St Marylebone Grammar School

St Marylebone Grammar School (SMGS) was a grammar school located in the London borough of the City of Westminster, from 1792 to 1981.

History

Philological School

Founded as the Philological Society by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, its object was to help "the heads of families, who by unexpected misfortune, have been reduced from a station of comfort and respectability." Originally founded in Mary Street (later renamed Stanhope Street, N.W. 1), it moved to Marylebone Road in 1827. Its fortunes improved largely due to headmaster Edwin Abbott. After Abbott, the school's financial position deteriorated.

Grammar school

In 1908 it was accepted in trust by the London County Council and renamed St Marylebone Grammar School. After World War II it recovered. Under headmaster Philip Wayne it developed artistic activities, acquired shared use of playing fields in Sudbury Hill, and established a country base near Leith Hill. In 1957 the motto "ex animo tamquam Deo" ("from the heart, as from God") was added to the school's crest at the suggestion of the deputy headmaster Kenneth Crook.

After Philip Wayne, SMGS was led by Harry Llewellyn-Smith as headmaster until 1970. During his period a new and separate science block was built a short walk away from the school's main site. Roy Mansell led the science team and was for a short period the last headmaster after Patrick Hutton.

Closure

Soon after headmaster Patrick Hutton (formerly head of English at St Paul's School) arrived in 1970, the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) proposed to merge SMGS with the local secondary modern school, Rutherford School, later part of North Westminster School. ILEA itself came into conflict with the new Conservative government, whose secretary of state for education Margaret Thatcher took an interest in SMGS. By 1981, however, SMGS had closed.

Current use of buildings

The former science block continues in educational use as the Cosway Street Centre, part of City of Westminster College. The main school building consisted of the original school building on Marylebone Road and two later wings in Lisson Grove, which were demolished and replaced with an office block. The original building was listed and remains intact; it is now part of Abercorn School.

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  The original building in August 2011; the adjacent office building is being rebuilt.

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  LCC plaque with the school name; the original name and date of the school is incorporated into the arch below the plaque.

Notable alumni

See also: Category:People educated at St Marylebone Grammar School

• Adam Ant (Stuart Goddard), pop singer
• John Barnes, footballer
• Steve Barron, film director
• Sir Michael Beetham CBE DFC AFC, Marshal of the Royal Air Force
• Barry Blue (Barry Green), pop singer and writer
• Anastasios Christodoulou CBE, Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities from 1980–96
• Len Deighton, author
• William Floyd, Head of the Department of Ergonomics and Cybernetics at Loughborough University from 1960 to 1975.
• Benny Green, musician
• Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet, Liberal MP for Caithness from 1900–18 and Caithness and Sutherland from 1918–22
• Rt Rev Michael Henley CB, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane from 1995–2004
• Sir Charles Solomon Henry, 1st Baronet, Liberal MP for Wellington (Shropshire) from 1906–18 and The Wrekin from 1918-9
• Historian and author Eric Hobsbawm
• Professor Anthony A. Hyman, FRS - Molecular cell biologist and Director of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
• Jerome K. Jerome, Edwardian author
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones, preacher and evangelical leader
• Sir Vincent Lloyd-Jones, judge
• Rt Rev Francis Paget, Bishop of Oxford from 1901–11
• Sir Michael Pepper, Pender Professor of Nanoelectronics at UCL since 2009
• John Price (England cricketer)
• Sir Landon Ronald, conductor
• Irving Scholar, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (1980s)
• E. H. Sothern, actor
• Sir Cyril Taylor, social entrepreneur
• Julien Temple, film director
• Sir Brian Vickers, Professor of English Literature from 1975-2003 at ETH Zurich
• Professor Glenn White, Professor of Astronomy at The Open University

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  Marylebone Grammar School's original building, August 2011. At this time the adjoining office building was being rebuilt and was covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting.

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  Plaque above the main entrance to the old Marylebone Grammar School building. The school's former name and date is shown on the archway, The Philological School 1792

External links

• Old Philologians Association