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

See also

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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