The Royal Hospital School, proud of its Raleigh House
Not
surprisingly Sir Walter’s name is remembered in his home territory of East
Devon.
On
street signs such as this one in Budleigh Salterton there does seem to have
been an attempt at a standard spelling of Sir Walter's surname. Not that he would care one way or
the other.
I
thought I’d look further afield to find out how he’s remembered. This is the
first in a series of blog posts which looks at places where his name has been used.
So how have they remembered him and what will they be doing in 2018 to mark the
400th anniversary of his death?
After
more than 30 years in teaching I concluded that instilling a sense of adventure
was one of the most important elements of any education system. I was keen to
find out more about schools which use the name of one of Britain’s great
adventurers.
I’ve
never visited The Royal Hospital School in Suffolk, and knew very little about
it until Google led me to discover its Raleigh House. The
School’s website told me that it was an 18th century foundation, part
of Greenwich Hospital in London.
Originally
located in the spectacular buildings which now house the National Maritime
Museum – which I must visit one day – it was a 'charitable institution for the
aged, infirm or young', and was established to provide boys from seafaring
backgrounds with the rare privilege of learning arithmetic and navigation.
The
School’s Head of Ceremonial, retired naval officer Lt Cdr Nigel Griffiths QGM,
was clearly delighted to learn that we were remembering Raleigh in the great
Elizabethan’s home county of Devon.
‘I
was not aware this year was the 400th Anniversary and we had no plans to
celebrate at the Royal Hospital School,’ he confessed. ‘However, now this has been brought to our
attention I will investigate how we can celebrate this momentous occasion of
such a prolific English Adventurer.’
Set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside the Royal Hospital School overlooks the Stour Estuary
I learnt that The Royal Hospital School was founded in 1712 to ‘improve
navigation’ through education and, as it prepared boys for a life at sea, many
went on to become explorers and pioneers of their time. ‘Discovery, exploration
and challenge have been the bedrock of our education for over 300 years and
continue to shape our ethos,’ is the School's proud boast.
A strong naval tradition is maintained at the Royal Hospital School
Today,
as its website reads, the School ‘provides an outstanding, full and broad
education fit for the modern world and enriched by this unique naval heritage.’
A visit from HRH Prince Andrew in 2011
The
House system is at the heart of school life at the Royal Hospital School, and
its eleven Houses are named after celebrated British seafarers. Raleigh House -
official motto: ‘Work hard: play hard’ - was re-opened in September 2010 as the
Royal Hospital School’s first co-educational day house.
‘The
staff of Raleigh House and I are keen to be involved in celebrating Sir
Walter’s life,’ Nigel Griffiths told me. ‘I would be honoured if we could be
considered for an invitation to the commemorative service at St Margaret’s
Church, Westminster.’
You can find out more about the School at https://www.royalhospitalschool.org/
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