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History of the School

Downside in France

In 1606 the Benedictine community of St Gregory the Great was founded at Douai, France, by a group of English and Welsh monks in exile. Eight years later they opened the School.

By the beginning of the 18th century, the School was held in such high esteem in England that Queen Anne ordered the Duke of Marlborough to spare it when he stormed Douai in 1710. In the 1790s, however, French revolutionaries plundered the Priory and School, but the monks and boys were allowed to escape to England in February 1795.

 

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Acton Burnell

Thanks to the generosity of a former pupil, Sir Edward Smythe, the Community sought refuge at his home in Shropshire, Acton Burnell Hall, from 1795 to 1814.

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The Move to England

In April 1814, the current School site was bought for £7,300 at Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset. The monks and boys walked from Acton Burnell to the new School, a distance of 154 miles. A cedar tree was planted at the entrance to the grounds and still stands today. Initially, the whole school was accommodated in the small ‘mansion’, now known as the Old House. The first stage of development was the Old Chapel, opened in 1823.

 

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The Building of the Downside Abbey

In 1878 the building of the Abbey Church began. One of England’s finest Gothic churches, the Abbey Church still serves as the School’s main place of worship for Sunday Mass, weekly hymn practice, the Advent Carol Service and other services.

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Wartime Downside

During World War One, over 500 Downside boys served in the forces, and 109 of them lost their lives. Their average age was 25 and more than a fifth gained some honour or distinction. All their names are inscribed on the School’s War Memorial which was unveiled in 1922.

106 Downside boys were killed during the World War 2 conflict and are also commemorated on the War Memorial.

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Royal Visitors

In 1923 The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) visited the School. During his visit he played the Ball Game at the wall known as The Ball Place.

The Downside Ball Game is an outdoor racquet sport which bears some similarities to Fives, however it is played with a solid wooden bat rather than one’s hand. The Wall is a massive structure, some 12m high by 30m wide, comprising two playing walls, each with angled wings, and an open-fronted shelter forming a sort of distance-piece between them. The game can be traced from at least when the Gregorian community made its first purchase of property at Stratton-on-the-Fosse be a deed dated 25 March 1814.

Game rules:

  • The game is played by four players, two on each side
  • A game consists of 21 points
  • Points can only be scored by the side which is serving, not by the side which is receiving the service

 

 

 

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Royal Visitors

One of the saddest moments in Downside’s history occurred in 1943 when a fighter plane crashed into the cricket pitch killing nine pupils and the pilot. The event has long been remembered as a tragic time and the loss of the boys was felt keenly.

Around 3 pm on Saturday 15th, May 1943 two Sea Hurricanes from RNAS Yeovilton were training in the skies above Downside during a cricket match. One pupil stated ‘the planes came over at just above tree-top height and they had been circling for 1/4 of an hour or so.’ After another pass, the second plane’s ‘…nose dipped and the plane came down on the left wing and it appeared the pilot tried to flatten out and then the right wing hit the ground.’

Our archive material held here relates in the main to the experiences and eyewitness statements. There was one story of heroism which stood out from the incident. Richard Kingsbury, a Downside pupil, was seriously injured during the crash but ‘bore his pain with fortitude and bravery exceptional in a child of his tender years.’ A member of the Scouts, Kingsbury was awarded the Scout’s VC by the Queen Mother, Queen Mary who travelled to Downside to award the medal in person. She also laid a wreath at the grave of the boys who died.

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History Board

Part One

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