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The Bristol Grammar School is the only selective, co-educational independent school in the Bristol area The school has extensive facilities providing a wide choice of curriculum, sport and activities with an exceptional pastoral care system for primary school and secondary school pupils and sixth form students. The school was
founded in 1532, one of several grammar schools founded in the 16th century that are still operating in Britain today. The school describes itself as one of the United Kingdom's great city schools aimed at children of above-average ability.
The term grammr school is confusing to Americans as "grammar school" is commonly used alonmg with "elementary school"to mean primary school. The term in England has a very different meaning.England's academically selective secondary-level grammar schools sougth to emulate the ethos of the public schools. While they were not boarding schools, they did try to follow the academic trends and emphasis on sport at the public schools. For the same reason, many grammar schools put considerable emphasis on uniform, but for financial reasons, many of the boys could not afford the rather substntial outlays involved in the miriad of public school uniform items. Grammar school boys in the 1940s and 50s commonly wore
caps and blazers. The younger boys at many grammar schools also wore short trousers. Some schools required it. At other schools it was the parents choice. Some grammar schools, like the Bristol grammar school, decided not to become part of the the state system.
England in the 16th century was emerging from the Medieval era and would be rocked with the Reformation. Both the society and the economy was evolving. As a result of these changes. The principal educational institution which fulfilled this need was the grammar school. One of the new grammar schools was the Bristol Grammar School. The school began as the ‘Gramer Scole’ over the Frome Gate. The first schoolmaster was Thomas Moffat. (There is now a preparatory school called Moffat's. I'm unsure if this was also founded by Thomas Moffat or his family.) Succesful merchants were responsible for many early grammar schools. In Britol it was the Thorne family that endowed the grammar school. The Thorne family was a prominent 16th century family. They were friend with explorers like John Cabot and had contacts with the royal family. King Henry VIII issued a royal charter for the school (March 17, 1532). This allowed the Thornes to endow a grammar school. The school was built at St Bartholomew’s Hospital near the bottom of Christmas Steps. The initial cirricvulum included Latin and Greek, Divinity and some Hebrew.
The Grammar School proved successful and by 1767 the original facilities no longer accomodated the expanded number of students. The master at the time, Charles Lee, convinced the Bristol city Corporation that The Grammar School should exchange premises with the other City School, Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital. A hospital school has nothing to do with a modern hospital, but was rather a charity school fior poor children. As the Grammar School was attended by the children of wealthy families, it was decided that it should have the larger facilities on Unity Street. Lee after moving into the new facilities, substantially reduced the number of boys. I'm not sure precisely why he did this. I'm also not sure if the numbers reduced were the grammar school boys or the charity students from the hospital school.
The curriculum in the early 19th century began to modernize the curriculum and move away from the classics. England had ended a series of war with France (mostly notably the Napoleonic Wars) with a substantial empire. Combined with the Industrial Revolution there was an increasing need for educated young men. Thus the Grammar School as well as Britain's public schools (selective private schiools expanded. There was also a need for a modern cyrriculum giving more emphasis to math and sciernce. The Grammar School introduced a new curricum in 1848. Rev John William Caldicott moved the school again in 1879. (Caldicott's is the name of another primary school. I'm also unsure about the family connection here.) The new site was a more rural location with larger grounds at Tyndall’s Park. This is the current location of the school. The first buildings were the Great Hall and the Headmaster’s House. The first Headmaster's house is currently used as the Lower School. the Bristol firm of Foster and Wood designed the new school. The dominant building of the Big School was the Great Halll. This building was built in the late Perpendicular style. It is sometimes called the Long Room, but now usually the Great Hall. It was to be used as an emense classroom. The original Masters’ stalls still exist. Teaching the whole school there must have been chaotic. The noise level was apparently limited by strict discipline and poor acoustics. The Headmaster’s Study, the Senior Common Room, offices and classrooms are located downstairs. The downstairs classrooms were originall meant only for the Sixth Form. The rest of the school was to be educated in the Great Hall.
Gradually additional buildings were added, including more classrooms, a Gymnasium and a Fives Court, and a Rifle Range. These facilities today are the art rooms and rehearsal rooms.
The Winterstoke wing today includes the Laboratories added in 1914. The major development in the 20th century was the addition of a preparatory school for younger boys.
The Grammar School added a Preparatory School in 1900. A Preparatory School in England is essentially a primary school to prepare boys for private secondary schools. Most preparatory schools prepare boys to enter the Public Schools, the Bristol Grammar School Preparatoty School prepared boys to enter the Grammar School senior school or Big School. The Preparatory School moved to separate facilities on Elton Road in 1928. The Preparatory School was, however, destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz as part of a major incendiary raid on Bristol (November 24, 1940). Bristol as a port and industrial city was an important target.
The only building to survive was the The Prep Hall which is now the Mackay Theatre. The Prep School was rebuilt under the guidance of John Garrett who added a building on University Road as well as the other side of Elton Road. The Prep School was later further expanded with more classrooms and a Sports Hall. There are now facilities for Modern Languages, Classics/Geography, Art and Music. A Technology Centre was built on the former playing fields.
The Bristol Grammar School has a detailed website withj information on the school and current operations.
Neal, Tim. Bristol Grammar School Webmaster, October 8, 2004.
Bradley, Anne. "A brief history of BGS," School Website, Septembwer 2003.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 16th century]
[The 17th century]
[The 18th century]
[The 19th century]
[The 1900s]
[The 1910s]
[The 1920s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
