60 Years Of Princethorpe College

08 Sep

This academic year Princethorpe College will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee. Marking 60 years since the College, situated in the village of Princethorpe, midway between Leamington Spa and Rugby, was founded.

St Mary’s Priory, Princethorpe, was originally home to a community of Benedictine nuns. The priory was built in Victorian times, in the 1830s. The nuns had fled France in 1792 during the French Revolution and had led a somewhat nomadic life living first in London, then Norfolk, Wakefield and subsequently Wigan. When they finally settled in Princethorpe their plan was to build something akin to their original home left back in Montargis in France.

The beautiful gothic chapel at Princethorpe was designed by Peter Paul Pugin and finally finished in 1901. The iconic red brick Princethorpe Tower, which is the school’s modern-day emblem, will be familiar to many as it can be seen from miles around.

The nuns led a contemplative life and ran a small girls’ boarding school but by 1965, pupil numbers were falling, as well as those taking vocations, so the sisters sold the property and looked for a smaller one. It was most fortunate that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC), who operated an independent Roman Catholic boys’ school, St Bede’s College, on Binswood Avenue, Leamington Spa, were at that very time looking for larger premises. The MSC purchased the priory buildings, 200 acres of land, with a farm, orchards, a man-made lake called ‘Switzerland’ and a number of houses, and Princethorpe College was born.

The new school term commenced in September 1966. The College’s first Headmaster was Killarney-born Father John Kevin Fleming MSC, who had led St Bede’s for the previous four years and in Princethorpe College’s first year he was responsible for 12 priests, 17 lay staff and 197 boys. The pupils followed a traditional curriculum taught mainly by the MSC clergy many of whom were keen on their sport, so the boys enjoyed plenty of cricket, tennis and basketball. In the early days, everybody was required to change into ‘house shoes’ as they came into the building.

The school was opened officially on Wednesday 26 April 1967. The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev. George Patrick Dwyer, celebrated an inaugural Mass attended by 400 people, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Liverpool and Ireland. The Archbishop thanked the MSC for having had the boldness and courage for this new venture and said it would have been a tragedy if the priory buildings had fallen into ruins. He added that the boys’ education should not be limited to academic training; that developing a pupil’s character was also important. The Archbishop also presented the Princethorpe Shield (still presented annually to this day) to its first recipient, Charles Crowley, who had demonstrated an outstanding contribution to school life.

The College was successful and grew and in time the school became a co-educational day school, in 1976 girls were first admitted to the Sixth Form, then in 1995 girls were finally admitted to all years.

Being a worldwide community, the MSC eventually decided to withdraw from Princethorpe and a lay trust was established.

Over the years the school buildings have been developed with a Sports Hall in 1979, a dedicated Sixth Form Centre in 2008 and The Limes classroom block in 2014. Most recently, a new state-of-the-art Science Centre with ten laboratories opened in 2023.

In 2001, the College merged with St Joseph’s, a girls’ Catholic school in Kenilworth, the older girls transferred to Princethorpe while St Joseph’s became a co-educational junior school known as Crackley Hall School complete with its own nursery, Little Crackers. In 2016, the Foundation expanded further with the addition of the Crescent School, in Rugby, a junior school with its own long history, educating the children of the Rugby School masters. The majority of the pupils attending the two Prep schools now progress on to the College for secondary education. Across its schools, the Foundation now caters for 1,350 pupils from 9-months to 18-years-old.

The strong Catholic ethos of love and kindness and a ‘Spirit of Family’, exemplified by the MSC, is still an integral part of the Foundation today.

For its Diamond Jubilee year, the school has a series of exciting events planned. Its celebrations began back in May when the 125^th anniversary of the consecration of Our Lady of the Angels Chapel reflected on the pivotal role it has played in the life of the school. In early September, a Diamond Jubilee Ball will welcome current and former pupils, parents and staff from across the years to mark the 60^th anniversary of the College’s opening.

On Sunday 20 September, the College is offering free guided tours as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme. Visitors will find out more about the history of the buildings. Find out more here:.

Then, over the course of the academic year, a celebratory concert will take place at The Bradshaw Hall at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and a 40-mile walking pilgrimage will challenge former pupils, parents and staff to lace up their boots for the charity Mary’s Meals. The culmination of the year will be a two-day festival of music, entertainment, stalls and food, Princefest II, will be held in the College grounds in late June 2027. Register your interest in attending this event here.

All those who have a link to the school are encouraged to contact the alumni team at oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk or to sign up at Princethorpe Connect here to find out more about events for past pupils, staff and parents this year.

While the school archivist, Jo Wong, is on a mission to collect stories, photos and archive material connected to the school. She can be contacted by email at archives@princethorpe.co.uk

Scroll through the gallery to view photos from across Princethorpe's 60 years: