Walhampton School is a coeducational private preparatory school situated in the hamlet of Walhampton, near Lymington, England. It is the result of the 1997 merger between Hordle House School, situated in Milford on Sea, and Walhampton School, which was based at the current site. The merged school was known as ’Hordle Walhampton’ until 2013, when it reverted to its previous name of 'Walhampton School'.
The Walhampton School was set up in 1948 by Audrey Brewer, who purchased the house and grounds from the Morrison family. In 1954 Brewer sold the school to John Bradfield, who converted it into a charitable trust.
Hordle House School was set up in 1926 by the Reverend Ernest Whately-Smith, MC.
The school has approximately 400 children aged between 2 and 13.
Contents
Buildings and facilities
Walhampton House is an eighteenth-century building, with extensive changes in 1884 by Richard Norman Shaw and further changes in 1911 by Thomas Hayton Mawson. It is a Grade II listed building. The 1884 block is described by Historic England as "stiff and rather dull Queen Anne style". The school has a performing arts centre.
Headship
Hordle House (founded 1926)
1926 Reverend Ernest Whately-Smith, MC
1950 Peter Whately-Smith and John Whately-Smith, the surviving sons of the above, as joint headmasters
1972 John Vernon
1994 Henry Phillips
Walhampton (founded 1948)
1948 Mrs Audrey ('Dordie') Brewer as principal with Reverend Sidney Philip Hayllar as headmaster
1954 John Bradfield and Peter Lawford as joint headmasters
1969 John Bradfield (solely)
1983 Andrew Robinson
Hordle Walhampton (formed by merger 1997)
In May 1996, Walhampton's board of governors announced the appointment of Adrian Gobat to succeed Andrew Robinson on his retirement. On 1 September 1997, Hordle House and Walhampton merged to form Hordle Walhampton School based at the Walhampton site. Adrian Gobat represented Walhampton as principal of the merged entity with Hordle House's headmaster, Henry Phillips, as headmaster.
Sep 1997 Adrian Gobat as principal with Henry Philips as headmaster
Dec 1997 Henry Philips (solely)
2012 Titus Mills
Walhampton (renamed 2013)
In 2013 Hordle Walhampton changed its name to Walhampton.
(continued) Titus Mills
Jan 2021 Jonny Timms
Notable former pupils (ordered by date of birth)
Charles Rob, MC (1913–2001), British surgeon
Captain Peter Hardinge RN, MBE (1915-1987), Royal Navy officer
Major-General Anthony Stanton, OBE (1915-1988), Royal Artillery officer
Charles Beauclerk, 13th Duke of St Albans, OBE (1915–1988), English peer and British Army officer
John Vernon Rob, CMG (1915–1971), British diplomat and first British High Commissioner to Singapore; brother of Charles Rob (above)
Sir Iain MacRobert, 4th Bt of Douneside (1917–1941), WWII RAF pilot; a series of bomber and fighter planes were named after him and his two elder brothers
Sir Patrick Nairne, GCB MC PC (1921–2013), senior civil servant and Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford
Jeremy Howard-Williams, DFC (1922–1995), WWII fighter pilot and author of several books on the wartime RAF, crosswords, sailing and sail-making
Stephen de Mowbray (1925–2016), Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) counterintelligence officer
Brian Abel-Smith (1926–1996), British economist and political adviser
Derek Jarman (1942–1994), film director and pioneering gay rights activist
Anthony Inglis (born 1952), British conductor; son of Jeremy Howard-Williams (above)