MILL HILL SCHOOL
Mill Hill School
Argent on a cross quadrate gules an open book argent on a chief azure three martlets or [Granted 1935]
Mill Hill School was founded in 1807 by a
group of dissenting clergymen and merchants, of
whom the most prominent were Samuel Favell, warehouseman and citizen of London, and the Revd.
John Pye Smith, of
Homerton College. (fn. 56)
Their intention was
to provide a classical
education equal to that
which the sons of Anglicans enjoyed at public schools, while maintaining the broader
curriculum of the
nonconformist academies. (fn. 57) A boardingschool was opened at
Mill Hill in the house (fn. 58)
once occupied by Peter
Collinson the botanist,
with about 20 boys and
the Revd. John Atkinson as principal and
chaplain. The choice of assistant masters, the
curriculum, and many of the details of organization were decided by the committee without
reference to the principal; Pye Smith, in particular,
visited the school monthly and examined the boys
quarterly until his death in 1851. These arrangements produced so much friction that the first two
principals resigned, but under the third, the Revd.
John Humphrys, the number of boys increased to
83, and in 1824 it was decided to build a new school
for 120 to the designs of William Tite. (fn. 59) Before the
new building was begun Humphrys was asked to
vacate the office of principal, to which the senior
master was to be promoted, and to retain the
chaplaincy at a reduced salary; instead he advertised
his resignation and attacked the committee in a
lengthy pamphlet. (fn. 60)
The new building was occupied in 1826, but dissensions continued until the appointment of Thomas
Priestley as headmaster in 1834. He was popular,
a good teacher and disciplinarian, and under his
guidance the numbers rose to 139. Later, however,
numbers declined, and Philip Smith, his successor,
faced salary reductions, staff reductions, increased
fees, outbreaks of scarlet fever, a rebellion led by his
own son, and finally dismissal. Numbers continued
to fall, debts increased, and in December 1868 the
school closed. (fn. 61) Narrow sectarianism could not be
blamed for its decline, since in the first 25 years of its
existence the school had had an Anglican headmaster, Robert Cullen (1828-31), and had educated
a bishop, a dean, and two canons of the Established
Church. (fn. 62) The school had never been confined to
the sons of Free Churchmen, and is Christian rather
than denominational. (fn. 63)
The revival of Mill Hill in 1869 was largely the
work of Thomas Scrutton, who, together with his
supporters, formed a new trust and appointed
Dr. R. F. Weymouth as headmaster. The new headmaster was a scholar and an organizer. (fn. 64) Numbers
rose to over 180, but on the other hand it was
felt that Weymouth did not encourage his boys
to take full advantage of the opportunities offered
by the abolition of the religious tests at Oxford and
Cambridge. During this period the first boardinghouses were opened, Dr. Murray-for fifteen years
the mainstay of the staff-began his work on the
Oxford Dictionary, and Gladstone visited the school
to distribute prizes. In the latter part of Weymouth's headmastership, however, numbers fell
and the future of the school was once more in doubt. (fn. 65)
The second revival was the work of John McClure,
appointed headmaster with an almost entirely new
staff in 1891. Numbers rose above a hundred again
for the third time. A new chapel (designed by Basil
Champneys), a physics laboratory, monitors' studies,
and a headmaster's house were erected; music
played a much greater part in the life of the school,
astronomy was added to the curriculum, standards
of scholarship rose, and over all McClure presided
with an easy discipline. In 1907 the Prime Minister,
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, was guest of
honour at the centenary celebrations, and Lord
Winterstoke (Sir W. H. Wills), an old boy and
chairman of the governors, presented the Winterstoke Library to the school. In 1913 McClure was
knighted for his services to education both at Mill
Hill and in the world outside. (fn. 66)
In 1922 McClure died suddenly. His successor,
M. L. Jacks, discouraged excessive specialization
both in studies and in sports by organizing the
curriculum, providing new and better facilities for
games, and stimulating the growth of a wide range
of clubs and hobbies. (fn. 67) During the 1920's notable
experiments in radio communication were carried
out under the direction of W. H. Brown, the senior
science master. In 1924 the school was visited by
the Prince of Wales, who unveiled the War Memorial
Gates in front of the main building. (fn. 68)
In 1938 Jacks left to become Director of the
Institute of Education at Oxford University, and in
1939 the school was evacuated to St. Bees in Cumberland, where it remained until 1945. On its return
the school, in partnership with the Middlesex County
Council, inaugurated an unusual experiment. Each
year about twenty boys whose parents live in the
county are admitted by interview as boarders, the
County Council giving assistance with their fees.
These boys constitute about a fifth of the school. A
new building for arts and crafts was opened in 1960.
In 1962 there were about 450 boys in the school,
390 in six boarding-houses and 60 in the day house. (fn. 69)