Coordinates: 51°11′06″N 0°36′36″W / 51.185°N 0.61°W / 51.185; -0.61

Godalming
The Pepperpot, Godalming's former town hall
Godalming  Godalming shown within Surrey
Population	21,103
OS grid reference	SU968437
Civil parish	Godalming
District	Waverley
Shire county	Surrey
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GODALMING
Postcode district	GU7
Dialling code	01483
Police	Surrey
Fire	Surrey
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	South West Surrey
List of places: UK • England • Surrey

Godalming ( /ˈɡɒdəlmɪŋ/) is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France and Mayen in Germany. Friendship links are in place with the state of Georgia in the United States and the city of Moscow in Russia. James Oglethorpe of Godalming was the founder of the colony of Georgia.

History[link]

Pre-1300[link]

The town has existed since Saxon times (see also Godalming (hundred)), and probably earlier. It is mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great, and the name itself has Saxon origins, 'Godhelms Ingus' roughly translated as “the family of Godhelm”, and probably referring to one of the first lords of the manor.

Godalming grew in size because its location is roughly half-way between Portsmouth and London, which encouraged traders to set up stalls and inns for travellers to buy from and rest in.

Godalming appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Godelminge. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: 2 churches (both held by Ranulf Flambard) worth 12s, 3 mills worth £2 1s 8d, 25 ploughs, 40 acres (16 ha) of meadow, woodland worth 103 hogs. It rendered £34.^[1] Its population was roughly 400 people. At the time, its manor belonged to the King, but a few hundred years later, ownership transferred to the Bishop of Salisbury, under a charter granted by King Edward I of England.

1300–1800[link]

In the year 1300, the town was granted the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair. Its major industry at the time was woollen cloth, which contributed to Godalming’s prosperity over the next few centuries, until a sudden decline in the 17th century. Instead, its people applied their skills to the latest knitting and weaving technology and began producing stockings in a variety of materials, and later to leatherwork.

A willingness to adapt, and move from one industry to another meant that Godalming continued to thrive. For example, papermaking was adopted in the 17th century, and paper was still manufactured there in the 20th century. The quarrying of Bargate stone also provided an important source of income, as did passing trade - Godalming was a popular stopping point for stagecoaches and the Mail coach between Portsmouth and London. In 1764, trade received an additional boost when early canalisation of the river took place, linking the town to Guildford, and from there to the River Thames and London on the Wey and Godalming Navigations.

In 1726 a Godalming maidservant called Mary Toft hoaxed the town into believing that she had given birth to rabbits. The foremost doctors of the day came to witness the freak event and for a brief time the story caused a national sensation. Eventually Mary was found out after a porter was caught smuggling a dead rabbit into her chamber, she confessed to inserting at least 16 rabbits into herself and faking their birth.

From 1800[link]

So successful was Godalming, that in the early 19th century it was considerably larger than today’s county town of Guildford, and by 1851 the population had passed 6,500. Already, it was becoming a popular residence for commuters, for it was connected to London by railway two years earlier, in 1849, and to Portsmouth in 1859. Today the town is served by Godalming railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line. The first mayor of Godalming was Henry Marshall who also founded the firm of Marshalls Solicitors in 1831.

Architecture[link]

The town has around 230 listed buildings, including Tudor timber framing and 17th century brickwork. Godalming Parish Church has an early Saxon chancel and Norman tower. The 19th century town hall, nicknamed 'the Pepperpot' due to its cupola, is a distinctive octagonal building situated on the High Street. Due to its unique design, it has become the defacto 'logo' of the town today.

The current building dates back to 1814 and replaced the medieval "Old Market House" that had occupied the site since the early Middle Ages. It was in this Market House (and its predecessors) that the local Hundred Court met and discussed matters of local importance for more than a thousand years. The upstairs rooms continued to be used for civic gatherings until 1908. The Pepperpot later housed the town museum, and continues to be used as a public function room. The arched area beneath the building, at street level, has been used as a marketplace.^[2]

Other significant buildings in the town include Edwin Lutyens's Red House, and a significant English public school, Charterhouse stands about a mile from the town, on the top of Charterhouse Hill. Charterhouse won the FA Cup as the Old Carthusians in 1880 and 1881.

Winkworth Arboretum, with its collection of rare trees and shrubs, is situated a few miles to the south.

Public electricity supply[link]

Godalming came to world attention in September 1881, when it became the first town in the world to have installed a public electricity supply, which made electricity available to consumers. It was Calder & Barnet who installed a Siemens AC Alternator and dynamo which were powered by a waterwheel, located at Westbrook Mill, on the river Wey. There were a number of supply cables that fed seven arc lights and 34 Swan incandescent lights, some of which were laid in the gutters. Floods in late 1881 caused problems and in the end Calder & Barnet withdrew from the contract. It was taken over by Siemens. Under Siemens the supply system grew and a number of technical problems were solved. But later on in 1884 the whole town reverted to gas lighting as Siemens failed to tender for a contract to light the town. This was due to a survey they undertook in the town that failed to provide adequate support to make the business viable. Siemens had also lost money on the scheme in the early years, but was prepared to stay on in order to gain experience. Electricity returned to the town in 1904.

Transport[link]

Rail[link]

Godalming railway station is on the Portsmouth Direct Line between London (Waterloo) and Portsmouth, and is served by South West Trains.^[3] The station has been recognised for its floral decorations including 10 hanging baskets.^[4] The next stations up and down the line are at Farncombe and Milford which in many respects (for example transport and education) are effectively suburbs of Godalming.

Road[link]

Roads running through, or close to, Godalming are:^[5][6]

• A3 - major trunk road London to Portsmouth, bypasses Godalming
• A31 - main trunk road Guildford to Winchester, bypasses Godalming along the Hog's Back
• A281 - main road Guildford to Brighton, bypasses Godalming
• A283 - main road Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea
• A286 - main road Milford to Birdham just beyond Chichester
• A3100 - local main road Guildford to Milford, runs through Godalming
• B2130 - local road Godalming to Cranleigh
• B3000 - local road Farncombe to Compton, the A3 and then to the A31 just beyond Puttenham
• B3001 - local road Milford to Farnham

The town is served by a bus network connecting the town centre with the main residential areas. These are provided by Arriva and Stagecoach. A community transport service is provided by "Hoppa". Chaired through its difficult early days by Brian Richards,^[7] Waverley Hoppa has burgeoned into a low priced provider of minibus and MPV personalised transport for the elderly, the disabled, the young and others for whom simply getting from where they are to where they want to be is a problem.

Air[link]

Godalming lies approximately equidistant (50 kilometres) from Heathrow and Gatwick, the two major commercial international airports in South East England.

Water[link]

The Wey and Godalming Navigations terminates at the United Church.^[8]

Residential[link]

People live in the town centre and various suburbs; to the east there is Catteshall; to the west there is Aaron's Hill and Ockford Ridge; to the north there is Farncombe, Charterhouse and Frith Hill; and to the south there is Holloway Hill, Busbridge and Crownpits. Sometimes Milford is classed as a suburb of Godalming. Both Frith Hill and Munstead which is located near Busbridge have the highest average price of housing in the Godalming area.

Education[link]

Educational establishments in or near Godalming area include:

Universities[link]

The University of Surrey is just outside Godalming (in Guildford).

Independent schools[link]

• Charterhouse School is one of the great historic schools of England and is one of the original nine English public schools, which includes Eton College and Harrow School, as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. It was founded in 1611 and located to Godalming in 1872.^[9] The impressive school buildings within the 200 acre estate include a chapel designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (designer of the British red telephone box) to which have been added many new sporting and academic facilities. The 6th form is mixed (2:1 boys:girls) and most pupils board.^[10]
• King Edward's School, Witley is an independent co-educational boarding and day school located in nearby Wormley. Founded in 1553 in the London area of St Bride's Church, Fleet Street (formerly Bridewell Palace), the school moved to its current location in 1867. Ages 11 – 18 with a strongly international Sixth Form.
• Prior's Field School is an independent private girls boarding school founded at the beginning of the 20th century by Julia Huxley.^[11] There are 333 pupils of which about 40% are boarders (weekly or termly);
• St Hilary's School is an independent preparatory school for boys 2.5 - 7 (around 90) and girls 2.5 - 11 (around 200).^[12]

State 6th form colleges[link]

• Godalming College is in the Holloway Hill area of Godalming. Founded in 1975 on the campus of Godalming Grammar School, it caters for sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds.^[13] Awarded Beacon status in 2006, it was the best performing state school for AS/A levels in the Surrey area in 2004; its Ofsted report for 2005 graded the college as "outstanding" in six of the seven key areas ("good" in the 7th).^[14]

State secondary schools[link]

Numbers in brackets indicate the % of pupils achieving 5 A-C GCSEs in total and then including the key subjects of maths and English.^[15]

• Broadwater School is in the Farncombe area of Godalming, caters for young people from 11 to 16 and has no 6th form. (42, 29)
• Rodborough Technology College is in the village of Milford on the outskirts of Godalming, Rake Lane. It caters for young people from 11 to 16 and has no 6th form.(64, 59).

State primary schools (includes grant aided)[link]

All primary schools in Godalming are coeducational. Infant schools cover the age range 4–7, junior schools cover 8–11.

The figures shown in brackets are VA value added a measure of how pupils' performance has improved, and AGG aggregate score the sum of the percentages of pupils achieving the expected levels in English, maths and science (thus the maximum possible is 300).^[16]

• Loseley Fields Primary School (VA 98.9, AGG 195) is in the village of Binscombe, on the outskirts of the Farncombe side of Godalming.
• Busbridge C of E Aided Junior School was built over 100 years ago by members of nearby Busbridge Church and extensive links between the two have continued to this day. It admits 60 children each year with preference being given to Christians and in particular to children of Busbridge/Hambledon church members. (VA 100.9, AGG 279)
• Busbridge County Infants School is in Hambledon Road Godalming. It caters for around 150 children (2007)^[17]
• Chandler C of E Junior School is in the Witley area and caters for around 330 children
• Godalming Junior School is in the Farncombe area of Godalming.^[18] It has 230 children in 8 classes (four per year). (VA 100.6, AGG 275)
• Milford School is an infant school situated in the centre of the village of Milford, on the outskirts of Godalming. [22]
• Moss Lane School^[19]
• St Edmunds Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided parish school covering both primary and junior age ranges (4–11); it is linked to both St Edmund's Church in Godalming and to St Joseph's Church in Milford. The 2005 Ofsted report described it as "a good school with a well deserved reputation of providing a good standard of education".^[20](VA 100.1, AGG 282)
• Green Oak C of E Primary School, formerly St Mark's, currently covers just the first two year groups but will expand by a year group annually, it is in the Ockford Ridge area of Godalming.^[21]
• Witley C of E Infant School^[22]

Previous schools[link]

• Godalming Grammar School 1930 - 1978

Community[link]

Churches[link]

Godalming contains a number of churches from different denominations.

• Busbridge Church, formerly known as St John the Baptist Church, is an evangelical Anglican Church in Busbridge on the southern hill of Godalming. ^[23]
• Godalming Baptist Church is a baptist church right at the centre of Godalming. ^[24]
• St Peter and St Paul's is the Godalming Parish Church and is located at the end of Church Street.^[25]

Sport[link]

• Godalming Angling Society^[26] was founded in 1881 and has fishing rights to six lakes and the River Wey from Lower Eashing to Guildford
• Godalming Town F. C., which currently plays in the Ryman Division One South, level 8, of English football,^[27] was formed in 1950 and plays home games at Wey Court, Meadrow
• Old Carthusians F.C. of Charterhouse, which won the FA Cup in 1881 and later several FA amateur cups, was formed in 1876 and plays home games at Charterhouse School Playing Fields
• Cricket has been played in Godalming since at least 1767
  • Godalming Cricket Club [23] now plays at the Holloway Hill Recreation Ground
  • Farncomb Cricket Club [24]
• Guildford Rugby Club (formed in 2002 following the merger of Guildford & Godalming RFC and Old Guildfordians RFC) plays in the London 2 South West league at the Broadwater Sports Club in Godalming
• Flat Green Lawn Bowls [25] is played at three venues:
  • Godalming and Farncomb Bowls Club [26] plays at the Burys in central Godalming
  • Holloway Hill Bowls Club [27] plays at Holloway Recreation Ground
  • Milford Bowls Club [28] plays at Chapel Lane, Milford
• Contract Bridge is played at several venues:
  • Busbridge Duplicate Bridge Club [29] meets at the Busbridge Village Hall on three evenings a week
  • Godalming Bridge Club meets on Monday afternoons at the Milford Village Hall
  • Waverley Bridge Partnership [30](owned by Brian Richards and Rosemary Bayley) has two clubs offering workshops:
    • Holloway Hill Bridge Club meets on Tuesday afternoons at the Holloway Hill Recreation Ground [31] pavilion
    • Chapel Lane Bridge Club meets at the Clockhouse [32], Milford on Wednesday evenings
  • Clockhouse Bridge Club [33] meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for duplicate bridge

Theatre[link]

• Godalming Theatre Group is an amateur theatre company in Godalming. It performs three productions a year at the Ben Travers Theatre, Charterhouse School, Godalming: a spring musical, autumn drama or comedy, and a Christmas pantomime or show. It also runs a youth theatre group.^[28]

Community centres[link]

• The "Denningberg Centre for the Elderly" is named after Danny Denningberg MBE (1923–2011) a local politician that was honoured with the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Waverley in 2007. Denningberg was a community activist and fund raiser who served as a councillor on Godalming Borough Council in 1954 and then again from 1963 continuously through the formation of Waverley until 2003 when he retired. Denningberg had also been both Mayor of Godalming and Mayor of Waverley during his public career.^[29][30]
• The "Wilfrid Noyce Community Centre" in Godalming is named after Wilfrid Noyce (1917–1962), a master at Charterhouse and a mountaineer who was on the expedition that made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.^[31]
• The Clocktower, or Milford and Villages Day Centre, is a day centre for people over 50. The money to build it in 1997 was raised entirely from charitable donations and local fundraising.^[32]

Godalming is also home to the The National Autistic Society resource centre for the south east. And also NAS horizons day centre.

Town lottery[link]

The Godalming Town Lottery "GOLO" was launched in Godalming on 1 November 2008, by the Go-Godalming Association, a member of the Lotteries Council. Tickets, sold at local shops and pubs, cost £1 and the draw takes place on the last Saturday of every month. The first one was on Godalming Town Day, 29 November 2008, at the Pepperpot. It is considered to be the first town lottery of its kind. There are 17 prizes, ranging from £500 to £10. Profits are donated to local causes, beginning with the Bandstand roof fund. GOLO is a community lottery for the Godalming Community. The first independent town lottery in the country has now turned three years old. GOLO has given away more than £18,000 to local causes and more than £30,000 in cash prizes. To celebrate, GOLO launched another easy way to buy GOLOs each month—Standing Orders.^[33]

Shopping[link]

In a charter dated 7 June 1300, King Edward I granted the Bishop of Salisbury the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair in the town.^{[citation needed]} Godalming remains a typical English market town, with a market every Friday and a selection of independent and national retailers selling clothing for all ages, shoes, watches, jewellery, fine art, books, gifts, stationery, music, guitars, computers, photography, pine furniture, antiques, flowers, hardware, food of all sorts, and household goods. In addition there are the ubiquitous banks, building societies, estate agents, travel agents, solicitors, accountants, employment agencies and charity shops. There are several pubs, restaurants and cafes, occasional visiting French and Italian markets, and an annual Godalming Food Festival.

Media[link]

The comic novel The Return of Reginald Perrin, by David Nobbs, contains the following footnote: "Note: It is believed that this book mentions Godalming more than any other book ever written, including A Social, Artistic and Economic History of Godalming by E. Phipps-Blythburgh." The novel was the second in a trilogy, adapted to become a hit TV series: The Return of Reginald Perrin.

Owing to its typically English appearance, attractive shop fronts and cobbled streets, the town has often been used as a backdrop for the shooting of various films and television programmes. In February 2006, High Street and Church Street, which runs from the Pepperpot to the parish church, was used in the production of The Holiday.

Notable people[link]

See also alumni of Godalming Grammar School and List of notable Old Carthusians

Numerous notable people were born in the town including: James Oglethorpe (born 1696), founder of the colony of Georgia; Julius Caesar (born 1830), cricketer; Aldous Huxley (born 1894), writer; Nick Clarke (born 1948), radio journalist and presenter; and Mick Mills (born 1949), footballer.

The radio operator of RMS Titanic, Jack Phillips, was born and lived in Farncombe but worked in Godalming. He is famed for remaining at his post, sending repeated distress calls, until the ship sank.^[34] Phillips is commemorated in a number of ways around the town, including a section of Godalming Museum, a memorial fountain, cloister and garden walk near the church (the largest Titanic memorial in the world), and a Wetherspoons pub named in his honour.

The architect Sir Edwin Lutyens began work in 1896 on a house at Munstead Wood, Godalming, for the garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. She died in 1932 and is buried in the churchyard of Busbridge Church, Godalming, next to her brother.

In the 19th century, judge James Wilde, 1st Baron Penzance lived at Eashing Park, Godalming.

In the 20th century, George Mallory, who later made a fatal attempt to scale Mount Everest, taught at Charterhouse School, and then lived in the town after marrying Ruth Turner. He died during the 1924 attempt, but Ruth and their three children remained in the area.

In the late 20th century, actor Terry-Thomas, comedic actor Terry Scott, actor Christopher Timothy, comedian Billy Dainty and the singer Alvin Stardust resided in the town. Dainty died at his house, "Cobblers", in the village on 19 November 1986.

The band Genesis was formed in 1967 by Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks while they were pupils at Charterhouse School.

Actor Sam Worthington was born in Godalming in 1976, before moving to Australia at a young age.

Significant people currently living in the town include the actress Rachel Hurd-Wood, Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole and his former wife Cheryl Cole, and football pundit Alan Hansen. Paul Merrett, a famous chef who has appeared several times on British TV, was a pupil at Rodborough.^[35]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Godalming Town Council
• Official Town Guide (includes history)
• Godalming Town Webcams
• Godalming Fire Station
• Photographs of Godalming
• Town museum
• Godalming aerial photographs
• The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site
• Live bus locations in Godalming.
• Football Club in Godalming.
• Godalming Theatre Group
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Godalming and surrounding area
• Lammas Lands, Godalming
• GOLO
• Godalming Electricity

v t e Towns, villages and hamlets in the Waverley District of Surrey, England Alfold Alford Crossways Badshot Lea Blackheath Bowlhead Green Bramley Brook Busbridge Chiddingfold Churt Compton Cranleigh Dippenhall Dockenfield Dunsfold Eashing Elstead Enton Ewhurst Farncombe Farnham Frensham Godalming Grayswood Hale Hambledon Hascombe Haslemere Heath End Hindhead Hurtmore Hydestile Lower Bourne Loxhill Milford Norney North Munstead Peper Harow Puttenham Ramsnest Common Rowledge Rowly Runwick Shackleford Shamley Green Shottermill Thorncombe Street Thursley Tilford Tuesley Wheelerstreet Witley Wonersh Wormley Wrecclesham

Coordinates: 51°11′48″N 0°37′21″W / 51.196552°N 0.622504°W / 51.196552; -0.622504

Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school (also referred to as a public school) situated at Godalming in Surrey.

Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield, it is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 which derived from the Clarendon Commission of 1864. Today pupils at Charterhouse are still referred to as Carthusians, and ex-pupils as Old Carthusians or OCs.

History[link]

In May 1611 the London Charterhouse came into the hands of Thomas Sutton (1532–1611) of Snaith, Lincolnshire. He acquired a fortune by the discovery of coal on two estates which he had leased near Newcastle-on-Tyne, and afterwards, removing to London, he carried on a commercial career. In 1611, the year of his death, he endowed a hospital on the site of the Charterhouse, calling it the hospital of King James, and in his will he bequeathed moneys to maintain a chapel, hospital (almshouse) and school. He died on 12 December and subsequently the will was hotly contested but upheld in court, and the foundation was finally constituted to afford a home for eighty male pensioners (gentlemen by descent and in poverty, soldiers that have borne arms by sea or land, merchants decayed by piracy or shipwreck, or servants in household to the King or Queens Majesty), and to educate forty boys.

Master's House at Charterhouse

Charterhouse established a reputation for excellence in hospital care and treatment, thanks in part to Henry Levett, an Oxford graduate who joined the school as a physician in 1712. Levett was widely esteemed for his medical writings, including an early tract on the treatment of smallpox. Levett was buried in Charterhouse Chapel and his widow married Andrew Tooke, the master of Charterhouse.^[1][2]

The school was moved to its present site in 1872 by the then headmaster, the Reverend Haig Brown — a decision influenced by the findings of the Clarendon Commission of 1864.^[3]

The school bought a 68 acre (270,000 m²) site atop a hill just outside Godalming. In addition to the main school buildings (designed by architect Philip Charles Hardwick), they constructed three boarding houses, known as Saunderites (once the headmaster's house, pronounced "sarnderites" rather than "sornderites"), Verites and Gownboys (for scholars, who were entitled to wear gowns). The school was built by Lucas Brothers.^[4] who also built the Royal Albert Hall and Covent Garden.

As pupil numbers grew, other houses were built alongside the approach road, now known as Charterhouse Hill. Each was titled with an adaptation of the name of their first housemaster, such as Weekites, Daviesites and Girdlestoneites. The last of these is still referred to as Duckites, reflecting the unusual gait of its original housemaster, even though he retired well over 100 years ago. There are now the original four 'old' houses plus seven 'new' houses, making eleven boarding houses in total. The eleven Houses have preserved a unique identity (each with its own tie and colours) and pupils compete against each other in both sports and the arts.

The school continued to expand over the 20th century. Further land was bought to the north and west, increasing the grounds to over 200 acres (809,000 m²), and a new school chapel was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (perhaps best known for designing the red telephone box) and consecrated in 1927 to commemorate almost 700 pupils who died in the First World War, making it the largest war memorial in England. Around 350 names have been subsequently added to commemorate those who died in the Second World War and other more recent conflicts. Most still attend a short chapel service there six times a week. The school also keeps a small archives library opposite the History block, where it is traditional for Fourths^[who?] to do an archives project about a particular Old Carthusian killed in the First World War.

Charterhouse was all male until the 1970s when girls were first admitted in the sixth form (the final two years), and this continues to be the case today. Of over 300 sixth formers today, almost a third are girls.

The most significant addition to the campus was seven new Houses, built in the 1970s, replacing late Victorian boarding houses which were demolished in 1977. Other newer buildings include the Art Studio, the John Derry Technology Centre, the Ben Travers Theatre, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Music Centre, the Halford Hewitt Golf Course, the Queen’s Sports Centre, the Sir Greville Spratt athletics track and Chetwynd, a hall of residence for girls. In 2003, the School renovated its onsite Library. 2006 saw the opening of The Beveridge Centre for the Social Sciences. In 2007, a new state of the art £3m Modern Languages building was completed.

Today[link]

Today, pupils can take part in a range of sporting activities. The former England batsmen and captain Peter May was educated at Charterhouse.

The school first XI of the year 2006-7 reached the ISFA cup final, losing on penalties after a one-all draw with Hampton. One year later, the school first XI again qualified for the ISFA cup final against Millfield. Because of poor weather conditions, it was decided that the match would be played on one of Charterhouse's pitches instead of the usual Walkers Stadium or the replacement at Wokingham F.C. stadium. The team won this match on penalties.

The school has a top 60 placing in the A level league tables, and in 2011 over 80% of pupils are awarded an A* or A grade at GCSE.^{[citation needed]} The school recently announced its decision to switch from A Levels to the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge Pre-U.^[5]

Martin Bicknell, the former Surrey and England seam bowler joined the school as head of cricket following his retirement from the sport in 2006.

In 2007, Roy Hattersley, former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and minister, reported on a visit to Charterhouse in the Guardian newspaper.^[6]. While reporting on the school chapel he noted in the article that 'Its geometric spires and minarets proclaim complete confidence that Charterhouse educates men who are destined to rule the universe.' Despite his apparent qualms about selective education, Hattersley also wrote in the article that 'Academically and pastorally, it is near to beyond criticism. And after only a brief glimpse of the school, I have no doubt that I would have been ecstatically happy there'. However, he went on to say that as Shadow Secretary of State for Education during the 1970s, he had said in a speech that his hope was 'initially to reduce and eventually to abolish fee-paying education in this country'. Concluding the article, he said 'my aspiration to end it all was totally justified'.

School terms[link]

There are three academic terms (known as Quarters) in the year,

• The Oration Quarter (OQ), from early September to mid December.
• The Long Quarter (LQ), from mid January to late March. Therefore, it traditionally had the distinction of being the shortest third of the school year, despite its name.
• The Cricket Quarter (CQ), from late April to late June or early July.

Houses[link]

This section uses abbreviations that may be confusing or ambiguous. Specific concerns may be found on the Talk page. Please improve this section if you can. (September 2011)

There are four old houses and seven new houses in White List (a directory of names) order. They are all distinguished by the colour of the pupils' ties, umbrellas and football team's stripes.

The four old houses are

• Saunderites - Orange (S), Housemaster: SPM Allen. Head of Spanish
• Verites - Light Blue (the tie also has broad grey/silver stripes that make it look grey/silver overall - these were supposedly added to distinguish it from a tie at another school)(V), Housemaster: N Hadfield. Teaches French, German, Chinese and Russian.
• Gownboys - Dark Red (G), Housemaster: MLJ Blatchly. Director of Choral Music.
• Girdlestonites - Silver (g (not G, see Gownboys)), Housemaster: BP Thurston. Head of Modern Languages, teaches German and French.

The seven "new" houses (so-called because they are in more modern (1970s) buildings, which replaced older (1870s) buildings, which were mainly on the other side of the valley) are:

• Lockites - Light Green (L), Housemaster: A Johnston. Teaches History.
• Weekites - Light Red (W), Housemaster: KD Brown. Assistant Director of Sport and Outdoor Education Co-ordinator.^[7] Teaches Geography.
• Hodgesonites - Dark Blue (H), Housemaster: DG Wright. Head of Brass.
• Daviesites - Dark Green (D), Housemaster: JFA Tully. Teaches physics
• Bodeites - Old Gold (B), Housemaster: JS Hazeldine. Head of Business Studies.
• Pageites - Lilac (As distinguished from the pink in the official school colours) (P), Housemaster: NS Pelling. Teaches History.
• Robinites - Purple (R), Housemaster: ST Hearn. Teaches physics.

In addition, a new Day house, Fletcherites, named after Frank Fletcher, a former headmaster, was opened in autumn 2010. Fletcherites's Housemaster is I de Visme and the house colour is Light Blue (as compared to Hodgesonites' Dark Blue). The house moved into the old Great Comp building, now renovated. Verites, Saunderites and Gownboys houses predate the move to Godalming in 1872 and are known as the "block" houses. However, Girdlestoneites is now treated as one of the "old houses" because it, along with Verites, Saunderites and Gownboys, are the only houses still in their 1870s buildings, while all the rest are in their 1970s replacements. Saunderites is named after its first Housemaster Dr. Saunders (Headmaster 1832-53) and it was the Headmaster's house, in that the headmaster would not only run the school but one of the houses. Unfortunately, the dramatic increase in the size of the school and the increasing difficulties in running such a school have meant that the Headmaster can no longer do this. Gownboys was named not after their original housemaster, but because it was the scholars' house, although scholars were distributed across all the houses after the transfer to Godalming. As was tradition, scholars wore gowns with their uniform and were treated as superior to other boys. There is no longer such a tradition and the scholars are now distributed throughout the various houses, on a random but numerically equal basis. There are still scholars in Gownboys, but in no greater proportion than any other house.

Verites is a contraction of Oliverites (Oliver Walford, School Usher 1838-55) and hence 'Verites' is pronounced as if the 'Ver' is from Oliver not as from 'very'. The records of the house run back to the start of the last century, but previously it was just called 'Boarders House No.2'. Girdlestonites' first housemaster was Frederick Girdlestone, who was said to walk like a duck. Girdlestonites has therefore been unofficially known as 'Duckites' ever since, but since this was 'insulting' slang it was never written down or used officially. This latter restriction has now largely fallen by the wayside and even the school magazine uses Duckites in print occasionally.

All new Houses apart from Bodeites are named after their founders (although Robinites was originally Robinsonites). Bodeites was originally Buissonites, named after the Head of Languages at the time. He ran off with the matron, and so the house was renamed Bodeites after the replacement, Mr Bode.^[8] This did lead to some confusion at the time of naming the houses because some housemasters moved to houses named after their colleagues.

Robinites was a 'passage house' when the school first moved to Godalming and boys stayed there for no more than two years until they could be transferred to one of the other houses. It now has normal status. There was also another passage house known as Laleham, but this has ceased to exist.

All pupils belong to one of the 11 houses, and boarding boys will sleep in their house. Charterhouse has traditionally had very few day boys. In the 1870s the statutes of the school limited them to 10 (excluding sons of masters) and even in the late 1980s the number was only around 25 (some of whom were the sons of masters). Boarding girls are assigned a House and are fully involved in House life but at night, they sleep in halls of residence (e.g. Chetwynd) which are not treated as houses. These halls of residence are more modern than the 'new' Houses.

Teachers belong to Brooke Hall (the teachers' common room building).

Uskites was a temporary house opened in 1872 by Mr Stewart, the writing and chemistry instructor from the old Charterhouse. It was closed in 1878 and the pupils redistributed. The building itself (on Peperharow Road) was bought by a schoolmaster, and later used by the School as a sanatorium. It is now masters' accommodation. Mr Stewart named the house because he likened the valley of the River Wey (where the house lies) with the valley of the River Usk.

Memorial Chapel[link]

The Memorial Chapel

Memorial Chapel, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and consecrated in 1927, commemorates the Carthusians who died in action: 700 in World War I and 350 in World War II. The whole School meets here five days each week for a short service at 8:30 am, and on Sundays for Evensong, Matins, or a School Eucharist. On Sundays, when there is an Evening service, Catholic pupils may instead attend Mass in the Founder's Chapel. Parents are welcome at Sunday services, but tickets are required for Remembrance Sunday and the Carol Service.

Friday morning chapel is reserved for congregational singing practice, and Wednesday morning chapel is voluntary. Attendance at all other chapel services are compulsory, except where individual exemptions are granted on religious grounds.

Chapel provides a variety of worship experience: hymn-singing; Psalm chanting; the choir performs a repertoire of Church Music; Candle-lit Carols; Eucharists in Millennium Chapel; Remembrance Sunday with the sounding of The Last Post and The Silence.

Each year there is a Confirmation Service in late January and pupils from any year group except the Fourths (who hadn't been at the school when it was open to sign up) can be prepared for this.

The school retains the old chapel used by the school prior to 1927. However, when the school first moved to Godalming even this was not built, and the pupils walked the 2 miles to Shackleford Church. Pupils ever since have benefited, because the time taken for the walk ruled out the continuance of Sunday school, which ran from 10am to 10:30 on Sundays, which has remained a non-teaching day ever since.

Traditions[link]

Uniform[link]

• Under School

The Lower School consists of the first three years of attendance at Charterhouse, being the Fourth Form, the Removes and the Fifth Form (GCSE year). Pupils in Lower School wear a weekday uniform consisting of a white or blue shirt, house tie, grey trousers, blue jumper, tweed jacket and leather shoes. Sunday dress consists of a dark suit of pinstriped or plain design. A waistcoat is optional. Variations include various society and school honours' ties.

Transition from the Lower School to the Upper School occurs upon successful completion of the GCSE exams.

• Specialists ('The Upper School')

The Specialists (Lower and Upper Sixth Forms) constitute the last two years of attendance at Charterhouse, and form the Upper School. Having completed the GCSE exams successfully, 'First & Second Year Specialists' (as they are colloquially referred) spend two years studying for their 'A-Level' examinations, usually in three subjects, although some students will read for four or five.

Specialists have their own variations on School Dress. Instead of a tweed jacket, Specialists wear a navy blue blazer with gold or blue buttons on the sleeves. Sunday dress remains the same as in the Lowerer School. Historically, those in Gownboys were permitted to wear gowns as a mark of their scholarly status, but this is no longer permitted, as Gownboys is not the only house in which scholars reside. Specialists may also wear pink shirts and silver or nickel cuff-links.

Whether in Lower or Upper School, any pupil who has been awarded his House or School 'Colours' for sport or culture, may wear his 'Colours' tie in place of his house tie. School monitors may also wear their monitor tie instead of a house tie, if they so choose. For further on this, please see below, under "School Honours".

• Summer Dresses

During Cricket Quarter, the school uniform can vary slightly from that of the two preceding terms. Boys may wear cravats in house colours instead of ties and are permitted to wear straw Boaters similar to the 'Harrow Hat' found at Harrow School, but these are almost never worn by the majority of pupils. Boys in the Under School may also wear navy blazers similar to those worn by the Specialists. As well as these variations, boys may roll up their sleeves in hashes unless asked not to by a beak.

Members of the 1st XI Cricket Team have their own variation on summer dress which is described later in the article.

• School Honours

School Honours is the Colours system rewarding pupils in various fields with variations on school dress. They are as follows:

House Colours - House colours are a variation on the house tie. Colours awarded for house sport prowess have thicker stripes in the House colour, whereas those awarded for cultural prowess have thin doubled striped.

School Colours - School colours are awarded for services to School sport, culture and other areas deemed worthy. They all have a similar design and are covered in Sutton's Crests (The crest of Thomas Sutton). However, they come in varying colours:

The Head of School - The Head of School (head boy) is permitted to wear a Pink tie ordained with Sutton Crests, sometimes reversed. 1st XI Major Sports: Members of the 1st Team in major school sports (Football, Hockey and Cricket) are permitted to wear Maroon ties. Minor Sports: Holders of colours in Minor Sports are permitted to wear a silver tie covered in Sutton Hospital Crests. Academic/Scholars: Holders of Academic or Scholars colours are permitted to wear a Cambridge Blue tie or bow tie with Sutton Crests. Culture: Those deemed worthy enough in cultural fields are permitted to wear a purple tie. Service: Brown ties are awarded for commendable service to the school community. Most frequently they are awarded by the CCF.

2nd XI Cricket - Members of the 1st XI Cricket team are permitted to wear Pink Blazers with Sutton's Crest on the front pocket to Hashes on match days (usually Saturdays).

Greyhounds - Every year a few Carthusians are given Greyhound awards for outstanding service to the school. Those awarded the prize are permitted to wear a navy blue tie with rampant gold greyhounds.

Songs[link]

One of the traditions in Charterhouse is the singing of school songs. Many were written by teachers such as William Haig Brown and Old Carthusians such as Ralph Vaughan Williams. It is the tradition to sing Jerusalem on the last Chapel service of term. C.V. Stanford's setting of the Nunc Dimittis in B flat is sung the most throughout the year.

.

Events[link]

Carthusian Day is the main social event of the school calendar. It is held on day preceding the Exeat in CQ and Sunday dress is worn. The day is intended for the Old Carthusians and the parents of Carthusians to visit the school. Speeches are made and Sports events played: including the annual Football, Cricket and Gold matches between Carthusians and Old Carthusians. It also gives parents the chance to see their sons' and daughters' work (such as the traditional Archives project done by Fourths on old Carthusians killed in World War I).

Founder's Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the founding of the school and to thank the founder and benefactor Thomas Sutton. It is considered one of the most important days of the year and is held on the last day of OQ. The day consists of 'clearing up' in houses before 'Founders Feast', a large feast for the whole school where Black Tie is worn. The feast is followed by games and activities.

St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by an annual ball hosted by the historical 'Scottish Dancing society. On St. Andrews Day pupils are permitted to wear traditional Scottish dress including a Kilt, Ghillies and a Sporran.

'The 50 Mile Walk' is an annual event for the 1st Year specialists held at the end of CQ. It consists of walking a 50-mile (80 km) stretch from Brighton to the Brooke Hall arch and taking regular Hashes the next day. The March originates from the 1950s when the American Navy SEALs challenged the School, saying that only they could walk 50 miles (80 km) and go to work the next day. Those who complete the walk in less than 24 Hours are awarded a special '50' tie, which until 2006 consisted of a navy blue tie with the school crest that has a '50' written below it. The current tie is a thickly striped affair in Pink (for the school), Green (for the countryside) and Blue (for the night)

Leavers Day is the last day of CQ when the Second Year Specialists come to the end of their school careers. After the Leavers Chapel, the entire school does 2 lap around 'Green' while several men dressed in Scottish traditional Scottish dress play the bagpipes. The leaving Second Year Specialists do an extra lap signifying their loyalty to the school.

'Lack of Talent' is an annual show of Carthusian musical talent and sketches run entirely by pupils and held in the BTT during the start of LQ. It is usually hosted by a two second year Specialists and acts are selected by a panel of pupils in the Second Year Specialists. Such acts are predominantly music based, however comedy sketches have become increasingly popular (as they were a large part of the original Lack of Talent in 2000) with many of the staff looking forward to the Brooke Hall parody sketch that has become a regular feature. It is one of the few productions in the school's theatre that students and visitors have to pay a fee to see, originally with the concept this would go to global, less obvious charities and raise peoples awareness of their causes.

Monitors[link]

Monitors are chosen pupils who are deemed to have the best qualities in leadership and achievement. Each house has at least one monitor, who is appointed Head of House (the most senior pupil in house). On a school-wide level one monitor is appointed the Head of School, and a deputy is appointed to assist. Monitors may wear Navy blue ties and Navy scarves with an embroidered crest. Monitors are also permitted to ride bikes to and from hashes as well as out of Hash time.

House Apostles[link]

The Headmaster's Essay Society, also known as the 'House Apostles' is a historical society of twelve elite Carthusians deemed to be the most intellectual in the school. They are invited by the Headmaster to present papers on chosen subjects on Monday evenings and meetings are held in the Headmaster's House. All members wear Cambridge Blue Academic ties or scarves.

Calling Over[link]

In the traditional ceremony of Calling Over, the form master presents his class to the Master of the Under School, who praises those who have shown good effort, and discourages the less hard-working. Specialists are also awarded regular grades for attainment and effort, which are scrutinised by the Master of the Specialists. Parents receive detailed reports at the end of each Quarter, and have a formal opportunity to meet their son's or daughter's teachers every year to discuss progress. The Higher Education and Careers Department provides guidance and training throughout the process of selecting and applying to university.

Origins of football[link]

Charterhouse has an historic joint claim to having founded Association Football, which remains the main Winter sport at the school. During the 1840s at both Charterhouse and Westminster School pupils' surroundings meant they were confined to playing their football in the cloisters, making the rough and tumble of the handling game that was developing at other schools such as Rugby impossible, and necessitating a new code of rules. During the formulation of the rules of the Association Football in the 1860s representatives of Charterhouse and Westminster School pushed for a passing game, in particular rules that allowed forward passing ("passing on"). Other schools (in particular Eton College, Shrewsbury School and Harrow) favoured a dribbling game with a tight off-side rule. It is claimed that Stoke Ramblers was formed in 1863 when former pupils of Charterhouse School formed a football club while apprentices at the North Staffordshire Railway works in Stoke-on-Trent.^[9] By 1867 the Football Association had chosen in favour of the Charterhouse and Westminster game and adopted a "loose" off-side rule that permitted forward passing.^[10] The modern forward-passing game was a direct consequence of Charterhouse and Westminster Football.

In the early years of the FA Cup, teams formed of ex-pupils from these schools dominated the competition. The Old Carthusians F.C. (the name for the team composed of Charterhouse alumni) won the cup in the 1880/81 season, beating the Old Etonians in the final, and were semi-finalists in the two years that followed. The public school system also provided many of the first England internationals. They included Charles Wreford-Brown, who is often credited for inventing the word "soccer". He was a pupil at Charterhouse in the early 1880s, and played football for the Old Carthusians and for the national side in the 1890s, including several appearances as captain.

During the past few years, Charterhouse has performed well in the Independent Schools Football Association cup. In 2007, Charterhouse were runners-up but in 2008 they were able to beat Millfield and win the cup. They had another success in 2010 with a 2-0 victory in the final over Eton College.

Cricket ground[link]

The first recorded match on the school cricket ground came in 1859, when the school played Marlborough College. From its inception, the school has used the ground to take on a number of prestigious colleges in England.^[11] The cricket ground has held a single List-A match, which was played between Surrey and Warwickshire in the 1972 John Player League.^[12] Starting in 2006, the ground has held a number of Surrey Second XI fixtures in the Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.^[13][14]

Herbarium[link]

The School's Herbarium carries the Index Herbariorum designation GOD and is maintained as The Charterhouse School Herbarium^[15] in the University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley. The scope of the collections are principally the British Isles, the principle collectors being James Edward Moxon, Rev. George Brown Moxon, Rev. Tullie Cornthwaite, Rev. Samuel Titmas (1st Curator - Charterhouse Museum), Frederick Yorke Brocas, William Gardiner and John Drew Salmon. The collections are currently being digitized and being released by the Botanical Society of the British Isles, on the herbaria@home^[16] website.

Fees[link]

Day fees at Charterhouse are £25,242 per annum, whilst Boarding fees (including accommodation and food) are £30,534 per annum.^[17] There is some contention as to the most expensive public school in England, partly due to the fact that fees vary from year to year, and partly due to whether one is comparing day fees or boarding fees. A survey by Forbes described Charterhouse as the second most expensive boarding school in England after Eton,^[18] whilst a survey by the Telegraph found Charterhouse to have the second highest day fees in England.^[19]

Criticism and controversy[link]

In November 2005, the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel, exposed by The Times newspaper, although the schools made clear that they had not realised that the change to the law (which had happened only a few months earlier) about the sharing of information had subsequently made it an offence.^[20] 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.^[21] However, Mrs Jean Scott, the head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, 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 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."^[22]

In August 2010, former English footballer Gary Lineker publicly accused Charterhouse of failing to get his son, George, into university.^[23] Lineker claimed that the school had used him as a 'guinea pig'^[24][25] by ditching A-Levels for the new Cambridge Pre-U.^[26] The school reacted by saying it was proud of its students' results.^[27] John Witheridge, the headmaster at Charterhouse, strongly defended the choice of the Pre-U as being more academically rigorous and educationally valid than the current A-Level standard, in an article in The Spectator in August 2010.^[28]

Headmasters[link]

Notable Old Carthusians[link]

Former pupils are referred to as Old Carthusians, and current pupils as Carthusians.

Victoria Cross holders[link]

Three Old Carthusians have won the Victoria Cross:

• Victoria Cross
  • Hunza-Nagar Expedition, India
    • Lieutenant Guy Hudleston Boisragon, VC (At Charterhouse from Oration Quarter (OQ) (Autumn Term)1878 to OQ 1880). He later achieved the rank of Brigadier. (1864–1931)
  • Mohmand Campaign, Bilot, India
    • Lieutenant James Morris Colquhoun Colvin, VC, (At Charterhouse from Cricket Quarter (CQ) (Summer Term) 1884 to CQ 1888). He later achieved the rank of Colonel. (1870–1945)
  • First World War
    • Lieutenant Eric Archibald McNair, VC (At Charterhouse from CQ 1907 to CQ 1913 - was Head of the School). He later achieved the rank of Captain. (1894–1918)

See also[link]

• List of Victoria Crosses by School

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has original text related to this article: List of Carthusians, 1800-1879

• Charterhouse School website
• Profile on ISC website
• ISI Inspection Reports
• Latest (2004) boarding inspection report by Ofsted
• Website in memory of the school's architect, P.C.Hardwick
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide
• Hay Tod, Alexander. Charterhouse. Archived 2008.