Canford School

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Canford Manor was particularly associated with John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster – the third of five surviving sons of Edward III of England. The Duke exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority of Richard II's reign, and the ensuing periods of political strife. Records suggest the Canford Manor was used as a principal residence of John of Gaunt for some time. Of that early period, only the Norman church and 14th century refectory known as John O' Gaunt's Kitchen remains. The main building, constituting the nucleus of the school, was designed by Edward Blore and later by Sir Charles Barry in the early and mid 1800s. The school itself was founded in 1923, having been "provided with a nucleus of boys and staff from a small private school in Weston-super-Mare".{{cite web|title=Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Volumes 94-99, 1973, Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, Archaeology|year= 1973|page= 153|access-date=11 March 2018|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-0qAAAAMAAJ&q=%22canford+school+was+founded%22}}

In 2024, 73% of pupils achieved grades 9–7 at GCSE, and 53% of pupils achieved A*/A at A level (53% of pupils achieved A*-A).{{Cite web |last=Bryan |date=2024-01-25 |title=Canford School: Explore Reviews, Rankings, Fees, And More |url=https://britannia-study.co.uk/boarding-schools/canford-school-review/ |access-date=3 February 2025|website=Britannia UK}}

{{As of|2024}}, the school's most recent integrated inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate was in 2012. The headline judgement for each section except Governance was Excellent; the headline judgement for Governance was Good. There was a focussed inspection of compliance, jointly with educational quality, in 2018. All compliance standards were met, and educational quality and children's personal development were judged excellent. There was a regulatory compliance inspection in 2022, at which the school was found to meet all the standards.{{cite web |title=Canford School |url=https://www.isi.net/school/canford-school-6308 |website=Inspection reports |publisher=Independent Schools Inspectorate |access-date=27 January 2024}}

File:Canford Assyrian frieze.jpg

In 1992, a lost Assyrian stone relief was rediscovered on the wall of "the Grubber".{{cite book| editor-first=John Malcolm | editor-last=Russell | title=From Nineveh to New York: The strange story of the Assyrian reliefs in the Metropolitan Museum and the hidden masterpiece at Canford School | url=https://archive.org/details/fromninevehtonew00john | url-access=registration | publisher=New Haven/London: Yale University Press; New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=1997 | isbn=978-0-300-06459-9 }} Although it is at first sight rather unlikely that such a valuable item should be found on the wall of a school tuck shop, the history of the school explains how the relief came to be there. It had been brought back from the site of Nimrud in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) by Sir Austen Henry Layard along with other antiquities which were displayed at Canford before it was a school. Originally Canford had been a private country house (known as Canford Manor), designed by Edward Blore and improved by Sir Charles Barry, and the residence of Layard's cousin and mother-in-law, Lady Charlotte Guest and her husband, Sir John Josiah Guest. At that time, the building now known as the Grubber had been used to display antiquities and was known as "the Nineveh Porch". It was however believed by the school authorities to be a plaster copy of an original which had been lost overboard during river transit and little attention was paid to it after the school was established. A dartboard was even hung in the Grubber close to where the frieze was displayed. It was John Russell of Columbia University who identified the frieze as an original, one of a set of three relief slabs taken from the throne room of Assyrian King Assurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). A new plaster copy now stands in the foyer of the Layard Theatre at Canford and a number of "Assyrian Scholarships" are available, funded from the sale proceeds which also helped pay for the construction of a new sports facility.{{cite web|url=https://www.canford.com/Assyrian-Frieze |title=Assyrian Frieze | Canford School |publisher=Canford.com |access-date=2018-02-18}}

The original relief is now part of the collection of the Miho Museum in Japan.{{cite book| first=Judith | last=McKenzie | title=Canford School | chapter=10 | work=Russell | year=1997 | pages=173–189 }}{{cite journal| first=Samuel M. | last=Paley | title=A winged genius and royal attendant from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud | journal=Bulletin of the Miho Museum | volume=2 | year=1999 | pages=17–29, Plate 1 }}

The Layard Theatre is situated inside Canford School and is open to the public.{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/canfordschool/docs/layard_theatre_2021_22|title=Layard Theatre Programme Autumn / Winter/ Summer Terms 2021-22|date=2 November 2021 |accessdate=17 January 2024}}

Since September 2010 Canford School is the sponsor of The Bourne Academy, a state-funded school in Bournemouth.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebourneacademy.com/page/?title=Canford+School&pid=15|title=Canford School|website=The Bourne Academy}}

The school is one of four in the United Kingdom with a real tennis court (the others being The Oratory, Radley and Wellington College). It is unique among these schools in that its court dates back to 1879 when it was a country house, whereas the others have all been newly built for the schools since 1990.{{cite web|url=https://thesporting.blog/blog/real-tennis-courts-in-the-uk|title=Real Tennis Courts in the UK|website=The Sporting Blog}}

The school has a rowing club, the Canford School Boat Club, which is based on the River Stour. The club is affiliated to British Rowing (boat code CAN){{cite web|url=https://www.britishrowing.org/club/canford-school-bc/|title=Club details|website=British Rowing}} and has produced three British champion crews at the 2002 British Rowing Championships,{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0502445903/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=5a02c165|title="The results service." Times, 22 July 2002, p. 26|newspaper=The Times|date=22 July 2002 |page=26 }} 2008 British Rowing Championships{{cite web|url=http://britchamps.org/sites/default/files/resultsarchive/ressun2008.html|title=2008 archive of results|website=Web Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206055635/http://britchamps.org/sites/default/files/resultsarchive/ressun2008.html|archive-date=6 December 2016}} and 2010 British Rowing Championships.{{cite web|url=http://britchamps.org/sites/default/files/resultsarchive/res10sun.html|title=2010 Championships – Results of Sunday Racing|website=British Rowing Championships|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206055602/http://britchamps.org/sites/default/files/resultsarchive/res10sun.html|archive-date=6 December 2016}}

{{See also|Category:People educated at Canford School}}

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Former pupils of Canford School are known as Old Canfordians.

Notable alumni include:

• The Very Reverend Henry Lloyd (1911–2001), Anglican priest, Dean of Truro{{cite web|url=https://www.canford.com/prospective-parents/about-the-school/history-archive/notable-alumni|title=Notable alumni|publisher=Canford School|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Stephen Ward (1912–1963), osteopath involved in the Profumo affair{{cite news|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/trial-christine-keeler-how-torquay-3693008|title=The Trial of Christine Keeler: How Torquay vicar's son Stephen Ward rocked the British establishment|date=5 January 2020|newspaper=Devon Live|access-date=21 April 2022}}
• Hector Maclean (1913–2007), decorated RAF officer during Battle of Britain
• Sir George Clark, 3rd Baronet (1914–1991), Unionist politician in Northern Ireland
• Sir Ralph Verney, 5th Baronet (1915–2001) British Army Officer and Politician{{cite news |date=30 August 2001 |title=Sir Ralph Verney Bt |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1338879/Sir-Ralph-Verney-Bt.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |access-date=27 October 2015 }}
• Sir Ashley Bramall (1916–1999), leader of the Inner London Education Authority, 1970–1981
• The Baron Maclean (1916–1990), Chief Scout of the United Kingdom, 1959–1971, Chief Scout of the Commonwealth, 1959–1975, and Lord Chamberlain, 1971–1984
• Lieutenant Colonel Hilary Hook (1917–1990), Soldier and 'Home from the Hill' star{{cite web|url=https://doublereds.org.au/history/men-of-the-22/attached_personnel/hilary-hook-r775/|title=Hilary Hook|date=12 June 2019 |publisher=2/2 Commando Association of Australia|access-date=21 April 2022}}
• Ted Cooke-Yarborough (1918–2013) physicist and WW2 radar and computer pioneer{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/technology-obituaries/9972656/Ted-Cooke-Yarborough.html|title=Obituaries: Ted Cooke-Yarborough|work=The Daily Telegraph| date=4 April 2013|access-date=5 April 2013 | location=London}}
• Paul Feiler (1918–2013), abstract artist
• Mike Randall (1919–1999), editor of the Daily Mail and Sunday Times
• David Sheldrick (1919–1977), Anglo-Kenyan conservationist
• John Barnes (1920–2008), Historian{{cite web |last1=Barnes |first1=David |title=John Barnes: Authority on the early days of film who with his brother created an unparalleled cinema collection |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-barnes-authority-on-the-early-days-of-film-who-with-his-brother-created-an-unparalleled-cinema-collection-856920.html |website=The Independent |date=29 June 2008 |access-date=26 December 2021}}
• Peter Hare (1920–2001), cricketer{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/14534.html |title=Player profile: Peter Hare |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|accessdate=2020-05-05}}
• Rear Admiral John Templeton-Cotill (1920–2011), Naval Officer{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/8571454/Rear-Admiral-John-Templeton-Cotill.html|title=Obituary: Rear-Admiral John Templeton-Cotill|work=The Telegraph|location=London|date=12 June 2011|accessdate=8 February 2015}}
• The Baron Monro of Langholm (1922–2006), Conservative politician{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/5298298.stm | title = Long-serving MP Lord Monro dies | publisher = BBC News | date = 30 August 2006 }}
• Michael Medwin (1923–2020), actor{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/28/michael-medwin-obituary|title=Michael Medwin obituary|first=Brian|last=Baxter|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 February 2020|location=London}}
• Alexander Paton (1924–2015), physician and author of ABC of Alcohol{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/27/alex-paton-obituary|title=Alex Paton obituary|last=Richmond|first=Caroline|date=27 September 2015|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=4 September 2019|issn=0261-3077}}
• Stuart Symington (1926–2009), cricketerJeater D (2020) County Cricket: Sundry Extras (second edition), p.29. ([https://acscricket.com/wp-content/uploads/Sundry_Extras_Second_Edition.pdf Available online] at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-24.)
• The 21st Earl of Morton (1927–2016), Deputy Lieutenant of West Lothian{{cite book|title=Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain|first=Peter Beauclerk|last=Dewar|year=2001|page=296}}
• Michael Ash (1927), mathematician, brewer, and inventor of the Easy Serve Draught Guinness{{cite news|url=https://issuu.com/trinityalumni/docs/trinity_the_fountain_winter_2017_we|title=Making Guinness Guinness – Michael Ash (1945)|publisher=The Fountain (Trinity College, Casmbridge)|date=20 March 2017|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Iain Campbell (1928–2015), cricketer
• Rutherford Aris (1929–2005), chemical engineer, Regents Professor Emeritus{{cite web|url=https://journals.flvc.org/cee/article/view/126199/125593|title=Award to Rutherford Aris|publisher=ASEE Chemical Engineering Division|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• David Littman (born 1933), historian and human rights advocate
• Sir John Drummond (1934–2006), arts administrator, former controller of BBC Radio 3{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1528297/Sir-John-Drummond.html|title=Sir John Drummond|work=The Telegraph|date=8 September 2021|access-date=25 September 2021}}
• General Sir Brian Kenny (1934–2017){{Cite web|last=Ramsbotham|first=David|date=14 January 2021|title=Kenny, Sir Brian Leslie Graham|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-90000380282|url-status=live|access-date=30 April 2021|website=Dictionary of National Biography|doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380282|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118063847/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-90000380282 |archive-date=18 January 2021 }}
• Second Lieutenant Paul Benner (1935–1957), awarded the George Cross
• Stan Brock (1936), television presenter, philanthropist{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/09/02/stan-brock-adventurer-philanthropist-obituary/|title=Stan Brock, adventurer and philanthropist – obituary|date=2 September 2018|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Anthony Bryer (1937–2016), Historian{{cite news |last=Herrin |first=Judith |authorlink=Judith Herrin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/nov/23/anthony-bryer-obituary |title=Anthony Bryer obituary |work=The Guardian|location=London |date=2016-11-23 |accessdate=2016-12-24 }}
• Air Chief Marshal Sir Roger Palin (born 1938)
• Simon Preston (born 1938), organist, conductor, composer{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/07/simon-preston-obituary|first= Barry |last=Millington|title=Simon Preston obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=7 June 2022|access-date= 10 June 2022}}
• Stephen Rubin (born 1938), founder of Pentland Industries (Hunter, Speedo, Berghaus, Ellesse, etc.){{cite news|url=https://glamourfame.com/who-stephen-rubin-get-to-know-man-who-paid-most-tax-uk-last-year-181m-bill|title=Who is Stephen Rubin? Get To Know The Man Who Paid Most Tax in UK Last Year with £181m Bill|date=30 January 2019|newspaper=Glamour Fame|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Derek Jarman (1942–1994), film director and gay rights activist{{cite news|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Art+master+inspired+famous+film+director%3B+Colourful+life+recalled+as...-a092992190|title=Art master inspired famous film director; Colourful life recalled as retired tutor dies at 84.|newspaper=Daily Post|date=18 October 2002|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Ian Bradshaw (born 1940s), Photographer and winner of the World Press Photo Award
• Sir Henry Cecil (1943–2013), champion race horse trainer{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1373863/David-Cecil.html |title=Obituary: David Cecil|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date= 10 November 2000|access-date= 18 June 2012}}
• Admiral Sir Ian Garnett (born 1944), naval officer
• Rear Admiral Sir Jeremy De Halpert KCVO, CB (born 1945), Naval Secretary
• Tim Stevenson (born 1948), Lord Lieutenant
• Simon Crowcroft (born 1950), Connétable of St Helier
• David Docwra (born 1953), cricketer and educator
• Alan Hollinghurst (born 1954), Booker Prize winning author{{cite news|first=Andrew|last= Anthony|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2011/jun/12/observer-profile-alan-hollinghurst |title=Alan Hollinghurst: The slow-motion novelist delivers|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date= 11 June 2011}}
• Peter Parker (born 1954), Author, Journalist, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature{{cite web|url=https://www.peterparkerwriter.com/about|title=About|publisher=Peter Parker|access-date=21 April 2021}}
• The 10th Viscount Portman (born 1958), British peer and property developer
• Owen Bennett-Jones, journalist, 'Newshour'
• Sir Philip Moor (born 1959), judge of the High Court of England and Wales
• Nigel Robertson (born 1962), entrepreneur, founder of FreePages plc
• Simon Hilton (born 1967), music video director
• Nick Robertson (born 1967), co-founder and former CEO of ASOS
• Tom Holland, (born 1968), novelist and popular historian{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/canfordschool/docs/canfordian-201718 |title=Canfordian 2017/18 |date=2017 |publisher=Canford School|page=21|access-date=27 April 2019 }}
• Nick Borton (born 1969), Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps{{cite news|url=http://www.rhf.org.uk/JOURNAL/RHF%202008.pdf?q=the-royal-engineer-journal|title=Lieutenant Colonel NRM Borton MBE |page=4|newspaper=The Journal of the Royal Highland Fusiliers|year=2008|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Stephen Phillips (born 1970), Conservative politician
• Giles Duley (born 1971), photojournalist
• James Le Mesurier (1971–2019), Founder of White Helmets{{cite news|last1=Sanchez|first1=Raf|last2=Cheeseman|first2=Abbie|last3=Oliphant|first3=Roland|last4=Yüksekkaş|first4=Burhan|last5=Mendick|first5=Robert|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/11/13/james-le-mesurier-founder-mayday-rescue-whose-white-helmets/|title=James Le Mesurier, founder of MayDay Rescue, whose 'White Helmets' first-response teams saved thousands of lives in Syria – obituary |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |date=13 November 2019 |access-date=15 November 2019}}
• Miranda Cooper (born 1975), formerly the singer 'Moonbaby', songwriter and director of the company Xenomania
• The 10th Earl of Jersey (born 1976)
• Yvonne Lui (born 1977), property magnate, philanthropist
• The 12th Earl of Shaftesbury (born 1979)
• Ben Gollings (born 1980), England rugby sevens player
• Alex Hibbert (born 1986), polar explorer{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/canfordschool/docs/canfordian_2020 |title= Canfordian 2019/20|date= 25 November 2020|page=46|publisher=Canford School|access-date=21 April 2022}}
• Ore Oduba (born 1986), Presenter and sports journalist, 2016 Winner of Strictly Come Dancing{{cite news|url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/22565833.strictly-star-ore-odubas-dorset-school-days/|title=Strictly star Ore Oduba's Dorset school days|date=18 March 2022|newspaper=Great British Life|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Chloe-Jasmine Whichello (born 1991), reality TV star{{cite news|url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11546028.chloe-jasmine-whichello-the-x-factor-contestant-who-grew-up-in-poole-is-voted-off-show/ |title=Chloe-Jasmine Whichello: the X Factor contestant who grew up in Poole is voted off show|date=20 October 2014|newspaper=Bournemouth Echo|access-date=21 April 2023}}
• Brianna Stubbs (born 1991), GB rower{{cite web|url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/22616785.dorset-athletes-look-rio-2016-olympics/|title=Dorset athletes to look out for at the Rio 2016 Olympics|date=18 July 2016|newspaper=Great British Life|access-date=21 April 2023}}

{{div col end}}

• Bryanston School, Dorset
• Sherborne School, Dorset

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Sumption|first=Jonathan |year=2009|title=The Hundred Years War: Divided houses. Volume III|publisher=Faber and Faber|isbn=978-0571138975}}

• [http://www.canford.com/ Canford School website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081211071907/http://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/canford-school.html Profile] at the Good Schools Guide
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080203145427/http://www.alliedschools.org.uk/ The Allied Schools]

{{Schools in Dorset}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Boarding schools in Dorset

Category:1923 establishments in England

Category:Real tennis venues

Category:Schools in Poole

Category:Private schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Category:Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

Category:Wimborne Minster

Category:Educational institutions established in 1923

Category:Grade I listed buildings in Dorset

Category:Edward Blore buildings

Category:Schools cricket

Category:Racquets venues

Category:Grade I listed educational buildings

Category:Exempt charities

Category:Schools with a royal charter

Category:Church of England private schools in the Diocese of Oxford