Our History

Standing at the crest of the High Street in Brackley, Winchester House School projects an air of long-established permanence in the town. WHS is however well travelled, moving from the south coast of England to the very heart of the country whilst adapting its offering over the years to meet the ever-changing history of the country.

Winchester House School traces its origins back to 1875 when Revd C.L. Vaughan endeavoured to establish a choir school in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex under the headship of Revd J.W. Doran. This venture quickly foundered, and the school was re-founded in 1876 by Revd George William Bryant with a focus on preparing boys for public schools and the armed forces, particularly the Royal Navy due to its coastal location.

In 1900, the school relocated to Kent due to Bryant’s health, and in 1906 Rev Edward Leachman became Headmaster merging the school in 1912 with Spondon House School to form a unified institution. Telford Hayman took over the reins in 1914 and moved Winchester House to Brackley Lodge, Northamptonshire, in 1918 to escape the war time coastal dangers and subsequently found a new home at Brackley Manor House in 1922.

On Hayman’s retirement after a tenure of 36 years, in 1950 Stuart Meikle and Ronald Davis became joint Headmasters and oversaw the remodelling of the Upper School in 1962. Ronald Davis and Michael Llewellyn took over as joint Headmasters in 1963. Richard Speight began his 23-year tenure in 1974 and, over the years, significant developments took place including the introduction of a pre-prep department in 1976, welcoming day pupils for the first time in 1977 and admitting girls fully in 1978.

The school expanded further with the opening of new buildings, such as the prep building in 1988 and Drayton House for girl boarders in 1990, and 1994 saw the conversion of the former Coach House into the Hippo. The sports hall was opened in 1998 in honour of headmaster Richard Speight who retired in 1997 and was superseded by Jeremy Griffith until 2003.

The new millennium witnessed the addition of the Art, Design & Technology Centre in 2000 followed by the Seligman Building, Forum and Music Centre in 2005. The growth continued with the construction of the nursery building and an extension to the Pre-prep in 2013. In 2014, Emma Goldsmith made history as the first female Headteacher of WHS, coinciding with the opening of the Seymour Astroturf pitch to commemorate former Head Mark Seymour’s tenure from 2003 to 2014. In 2018, Winchester House School celebrated the centenary of its move to Brackley, marking a century of educational excellence, endeavour, and achievement.

In January 2021, the School merged with Stowe School to form The Stowe Group, giving Winchester House pupils access to a combined site of over 800 acres, with unrivalled educational and co-curricular facilities. In 2022, Antonia Lee, the current Head, was appointed.

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