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Epsom College
Motto	"Deo Non Fortuna" ("Not through luck but by the help of God")
Established	1855
Type	Independent school
Headmaster	Stephen Borthwick
Founder	John Propert
Students	720 (2006)[1]
Location	Epsom, Surrey England
Colours	Blue and "Sainsbury's Orange" [2]
Yearbook	The Epsomian
Ages	13 to 18
Patron	H.M. Queen Elizabeth II
School Magazine	The Epsomian
Website	www.epsomcollege.org.uk

Map sources for Epsom College at grid reference TQ223601

Epsom College is a co-educational Public School in College Road, Epsom, Surrey, England with around 720 pupils, and a member of the Headmasters' Conference. It caters for both boarding and day pupils. It has a long-standing association with medicine, which in 1980 was estimated as having helped almost a third of its 10,000 alumni enter that profession^[3].

Contents 1 Foundation 2 Houses 3 Sport 3.1 Rugby 3.2 Rifle shooting 4 Eccentricities 4.1 The Athletics Term 4.2 The Fives Courts 5 Principal Feeder Prep Schools 6 Headmasters 7 Sundry Items of Interest 8 Notable Alumni 9 Famous Staff 10 Notes 11 External Links

The school was founded in 1853 by Dr. John Propert as The Royal Medical Benevolent College, the aims of which were to provide accommodation pensioned medical doctors or their widows in the first instance, and to provide a "liberal education" to 100 sons of "duly qualified medical men" for £25 each year^[4]. It was opened in 1855 by Prince Albert.

The establishment of the College was the culmination of a campaign begun in 1844 by the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, the forerunner of the British Medical Association. ^[5]. The scheme saw the medical profession was

"in regard to charitable institutions for the aged and infirm, the widow and the orphan, the worst provided of all professions and callings"

and took as its aim the alieviating of poverty and debt^[6]. Discussions were chaired by Sir John Forbes, Physician to Prince Albert and the Royal Household, and followed similar plans establishing schools for the Clergy and the Royal Navy in desiring to raise money to found "schools for the sons of medical men", providing an education which would otherwise be "beyond the means of many parents"^[7].

By 1851, the Medical Benevolent Society had limited itself to the foundation of a single Benevolent College, and met in Treasurer John Propert's house in New Cavendish Street, Marylebone^[8]. The new campaign's fundraising activities included dinners, which were attended by numerous doctors and Members of Parliament, and concerts, for example on 4th July 1855 one such event included composer Hector Berlioz conducting the UK premier of his symphonic suite Harold in Italy ^[9].

The foundation stone was laid on the 6th July 1853, and almost two years later on 25th June 1855 the College was formally opened by Prince Albert and his son, the future King Edward VII in front of an unexpectedly large crowd of around 6,000^[10]. Queen Victoria consented in March of that year to become patron, a relationship which has continued with British monarchs ever since.

House Name	Composition	Colours	Named after	Founded
Carr	Boarding Boys	Green and Black	An early College Benefactor	1883[11]
Crawfurd	Day Girls	Originally Purple and White	Raymond Crawfurd, Member of Council	Founded as Day Boys House
Fayrer	Boarding Boys	Blue and White	Sir Joseph Fayrer
Forest	Boarding Boys	Yellow and Black	An early College Benefactor	1883[11]
Granville	Boarding Boys	Red and Black	Earl of Granville	1883[11]
Holman	Boarding Boys	Red, White and Black	Treasurer Sir Constantine Holman
Propert	Day Boys	Blue and Black	Founder John Propert	1883 as Boarding Boys House[11]
Raven	Day Girls	Purple and Blue	Dame Kathleen Raven, Member of Council	1999[12]
Robinson	Day Boys	Green and White	Henry Robinson, Chairman of Council	1968[13]
Rosebery	Day Boys	Purple and Black	The Earl of Rosebery
Wilson	Boarding Girls	White and Black	Sir Erasmus Wilson	Founded as Boarding Boys House
White	Boarding 6th form Girls		Original Building Name	1976

Epsom U15 rugby team recently reached the semi-finals of the Daily Mail Cup. They lost to the team who eventually went on to win the tournament. The U16 Epsom sevens team won the 2006 Sevens National Championship at Rossyln Park

Epsom are traditionally a single term rugby school with hockey being their Easter sport. This meant that they would never usually enter the Daily Mail Cup. The U16 team won the tournament in 2001 by beating John Fisher at Twickenham in the Final.

The college has arguably one of the best rifle teams in the country,^[14] having won the prestigious Ashburton Shield at the annual Bisley Rifle Championships ten times since 1990.^[15]

Until the winter of 1965, Epsom College was probably unique in holding athletics in the coldest months of the year, between January and April. This meant that the long jump pit was often frozen. The track surrounded the First XV pitch, and was either frozen or waterlogged.

Near Chapel Pitch, there are the remnants of several open air fives courts, one of which is said to be a doubles court. In the late 1960s these were functional courts, albeit of odd design.

• Aberdour School
• Chinthurst School
• Danes Hill (http://www.daneshill.co.uk)
• Downsend School
• Homefield School
• Kingswood House School
• Shrewsbury House School

Unless otherwise noted, information taken from Michael A. Salmon, Epsom College the First 125 Years, Old Epsomian Club, 1980, pp96 - 100.

• (1855 - 1870) Doctor Robinson Thornton, M.A. (Oxon), D.D.
• (1870 - 1855) The Rev. William de Lancy West, M.A. (Oxon), D.D.
• (1885 - 1889) The Rev. William Cecil Wood, M.A. (Cantab)
• (1889 - 1914) The Rev. Thomas Northcote Hart-Smith, M.A. (Oxon)
• (1914 - 1922) The Rev. Canon Walter John Barton, M.A. (Oxon)
• (1922 - 1939) The Rev. Canon Arnold Cecil Powell, M.A. (Cantab)
• (1939 - 1962) Henry William Fernyhough Franklin, M.A. (Oxon)
• (1962 - 1970) Archibald Duncan Dougal MacCullum, T.D., M.A., F.R.S.A.
• (1970 - 1982) Owen John Tressider Rowe, M.A. (Oxon) (previously headmaster of Giggleswick School)
• (1982 - 1992) Dr John B. Cook, BSc, Ph.D., AKC ^[16]
• (1993 - 2000) Anthony (Tony) Beadles, M.A. (OE, Forest) ^[17]
• (2000 - ) Stephen Borthwick^[18]

• There is a Schools Class steam engine named after the school (also here).
• Wartime plane crash on Epsom racecourseby an ex Hart Smith pupil

Past pupils are called Old Epsomians (OEs)

• Joe Strummer, co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash, and later The Mescaleros
• Sir Halford John Mackinder, Geographer
• Flaxman Charles John Spurrell, Archaeologist and Photographer
• John Piper, Cubist artist
• Graham Sutherland Artist
• Derek (William) Lambert, Thriller writer, also journalist
• Stewart Granger, Hollywood Actor
• John Scarlett, head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
• McCormack Charles Farrell Easmon, Doctor, Campaigner for Racial Equality in Sierra Leone, and founder of the Sierra Leone Museum, Additional information
• Roland Boys Bradford recipient of the Victoria Cross during First World War
• Michael Fallon Member of Parliament for Sevenoaks.
• Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Leader of Biafra during the war with Nigeria
• Paul Metcalfe, Singer, Rod Stewart and Sting Tribute Artist
• Pareg Patel, Full bore rifle Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist 2006.
• Ciara Janson, Actress (best known as Nicole Owen from Hollyoaks)
• Mark Mardell, Television Journalist, Radio Journalist
• Bob Nixon, Cricket Broadcaster, Rhodesia; Obituary
• Jeremy Vine, BBC Television journalist and Radio Presenter, brother of Tim
• Tim Vine, comedian, brother of Jeremy
• Nicholas Witchell, BBC Television journalist
• Julian Worricker, BBC Radio journalist
• Jonathan Maitland, ITV Television journalist

• Nigel Starmer-Smith, Taught Geography while scrum-half for England rugby union team, prior to his TV Rugby commentary role at the BBC

• Epsom college web site
• Old Epsomian Lodge

Coordinates: 51.32686° N 0.24610° W