Ellesmere College is a public school (English private co-educational boarding and day school) located in Shropshire, near the market town of Ellesmere. Belonging to the Woodard Corporation, it was founded in 1884 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard.
The Woodard Corporation is a significant charity. Today, Woodard educates over 30,000 pupils across academy, private, and state-maintained schools.
The College consists of a Lower School (Years 3-8), a Middle School (Years 9-11) and a Sixth Form (Year 12-13) where students can choose their own A-Level, BTEC, and International Baccalaureate subjects.
History
The College was founded in 1879 by Canon Nathaniel Woodard as a boys' school in association with the Church of England, with the 114-acre (460,000 m2) land being provided by Lord Brownlow. Originally called St. Oswald's School, the building was designed by Richard Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow, and the College opened on 5 August 1884 with 70 boys and four masters. The College-based itself on Anglo-Catholic values within a traditional public school framework, with the aim of providing education at a low cost for the sons of families with limited finances.
Despite the school's Christian foundation, there was no permanent chapel until 1926, and a temporary chapel operated in the crypt beneath the dining hall. In 1926, an official chapel was designed by Sir Aston Webb, but only the first portion was built in 1928. Modified plans were then drawn up in 1932 by Sir Charles Nicholson, and the building was completed in 1959. Unfortunately, the newly completed chapel and dining hall were then destroyed by a fire in 1966. They were both reopened in 1969, and building work continued at the College throughout the 1970s, including new classrooms and additional boarding accommodation.
During World War II, the College stored a number of notable paintings from the Walker Art Gallery including Dante's Dream. Additionally, in 1978, the College became the location for the filming of Absolution, starring Richard Burton and was also the first film role for Billy Connolly, though the chapel scenes were filmed at Pinewood and Bradfield College.
Since 1980, the College has been home to a Schulze Organ, originally installed at St Mary's Parish Church, Tyne Dock.
Coat of Arms
Arms were granted to "Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas Corporation Trustee" for the use of Ellesmere College on 12 April 1954, the cost of the grant being met by the Old Boys' Association. The grant is kept displayed in a case fastened to the wall of ante-chapel.
The blazon (heraldic description) means that the shield is divided per chevron, the upper part being purple (Purpure) and the lower part being gold (Or). The Celestial Crowns have eight points, five of which are conventionally shown in the illustration and each end in a star. They are "of the last" tincture mentioned, that is, gold, and are horizontally arranged (fesswise). At the top of the shield (In Chief), is a golden cross with each limb ending in a fleur-de-lis (Flory), and at the base of the shield is a raven in its natural colours (Proper) holding a golden ring (Annulet) in its beak. The wreath is the conventional representation of the twisted band of material that is the principal metal and colour of the shield, in this case, gold and purple, which was worn around the helmet and helped to bind the crest mantling to it. The mantling represents the cloth worn over the back of the helmet and body-armour to prevent overheating by the sun. The crest is a raven, as in the Arms, standing on a grassy mound.