Haileybury and Imperial Service College

The school is located at Hertford Heath[?], near Hertford[?], 20 miles from London in rural countryside on a site occupied until 1858 by the East India Company College. Its architect, William Wilkins[?], later designed the National Gallery in London, which bears some similarities.

The buildings reopened as Haileybury in 1862. The large dome which dominates the skyline was added as part of Arthur Blomfield[?]'s Chapel, completed in 1877. The dome was badly damaged by fire when only a year old and had to be extensively repaired.

In 1942, Haileybury absorbed the Imperial Service College, which had already absorbed the United Services College. There are impressive memorials (http://www.keynshamlighthorse.com/commonmemls/hailybry) to 1,435 alumni who perished in wars. Seventeen former pupils received the Victoria Cross, and three the George Cross.

Today Haileybury is a coeducational school for 11-19 year-olds, with recent girls' boarding houses (http://www.studioe.co.uk/Haileybury_Girls.htm), and many facilities. The Ayckbourn Theatre is a fully functional modern theatre. The college chapel organ was built by Klais in 1997, with two manuals and thirty stops. There is a modern sports centre and a synthetic running track. Haileybury has a rackets[?] court, built in 1908, which is unusual in having a double gallery. During World War II, it was damaged by the blast from a V-2 Rakete (sic) and was not restored until 1952. The school supports a professional coach.

Groups originating from Haileybury support a number of charities such as The Children's Trust in Tadworth, the Home Farm Trust and the Boys' Club in Stepney once managed by Old Haileyburian Clement Attlee.

Haileybury is attached to a junior school, Lambrook Haileybury[?], at Winkfield Row, near Bracknell[?], where it moved in 1998 from Windsor.

External Links

Rackets (http://www.rackets-online.co.uk/history.asp?keyfld=6)
Junior school (http://www.lambrook.berks.sch.uk/)
Imperial Service College (http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/isc)
Running track (http://www.runtrackdir.com/details.asp?track=hertford)