Stonar School

Stonar School, founded in 1895, is a non-denominational UK independent day and boarding school, at Cottles Park, near Atworth, Wiltshire, south-west England.[1] The school occupies 80 acres of parkland and gardens in a location about 8 miles from Bath. There are about 420 pupils from 2 to 18 years old. An ISI inspection in 2018 found the school "excellent".

Stonar School
Address
Cottles Park
Atworth

Wiltshire
,
SN12 8NT

England
Coordinates51.3888°N 2.2178°W / 51.3888; -2.2178
Information
TypeOther Independent School
Established1895
Local authorityWiltshire
Department for Education URN126512 Tables
Head teacherMatthew Way
GenderCo-educational
Age2 to 18
Websitewww.stonarschool.com

History

The school was established in 1895 as a girls' school at Stour House, Sandwich, Kent, and adopted the Stonar name when it moved to the larger Stonar House, also in Sandwich.[2][3] The school was evacuated to Cottles House when the Sandwich premises were requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1939.[2]

The school was acquired in 2013[2] by Globeducate, a subsidiary of American private equity firm Providence Equity, which operates over 50 schools in several countries.[4] Boys began to be accepted by the school in 2016 and it became fully coeducational.[2]

Cottles House

The Grade II-listed Cottles House was designed by Thomas Jelly and John Palmer of Bath as a country house for Robert Hale, and built in 1775–78 on the site of an earlier house belonging to the Hale family.[5] The name comes from the Cotel family who held the manor (also known as Little Atworth) in the 13th century.[6]

The house was extended c.1832 by H.E. Goodridge, who also designed St Michael's church at Atworth.[5][7] The result is described by Historic England as "rambling L-plan" and by Pevsner as "early 19th-century Gothick".[8]

The room which is now the school library has a late 16th-century stone chimney piece with caryatids, which may have come from the earlier house;[6] Pevsner states it is splendid but "much too big for the house".[8] Elsewhere, joinery including doors and window shutters is from the early 19th century, and there are Adam-style fireplaces on the first floor.[5]

Equestrian education

Stonar offers an equestrian education alongside the academic curriculum. Facilities include an indoor school, an 80 x 40m surfaced arena, four cross-country courses and stabling for up to 65 horses and ponies. Guest trainers include Mary King.

Notable former pupils
  • Pamela Kirkham, 16th Baroness Berners (born 1929), hereditary peeress and former Conservative member of the House of Lords (1995-1999).
  • Thorhilda Abbott-Watt (born 1955), diplomat.
  • Laura Ford (born 1961), sculptor.
  • The Hon Charlotte Long (1965–1984), actress.
  • Romola Garai (born 1982), actress.
  • Georgia Hardinge (born 1984), fashion designer.
  • Holly Bodimeade (born 1997), actress.

See also
  • List of schools in Wiltshire

References
  1. Stonar School at The Hobsons UK Boarding School Guide Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "School History". Stonar School. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  3. "Sandwich: Stonar House School: Full Inspection". National Archives. 1935. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. "Globeducate". Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. Historic England. "Stonar School (1263046)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. "Cottles". Bradford on Avon Museum. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St Michael and All Angels, Atworth (1250853)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 96. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
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