Berkhamsted School was founded in 1541 by John Incent, Dean of St Paul’s. For 100 years it flourished but, as with many public schools, the next two centuries brought difficult times until the School was re-established in 1841. The year 1888 saw the establishment of the Girls’ Grammar School, Berkhamsted and in 1996 the radical move was made to merge the two schools.
The 475th anniversary of Incent’s foundation was celebrated during 2016, and a series of events marked this milestone, including an historic visit to the School by our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen. Please see our 475-Brochure which captures the activities that celebrated the anniversary.
Although the anniversary was linked to the foundation of the Boys’ School, we celebrated the anniversary as the Berkhamsted family of schools of today, from Pre-Prep through to Heatherton and Sixth Form, boys and girls.
The celebrations began in October 2015 with a 475th Anniversary Launch Dinner that saw current and past Heads and Principals, Head Boys and Head Girls, Governors and long-serving staff come together for a memorable evening, which included the first sight of the book written by former English Master John Davison; Berkhamsted School: A 475th Anniversary Portrait.
During the 2015-16 academic year we also mark the 125th anniversary of what is now known as the Combined Cadet Force as well as the centenary of the introduction of competitive rugby at Berkhamsted.
The Berkhamsted School of today is for the most part unrecognisable from the School of Incent’s vision – his ambition was for a school of just 144 boys – yet there are enduring features. The original School Hall, completed in 1544, still stands as a symbol of the strength, character and resilience of both the School and those associated with it; we continue to be a School that has a tradition of producing interesting people with a spirit of adventure; and we remain a School firmly rooted in the local community.