Christ College, Brecon, is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the cathedral and market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It currently caters for pupils aged 4–18 years.
History
Christ College was founded by Royal Charter in 1541 by King Henry VIII.[1] The school still uses the medieval chapel and halls of the Dominican friary which was closed during the Dissolution of the monasteries. The buildings were restored by John Pollard Seddon in the 19th century, and again by W. D. Caröe in the 20th, and are a Grade I listed structure.[2]
The school has been ranked in the top three of UK independent schools in terms of "value for money" by the Financial Times newspaper.[citation needed] In December 2017, Estyn (HM's Inspectorate for Education & Training in Wales) assessed Christ College's performance as "excellent" across all five inspection areas – the highest grade that can be awarded. In 2024, the overall pass rate at A Level was 100% and 60% of results were at A*-A, with 100% A*-A in Further Mathematics and Physics.
Houses
There are five houses in the school. There are: two senior boys' boarding houses, Orchard and School (age 13-18); two senior girls' boarding houses, de Winton and Donaldson's (age 13-18); and Alway House, for boys and girls aged 10–12. The Prep School is located in St Nicholas House and admits day pupils from age 4, with boarding available in Alway House from age 10.
Cricket ground
The first recorded match held on the college cricket ground was in 1888, when the college played Llandovery College.[3] During the West Indies 1991 tour of England the ground was used to host a limited overs match against Wales, Brian Lara scoring 82. In use for the entire 20th century, the ground was used by Glamorgan for a List A cricket match against the touring Zimbabweans.[4] The Glamorgan Second XI used the college ground for Second Eleven Trophy matches, firstly in 1996 when they played the Somerset Second XI and secondly in 1997 when they played the Hampshire Second XI.[5]
Old Breconians
- Robert Ackerman – rugby player
- Dick Atkin – lawyer and judge
- William Aubrey – Regius Professor of Civil Law, Oxford
- Collin Bowen – archaeologist and landscape historian
- Andrew Davies SHR – Cricketer
- Bill Evans – rugby player
- Simon Hughes – former MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
- James Dickson Innes – painter
- Arthur Harding – rugby player
- Henry Lewis James – theologian
- Hubert Rees – actor
- Jack Jones – rugby player
- Maurice Jones – priest and bard
- Thomas Jones – artist
- Thomas Babington Jones – cricketer
- Andrew Lewis (rugby player)
- Willie Llewellyn – rugby player
- Kieran Marmion – rugby player
- Teddy Morgan – rugby player
- Thomas Morgan – Navy chaplain
- Jamie Owen – Presenter for the BBC Wales Today news programme
- Matt Powell – rugby player
- David Price – Orientalist
- Thomas Price (Carnhuanawc) - historian and Welsh language advocate
- Brinley Rees – Classical scholar
- Paul Silk – Parliamentary clerk
- Peter Watkins – film director
- Lloyd Williams – cricketer
- Roger Williams - former MP
See also
References
- ^ a b "Christ College Brecon in £5m anniversary investment boost". BBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ Cadw. "Chapel and remains of nave of former friary at Christ College (Grade I) (6826)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Other matches played on Christ College
- ^ List-A Matches played on Christ College
- ^ Second XI Trophy Matches played on Christ College
External links
- Official website
- Profile on the ISC website
- Estyn Inspection Reports
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