ershadowed, there you will find a Tonbridge boy ready to bring it into the light".
 
===Second hundred years===
The Edwardian period saw considerable sporting success for the school. In 1905 and 1906 its 1st XI cricket team enjoyed two unbeaten seasons under its captain, Archibald Featherstonehaugh (pronounced "Fanshaw"). In the years that followed Tonbridge produced many first class cricketers, culminating ultimately in Colin Cowdrey in the late 1940s.
[[File:Tonbridge School 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A section of the old school building]]
 
Very little written material relating to the school over the next century survives. Numbers fluctuated between 40 and 90, and the school obtained a new refectory and a new library. However, from 1680 numbers declined, and for a few years the examiners reported that there were no candidates fit for university study. In 1714, the Reverend Richard Spencer, of [[King's College, Cambridge]], was made headmaster. He was an immediate success and very popular, and by 1721 numbers had risen to over seventy. The governors raised Spencer's salary to 30 [[guinea (coin)|guineas]], and several of his pupils went on to successful careers. These included a future Lord Mayor of London, a vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, and George Austen, father of [[Jane Austen]].
===World War I===
 
The first [[Old Tonbridgian]] dinner was held on 8 June 1744. The year before this, however, Spencer had resigned and the headmastership was bestowed upon the Reverend [[James Cawthorn]]. Cawthorn persuaded the governors to build a new library at the south end of the school in 1760, and it survives today as the headmaster's house and the Skinners' Library. In 1765, the townspeople of Tonbridge asked the question{{clarify|date=January 2020}} of free education, and governors' legal team decided that the parishioners' children, provided they could write competently and read Latin and English perfectly{{clarify|date=January 2020}}, had the right to learn at the school paying only the sixpence entry fee.
The school suffered heavy losses during the Great War. Not only were many alumni killed, but also several members of staff who bravely volunteered for service. The school itself came through unscathed, although in 1916 a German zeppelin did pass over Tonbridge, having lost propulsion and been driven by the prevaling wind all the way from London. All of its bombs had already been dropped, however, so no damage was caused and the airship simply floated on towards the Channel. Orchard notes that the fate of its crew still remains unknown. However, it has been recently suggested that the Tonbridge zeppelin may have been the very same one that is recorded as having been shot down over the Essex township of Billericay one day later. Certainly it is possible that the hapless crew suffered a change in wind direction which blew them back over the capital and on into Essex.<ref>''Billericay: A History'' by Roger Green, p.78, Phillimore & Co., 2005</ref>
 
In 1772, classical scholar Vicesimus Knox was made headmaster, but he held office for only six years. During his tenure, numbers dropped to only seventeen. His son and namesake, [[Vicesimus Knox]], was to take his father's place in 1779. School numbers under the young Knox rose to 85, and pupils began to arrive from all over England and also from abroad.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Orchard|first1=Barry|title=A Look at the Head and the Fifty|publisher=James & James|pages=14–22}}</ref>
===World War II===
 
===19th century===
In June [[1941]] a V1 bomb launched by the Nazis almost succeeded in killing Headmaster Eric Whitworth when it landed near Ferox Hall. A bomb dropped by a lone German bomber almost destroyed the Chapel earlier in the War.
 
Knox retired in 1812, and was succeeded by his younger son, Thomas. The period of Knox's headmastership was one of national economic and political change, but at the school the greatest change was the increasing importance of cricket. [[John Abercrombie (cricketer)|John Abercrombie]] was the school's first cricket blue (for Cambridge) in 1839. In 1818, a nationwide commission visited Tonbridge to investigate on behalf of the reforming government. Over the next few years, a new scheme for the school was prepared and approved by the Lord Chancellor. New buildings were agreed upon by the governors, and a new dining room and dormitories were built. The school also bought the Georgian building on the High Street to the north of the new junior school, and it was renamed Judde House. This was the school's second boarding house, with the original buildings serving to house boys of the larger School House. In 1826, the governors bought the field which now contains the Head cricket ground, and the patches to the north and south of it, later to be called the Upper and Lower Hundreds. In 1838, Knox took the decision to level the Head, a considerable project, using labour and earth from the new railway workings in the town. The labourers often engaged in fights with the boys, as they were lodged nearby. The Head became the focal point of the school and was regarded{{who|date=January 2020}} as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the south of England. Thomas Knox died shortly after the completion of his cricket pitch, in 1843,<ref>See: The Register of Tonbridge School from 1820 to 1893 Pg vii :https://archive.org/details/registertonbrid00hughgoog/page/n16/mode/2up?view=theater</ref> whilst preparing to preach in the parish church. His death brought to an end the 71-year reign of the Knox family.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Orchard|first1=Barry|title=A Look at the Head and the Fifty|publisher=James & James|pages=21–29}}</ref>
However, papers found by the Allies after the fall of Berlin suggested that Hitler's staff intended to make Tonbridge School the Upper-Medway regional HQ for occupying forces, had Operation Sea Lion gone ahead.
 
[[File:Tonbridge School, from the cricket field.jpg|thumb|Tonbridge School, from the cricket field (before 1903)]]
During the War an anti-tank trench was dug alongside the Head (the school's main cricket pitch). The OTC (Officer Training Corps) issued the groundsmen with grenades, rifles and German phrase-books.
 
===World wars===
On the recommendation of [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside]], Chief of the Imperial General Staff and an Old Tonbridgian, an evacuation plan was drawn up by the school in case of a German invasion. Boys were to disperse across the country while teachers formed resistance cells.
 
Tonbridge lost a great many former pupils in both world wars; 415 Old Tonbridgians and three masters died in the Great War, and a further 301 OTs died in the line of duty between 1939 and 1945.
===Post-War years===
* [[Eric Stuart Dougall]] was awarded a posthumous [[Victoria Cross]] to go with his [[Military Cross]] in Belgium during the closing stages of World War I.
* [[James Brindley Nicolson]] became the only [[RAF]] fighter pilot to be awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] during the course of the [[Battle of Britain]] after climbing back into his burning [[Hawker Hurricane]] to engage a [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]] over the skies of [[Southampton]].
* [[Harold Newgass]] was awarded the school's only [[George Cross]] during World War II after defusing an enemy mine over two days.
 
===Post-war years===
Lawrence Waddy took over as Headmaster in [[1949]]. The Tonbridge he inherited was still a largely Victorian institution; fagging was still in place, and sport was considered more important than academia. Over the next 40 years fagging was abolished (ending in [[1965]]), the intellectual life of the school was revitalised (particularly under the Headmastership of the scholarly Michael McCrum), and 1st Year Socials were set up with neighbouring girls' schools. By the 1990s the school was larger and richer than ever before, regularly appearing in the top 50 in independent schools examination league tables. The Headmaster until [[2005]] was Martin Hammond.
 
Lawrence Waddy took over as headmaster in 1949. The Tonbridge he inherited was still a largely Victorian institution; [[fagging]] and ritual [[caning]] were still in place, and sport was considered more important than academia. Over the next 40 years personal fagging was abolished (ending in 1965){{clarify|date=January 2020}}{{Fix|text=1949+40≠1965}}, and the intellectual life of the school was revitalised (particularly under the headmastership of [[Michael William McCrum|Michael McCrum]]). McCrum, headmaster from 1962 to 1970, abolished the right of senior boys to administer [[School corporal punishment|corporal punishment]], taking over for himself the duty of administering routine canings. Boaters (known at the school as "barges"), straw hats worn by boys, were no longer compulsory uniform after a major town-gown fight in the 1970s.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} The headmaster until 2005 was [[Martin Hammond]].
Tonbridge's 1st XV rugby team has been undefeated for 3 straight seasons, against opponents such as Wellington, Radley, Dulwich College, Eton and Harrow. Such a feat has not been achieved since the period 1953-6 when the Tonbridge squad was led by Henry 'Perseus' Percival. This puts the club in contention for Rugby World's (magazine) team of the year.
 
In 2005, the school was one of fifty leading independent schools found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by ''[[The Times]]'', which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.<ref>{{cite news | author = Halpin, Tony | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article588559.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070310233300/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article588559.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 10 March 2007 | title = Independent schools face huge fines over cartel to fix fees | newspaper = The Times | ___location = London | date = 10 November 2005}}</ref> Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2006/182-06 |title=OFT names further trustees as part of the independent schools settlement |publisher=Office of Fair Trading |date=21 December 2006 |url-status = dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140402142426/http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2006/182-06 |archive-date= 2 April 2014 }}</ref> Jean Scott, the head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, and were following a long-established procedure in sharing the information with each other, and that they were unaware of the change to the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the [[Office of Fair Trading|OFT]] director-general, saying, "They are not a group of businessmen meeting behind closed doors to fix the price of their products to the disadvantage of the consumer. They are schools that have quite openly continued to follow a long-established practice because they were unaware that the law had changed."<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1455730/Private-schools-send-papers-to-fee-fixing-inquiry.html | title = Private schools send papers to fee-fixing inquiry | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | ___location = London | date = 1 March 2004 | access-date = 15 March 2011}}</ref>
==Notable alumni==
This list may be incomplete and may contain inaccuracies. A list of confirmed notable Old Tonbridgians is available [http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/pastfuture/notableots/index.usml on this page] of the school website.
 
* [[William Alexander (bishop)]] ([[1824]]-[[1911]]) [[Poet]], [[Theologian]] and [[Anglican]] [[Primate of All Ireland]]
* [[Robert Ashfield]] Organist of [[Southwell Minster]] and [[Rochester Cathedral]]
* Sir [[Herbert Baker]], [[Architect]]
* [[Donal Blaney]] Chief Executive of the [[Young Britons' Foundation]] and Director and General Counsel of [[Doughty Media Limited]]
* [[John Bond (banker)|John Bond]], former chairman of [[HSBC]]
* [[Ian C. Bradley]], [[author]], [[broadcaster]] and [[academic]]
* [[Bill Bruford]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[King Crimson]] and others [[musician]]
* [[Hugh Cecil]] - 1920's society [[photography|photographer]]
* [[Tom Chaplin]], [[Keane]] [[musician]]
* [[Colin Cowdrey|Sir M. C. Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge]] ([[1932]]-[[2000]]), [[Kent CCC]] and [[England]] [[cricketer]] and cricket administrator
* [[Christopher Cowdrey|C. S. Cowdrey]] (born [[1957]]), [[Kent CCC|Kent]], [[Glamorgan CCC|Glamorgan]] and [[England cricket team|England]] [[cricketer]] and [[broadcaster]]
* [[Graham Cowdrey|G. R. Cowdrey]] (born [[1964]]), [[Kent CCC|Kent]] [[cricketer]]
* [[Aleister Crowley]], [[occult]]ist, [[mysticism|mystic]], [[sexual revolution]]ary, and [[drug addict]]
* [[Maurice Denham]] ([[1909]]-[[2002]]), [[actor]]
* [[Richard Ellison|R. M. Ellison]] (born [[1959]]), [[Kent CCC]] and [[England]] [[cricketer]]
* [[Ollie Freeman]], [[Athlete]], [[Great Britain Tri-athlete]]
* [[E. M. Forster]], [[novelist]]
* [[Frederick Forsyth]], [[novelist]]
* [[W. D. Hamilton]]
* [[Chris Hollins]] - [[BBC Breakfast]] sports presenter, son of footballer [[John Hollins]]
* [[Charles Howard (cricketer)|C. W. H. Howard]] (born [[1904]]), [[Middlesex CCC]] [[cricketer]]
* [[Richard Hughes (musician)|Richard Hughes]], [[Keane]] [[musician]]
* [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside]], Chief of the Imperial General Staff
* [[Sidney Keyes]], [[poet]]
* [[Michael Marriott]] head of the British [[stock exhange]]
* [[Sir Arthur Marshall]], aviation engineer
* [[Tom May (rugby player)|Tom May]], [[Rugby Union|rugby union player]], [[Newcastle Falcons]]
* [[Patrick Mayhew]], [[Queen's Counsel|QC]], [[barrister]] and [[politician]]
* [[John Nott-Bower|Sir John Nott-Bower]], [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]]
* [[Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier|Sir Sydney Olivier, 1st Baron Olivier]] ([[1859]][[1943]]), [[KCMG]], [[statesman]]
* [[Christopher Reid]], [[poet]]
* [[Tim Rice-Oxley]], [[Keane]] [[musician]]
* [[William Rivers]] [[psychologist]], [[anthropologist]]
* [[Vikram Seth]], [[novelist]]
* [[Anthony Seldon|Dr Anthony Seldon]], [[historian]], political commentator and educationalist (current Master of [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]])
* [[Dan Stevens]], [[actor]]
* [[David Sherwin]], [[screenwriter]], most famous for his work on the film [[If... (film)|If...]]
* [[Ed Smith (cricketer)|E. T. Smith]] (born [[1977]]), [[Middlesex CCC]], [[Kent CCC]] and [[England]] [[cricketer]]
* [[Paul Tanqueray]] - society [[photography|photographer]]
* [[Peter Tapsell (UK politician)|Sir Peter Tapsell]], politician
* [[David Tomlinson]] ([[1917]]-[[2000]]), [[actor]]
* [[Arthur Tooth]] [[Society of the Holy Cross|SSC]], [[Anglo-Catholic]] [[clergyman]] prosecuted for using [[Ritualism|ritualist]] liturgical practices
* [[Benjamin Whitrow]] (born [[1932]]), [[actor]]
* [[Andy Zaltzman]], stand-up comedian
 
==Houses==
 
There are twelve houses at Tonbridge School;: 7seven boarding, and 5five day houses. Each house has its own house colours. The Houseshouses, in order of foundation, are:<ref name="houses">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/admissions/choice-of-house/boarding-houses/|title=Boarding Houses – Tonbridge School|website=www.tonbridge-school.co.uk|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
| School House || Boarding || Black and blue
{{color box|Black}} {{color box|Blue}}
|-
| Judde House || Boarding || Magenta and black
{{color box|Magenta}} {{color box|Black}}
|-
| Park House || Boarding || White, purple and black
{{color box|Purple}} {{color box|White}}
|-
| Hill Side || Boarding || Red and black
{{color box|Red}} {{color box|black}}
|-
| Parkside || Boarding || Yellow and blue
{{color box|Yellow}} {{color box|blue}}
|-
| Ferox Hall || Boarding || Orange, black, and whiteyellow
{{color box|orange}} {{color box|yellow}}
|-
| Manor House || Boarding || Green and red
{{color box|Green}} {{color box|Red}}
|-
| Welldon House || Day || Light and dark blue
{{color box|Navy}} {{color box|#00FFFF}}
|-
| Smythe House || Day || PinkChocolate and brownCerise
{{color box|#8B4513}} {{color box|#DE3163}}
|-
| Whitworth || Day || Green and white
{{color box|Green}} {{color box|White}}
|-
| Cowdrey House || Day || Purple and green
{{color box|Purple}} {{color box|Green}}
|-
| Oakeshott House || Day || Scarlet and Gold
{{color box|Red}} {{color box|Yellow}}
|}
 
Each house contains approximately 65 studentspupils. The names are all drawn from the ___location of the house itself (e.g. Park House, Parkside House, School House (originally located in the main school building) orand Hill Side House), or are names of benefactors, headmasters and others who have left their mark on the school over the years (e.g. Smythe House, named after Sir Thomas Smythe (see also Smythe Library), or JuddeJudd House, named after the founder of the school, Whitworth and Welldon are, both named after headmasters of the school, and of course Cowdrey House, named after Colin Cowdrey, arguably the most famous Tonbridge alumnus). The only exceptionexceptions isare Ferox Hall, which takes it'sits name from the Latin for Ferociousferocious, and Manor House, which was named by a former housemaster.<ref name="houses"/>
 
== Chapel ==
Competitions between the houses are held in every field, particularly sport, but there are also other competitions such as debating and design & technology. In these competitions there are age categories: Novi (Sometimes form Junior with 2nd year), Junior( Either Novi and 2nd year, or 2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (Either 3rd Year and 6th form or 6th form).
[[File:The Chapel, Tonbridge School - geograph.org.uk - 1391290.jpg|thumb|Tonbridge school chapel as seen from the West looking across The Head]]
The Chapel of St Augustine of Canterbury occupies a central position in the school next to the old buildings and Orchard Centre. The chapel is collegiate in layout with twelve blocks of pews and seats corresponding to the respective Houses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/about-the-school/the-chapel/|title=The Chapel – Tonbridge School|website=www.tonbridge-school.co.uk|language=en|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref> The focal point of the chapel is the stone high altar and there are two pulpits, one each on the north and south sides of the chapel. The narthex or outer lobby of the chapel is also the school war memorial. In addition, the names of all Old Tonbridgians who died in the first or second world wars are displayed in stone or ironwork. In September 1988, it was severely damaged by fire with almost all objects in the building being destroyed except a 15th-century stone sculpture. Restoration took seven years to complete and the chapel was reconsecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in October 1995.<ref name="chapel">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/about-the-school/the-chapel|title=Chapel – Tonbridge School|website=www.tonbridge-school.co.uk|language=en|access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
 
==BuildingsSport==
The school offers a diverse range of sports, from traditional rugby and cricket to niche activities like fives and water polo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bryan |date=24 April 2024 |title=Tonbridge School: Exploring Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More |url=https://britannia-study.co.uk/boarding-schools/tonbridge-school-reviews/ |access-date=4 June 2024 |website=Britannia UK |language=en-GB}}</ref>
 
The school has produced a number of international rugby players throughout the history of rugby union. In 1871, in the first ever international rugby match, Tonbridge was represented by two players, J.E. Bentley and J.H. Luscombe. These players were also members of a team called the [[Gipsies Football Club]], a London-based rugby football club for Old Tonbrigians founded in 1868. This club produced four other internationals including England captain [[Francis Luscombe]], and was also one of the founding members of the [[Rugby Football Union]].<ref>{{cite book | author = Marshall, Francis| title = Football; the Rugby Union game | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_y-VAAAAAIAAJ| publisher = Cassell | ___location = London | year = 1892 | oclc = 13422741|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
Recent additions to the school's infrastructure have been the Vere Hodge Centre and the E.M. Forster theatre. Both are of modernist design, incorporating quantities of glass and steel.
 
Tonbridge alumni who have gone on to represent the [[England cricket team]] include [[Kenneth Hutchings]], [[Colin Cowdrey]], [[Roger Prideaux]], [[Chris Cowdrey]], [[Richard Ellison (cricketer)|Richard Ellison]], [[Ed Smith (cricketer)|Ed Smith]] and [[Zak Crawley]].<ref name=cricket>[https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/co-curricular/sport/cricket/tonbridge-cricket-history/ Tonbridge cricket history], Tonbridge School.</ref> All seven also played for [[Kent County Cricket Club]] and there is a long association between the school and Kent with a number of other Old Tonbridgians playing [[first-class cricket]] for the county side.<ref name=cricket /> Former Kent professionals who have coached the school cricket team include [[Alan Dixon (cricketer)|Alan Dixon]], whom Richard Ellison credits for developing his swing bowling abilities, and [[John Knott (cricketer)|John Knott]].
The Chapel was reopened in October [[1995]] after it was severely damaged by fire in [[1988]]. The Marcussen organ is a four-manual tracker-action instrument with 66 speaking stops, including two 32' stops.
 
==Music==
The Smythe Library, built in [[1962]], was designed by Sir William Holford in [[1962]]. It contains appoximately 26,000 volumes, some of which have been in the school's possession since the 17th century.
 
The school has a strong musical tradition: around half the boys take regular music lessons and over 80 achieve grade 7 or above. About 12 music scholarships are awarded every year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/co-curricular/music/|title = Music – Tonbridge School}}</ref> Tonbridge is also a "Steinway School",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/co-curricular/music/all-steinway-school/ |title=All Steinway School – Tonbridge School |website=www.tonbridge-school.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515065332/http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/co-curricular/music/all-steinway-school/ |archive-date=15 May 2014}}</ref> meaning that over 90% of pianos are designed or built by Steinway & Sons.
The Headmaster's House (located next to the High Street) is in fact the oldest part of the school, dating in parts from the 16th century. Its structure contains Roman masonry, most likely quarried from a temple to the god [[Priapus]] that is believed to have stood by the Medway near where Tonbridge Castle stands today.
 
The school chapel holds regular concerts for the various orchestras, including a large symphony orchestra for the most accomplished players, conducted by the director of music. The chapel is also home to an internationally respected 4-manual tracker-action pipe organ with 67 speaking stops and 4,830 pipes, built by Marcussen & Søn in 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://marcussen-son.dk/kirkeorgler-1848/tonbridge-school-chapel/ | title=Tonbridge School Chapel · England | date=30 May 2019 }}</ref>
Old Judd, which now houses the Modern Languages Department, was built in the 19th century and is remarkable for the enclosed terrace garden at its rear. The reason that the garden is raised several feet above ground level is that it was in fact built directly on top of the building that formerly occupied the site.
 
==List of headmasters==
==Trivia==
* [[Nicholas Grey]], 1650s
* Revd J. I. Welldon, 1843–1875
* Revd T. B. Rowe, 1875–1890
* [[Joseph Wood (schoolmaster)|Revd Joseph Wood]], 1890–1898<ref>''Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed & Official Classes'', Vol. 38 (Kelly's Directories, 1912), p. 1,838</ref>
* Revd C. C. Tancock 1898–1907
* C. Lowry, 1907–1922
* Harold Sloman, 1922–1939<!-- Q110062734 -->
* E. E. A. Whitworth, 1939–1949
* Revd L. H. Waddy, 1949–1962
* [[Michael McCrum]], 1962–1970
* [[Robert Maxwell Ogilvie|R. M. Ogilvie]], 1970–1975
* C. H. D. Everett, 1975–1989
* [[Martin Hammond|J. M. Hammond]], 1990–2005
* T. H. P. Haynes, 2005–2018
* J. E. Priory, 2018–
 
==Notable staff==
The school's motto (''Deus Dat Incrementum'') is not to be confused with that of [[Westminster School]], London (''Dat Deus Incrementum''). The two have quite different meanings due to their word order. Whereas Tonbridge's lays emphasis on the fact that God, and nobody else, gives growth, Westminster's emphasises the fact that God gives growth and does not, for example, receive it, buy it or rent it.
{{alumni|date=May 2014}}
* [[Jonathan Arscott]] – cricketer
* [[Ewart Astill]] – Master in charge of Cricket
* George Austen – 18th century Second master and father of [[Jane Austen]]
* [[Logie Bruce Lockhart]], Scottish rugby international and headmaster of [[Gresham's School]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oldtonbridgians.org/h/n/OTS/news/ALL/134/ |title=1949 XV Reunion |year=2005 |publisher=Old Tonbridgian Society |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071006220121/http://www.oldtonbridgians.org/h/n/OTS/news/ALL/134/ |archive-date=6 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[James Cawthorn]] – headmaster 1743–61 and poet
* [[Derek Chadwick]]
* [[Hilary Davan Wetton]] – former Director of Music
* [[John Dewes]], former test cricketer
* [[Clive Dytor]] – former chaplain
* [[Martin Hammond]] – Headmaster (1990–2005)<ref>{{cite news|title=Tim Haynes – New Headmaster from September 2005|url=http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/news/general/article/date/2004/09/tim-haynes-new-headmaster-from-september-2005/|publisher=tonbridge-school.co.uk|date=7 September 2004}}</ref>
* [[James Hodgson (cricketer, born 1969)|James Hodgson]], cricketer and headmaster of [[Bedford School]]
* [[John Inverarity]] – former [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]] cricketer, briefly taught maths at Tonbridge after retiring from cricket<ref>{{cite news|title=Sport's lessons for life|url=http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201210115081/features/sport-s-lessons-life|publisher=[[University of Western Australia|uwa.edu.au]]|date=11 October 2012}}</ref>
* [[John Johnston (schoolmaster)|John Johnston]] – headmaster of [[Highgate School]] from 1908 to 1936 and early promoter of the study of [[aeronautics]]
* [[Vicesimus Knox]] – 18th century Headmaster
* [[William Langford (cricketer)|William Langford]] (1875–1957) – first-class cricketer and later coach
* The Reverend [[John Langhorne (King's School Rochester)|John Langhorne]] – (1836–1911), classics master and house master from 1860 to 1877.
* [[Tony Little (headmaster)|Tony Little]] – a former assistant master at Tonbridge, Headmaster of [[Eton College]]
* [[Michael McCrum]] – academic and historian, Headmaster (1962–70)
* [[Robert Maxwell Ogilvie]]
* [[Paul Parker (cricketer)|Paul Parker]] – retired cricketer, now Classics and Modern Languages teacher
* [[Anthony Seldon|Sir Anthony Seldon]] – vice-chancellor and headmaster, formerly head of history and general studies (1989–93)
* [[Jonathan Smith (novelist)|Jonathan Smith]] – novelist and writer, former head of English<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The score so far|url=http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=332994|magazine=[[Times Educational Supplement]]|date=11 May 2008}}</ref>
* [[D. C. Somervell]] – historian and author
* [[Haldane Campbell Stewart]] – Director of Music (1898–1918), organist and choirmaster at [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], cricketer for [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent]].<ref>'Dr. H. C. Stewart: Music at Oxford' (Obituary). ''The Times'', Wednesday 17 June 1942 (Issue 49,264); p. 7 http://www.hcstewart.com/biography--obituaries.html</ref>
* [[David Walsh (cricketer)]], retired cricketer, historian and former second master <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://schoolscricketonline.co.uk/tonbridge/|title=Tonbridge – Schools Cricket Online}}</ref>
* [[Andy Whittall]] – Director of School Development, retired [[Zimbabwe cricket team|Zimbabwe]] cricketer, former teacher/coach and Housemaster of Ferox Hall<ref>[http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/about-the-school/school-management/senior-team/school-development/ School development] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208070436/http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/about-the-school/school-management/senior-team/school-development/ |date= 8 December 2015 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/admissions/choice-of-house/boarding-houses/#FH Boarding Houses – Ferox Hall]</ref>
 
==Notable alumni==
The Head of School, according to tradition, has the right to grow a beard and pasture a flock of sheep on the Head. The growth of facial hair by students (and tending of livestock on school property) is otherwise strictly forbidden.
{{Main|List of Old Tonbridgians}}
{{See also|Category:People educated at Tonbridge School}}
Former pupils are known at the school as Old Tonbridgians (OTs) and can join an organisation called the Old Tonbridgians' Society.
 
==Arms==
In Tonbridge terminology 1st Year boys are known as ''novi'' (rhyming with "no guy") which in Latin means "new males". However, according to Classical Latin pronunciation, the word should actually be pronounced as "no vee". To an Ancient Roman's ears the Tonbridge pronunciation would indicate the Latin word ''novae'', which unfortunately means "new women".
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Tonbridge School Achievement.png
|notes = Granted 16 March 1923 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/wiki/Tonbridge_School |publisher=Heraldry of the World |accessdate=3 February 2021|title=Tonbridge School – Coat of arms (Crest) of Tonbridge School }}</ref>
|escutcheon = Quarterly Gules and Azure a cross fillet Or between in the first and fourth quarters a fesse raguly between three boars' heads couped Argent armed and langued Azure and in the second and third quarters three lions rampant Gold.
|crest = On a wreath of the colours a boar's head erased per pale Gules and Sable armed and langued Azure gorged with a coronet composed of fleurs-de-lis Or.
|motto = Deus Dat Incrementum}}
 
==See also==
* [[TheEton Judd SchoolGroup]]
* [[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)]]
* [[The Skinners' School]]
* [[List of SR V "Schools" class locomotives]]
* [[Sevenoaks School]]
* [[Public school (United Kingdom)]]
* [[Worshipful Company of Skinners]]
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<References/>
 
==Further reading==
* Barry Orchard - ''A Look at the Head and the Fifty'' (1991, James & James)
* {{cite book|last=Hoole|first=G.P.|title=A Tonbridge miscellany
|publisher=Tonbridge School|oclc=19671527|year=1985}}
* {{cite book|last=Orchard
|first=Barry|title=A Look at the Head and the Fifty
|publisher=James & James|___location=London|year=1991|isbn=978-0-907383-25-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Rivington|first=Septimus
|title=The history of Tonbridge School from its foundation in 1553 to the present date
|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoftonbri00rivi|publisher=Rivingtons|___location=London|year=1898|oclc=18236326}}
* {{cite book|last=Somervell|first=D.C.|title=A history of Tonbridge School
|publisher=Faber & Faber|___location=London|year=1947|oclc=11852252}}
* {{cite book|last=Hughes-Hughes |first=W O |title=The Register of Tonbridge School from 1820 to 1886 |publisher=Hughes-Hughes |___location=Tonbridge |year=1886 |url=http://www.theweald.org/B10.asp?BookId=TnReg901 }}
 
==External links==
* [http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/{{commons category|Tonbridge School Website]}}
* [http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/ Official website]
* [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/index.cfm?fuseaction=summary&id=118959 Tonbridge School] on [[Office for Standards in Education|Ofsted]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060908045136/http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports/index.cfm?fuseaction=summary&id=118959 Tonbridge School] on [[Office for Standards in Education|Ofsted]]
* [http://www.skinnershall.co.uk/company.htm The Worshipful Company of Skinners]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090726135140/http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/tonbridge-school.html Profile at the Good Schools Guide]
* [http://foundation.tonbridge-school.co.uk/ Tonbridge School Foundation]
{{Public schools in England}}
{{Schools in Kent}}
{{Tonbridge}}
 
{{authority control}}
 
[[Category:PublicPrivate schools in Kent]]
[[Category:MembersMember schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference]]
[[Category:Boys' schools in EnglandKent]]
[[Category:Boarding schools in EnglandKent]]
[[Category:SchoolsPeople witheducated Combinedat CadetTonbridge School| Forces]]
[[Category:Racquets venues]]
[[Category:TonbridgeSchools andin MallingTonbridge]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 1550s]]
[[Category:1553 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Schools with a royal charter]]
[[Category:Schools cricket]]
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