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| THE SETTING |
Wickham Court commands a prominent vantage point
over the surrounding countryside of Kent and Surrey. There has
been a manor house on this site since at least the 11th century
and there are Roman and Iron Age sites in close proximity. The
oldest parts of the current house date back to 1469 although there
are remains of an earlier building visible in the cellars. Henry
Heydon built his house at the height of the Wars of the Roses
and as a consequence the house was fortified and bears more than
a passing resemblance to a castle. His wife, Ann, was the great-aunt
of Anne Boleyn which has lead to many legends about an association
between Henry VIII and Wickham Court.
In 1579 financial difficulties led to the sale of Wickham Court by the Heydon Family to John Lennard. He and his descendants owned the house until 1929 and during this period the house was remodelled several times; between 1645 and 1750 a roof and internal stairs were put in to transform the building from a castle into a house. In the 19th century the Lennard Wing was added and the turrets topped with conical roofs, which have since been removed. Sir Stephen Lennard emigrated to Canada in 1929 and Wickham
Court became a smart hotel; during the Second World War the
hotel was commandeered by the Army for use as accommodation
and offices. From 1952 to the present, Wickham Court has been
home to an educational establishment of one kind or another;
first to Coloma College of Education, then from 1978- 1996 to
Schiller International University. The current owners are the
Schiller International Schools Group of which Wickham Court
School is part. |
Today, our school provides a wonderful
environment for learning. We have art and music facilities
that we hope will stimulate our children's aesthetic senses.
You may even get the chance to see our young actors practising
their skills in our drama hall. You will note that our library
and our computers not only provide valuable and practical
learning tools but also open many doors and windows to the
wonder that is education.
There is, of course, more to education
than books and buildings and bricks and mortar. At Wickham
Court, we believe that learning should go beyond the formal
classroom, that what a child learns in sport and in games
complements the purely academic. Thus, we take great pride
in the school grounds, and we value the sound of our children's
laughter as they run about our five acres of gardens and stately
lawns.
Our school reflects the sense of
tradition and timelessness associated with education itself,
but it also profits from the best of modern texts and technology.
Most importantly, it profits from the life and the energy
that our children bring with them.
When you come for a visit, we think
you will see that Wickham Court is as dynamic and exciting
as education itself.
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