“The common thread between all the Houses is the desire to ‘create a Home from Home’.”
Muddy Stilettos
All pupils are members of a House. There are seven girls’ boarding Houses, six boys’ boarding Houses and three day Houses.
Each House is in the care of a resident Housemaster or Housemistress, who is likely to be one of the most influential people in a pupil’s school career, assisted by a Matron and a team of five or more tutors. Pupils identify strongly with their House and there are many inclusive activities such as concerts, plays and charity fundraising with boys and girls houses ‘twinned’ for many events. The Day House is intended to mirror the Boarding House in every respect – except for the provision of beds!
At King’s, the majority of pupils choose to spend their weekends at the school.
There is always a huge amount going on. However, all pupils are welcome to spend Saturday nights away from school if they choose to. This approach allows families greater flexibility to spend time together and see each other more regularly than just at exeats and holidays.
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Weekends & Events at King’s
Day
Day Houses
Carlyon House is a mixed day house. Its name commemorates the evacuation of the School to Carlyon Bay in Cornwall during the Second World War.
Accessed through a door in the yard between the Edred Wright Music School and the Shirley Hall, the house was formerly a row of shops on Palace Street and includes an attractive courtyard garden.
Opened in 2005 by Major-General Patrick Lee, Carlyon is situated on the main school campus within easy reach of classrooms, the aforementioned Music School, and, perhaps most importantly, the Dining Hall.
Housemaster: Mr Mark Smiley
Mr Smiley joined King’s as a Biology teacher in 2001, having previously taught at Wellington College, Crowthorne. He became Housemaster of Carlyon in 2017.
He currently supports the Cranmer Society (an informal Christian meeting) at King’s and is involved with hockey, tennis, and mountain biking on the co-curricular side.
An outdoorsman, Mr Smiley enjoys exploring the islands off the west coast of Scotland with his family, kayaking, birdwatching, walking, running, cycling and tennis. He is also a trustee at a local church.
Adjoining the Deanery, Marlowe House is the oldest of the three Day Houses. Day boys had been organised separately for some years and they competed in house matches from 1929 but it wasn’t until 1935 that they were listed as a separate house, which was named Marlowe in 1936. The house is named after poet and dramatist Christopher Marlowe OKS. The studies are named after characters in Marlowe’s plays and some fascinating archive material on the playwright is displayed on the stairs.
Set in the heart of the School, Marlowe benefits from beautiful views over the Green Court, easy access to classrooms, the Shirley Hall and the Edred Wright Music School and has all the facilities of a boarding house except the beds.
Notable former members of Marlowe include Harry Christophers CBE (founder and conductor of The Sixteen), Edmund de Waal CBE (ceramicist and writer) and James Berry (former MP for Kingston and Surbiton).
Housemaster – Mr George Harrison
Prior to joining King’s in 2015, Mr Harrison worked as a solicitor at Allen & Overy in London and later as a schoolmaster at Manchester Grammar School. He became Housemaster of Marlowe in 2017.
He teaches History and is part of the Durnford Society, which organises historical talks for pupils. He holds a First Class History degree from the University of York and a Master’s in History from the University of Manchester.
He provides extension classes for Oxbridge candidates and his background in law allows him to aid those considering law courses at top universities.
His passions include French history, American novels, cooking and trying to train his Labrador.
Mitchinson’s House, a mixed day house, opened in the Mint Yard in 1982. It moved to its new site in February 2018. The new building had once been Bligh Brothers Coachworks, where two of the Chitty Bang Bang cars were partly built for Count Zborowski (1895-1924). His exploits inspired Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang stories. The house is named after John Mitchinson, Headmaster 1859-1873 and co-founder of the Headmaster’s Conference.
Located on St Radigund’s Street, a mere stone’s throw from the main entrance to the School, Mitchinson’s provides pupils with just a short walk to the Art, Photography and DT departments and closer access to the Malthouse campus, the Recreation Centre and Birley’s Playing Fields. The spacious, open-plan design brings the whole house together with a glass courtyard and skylight windows flooding the building with light.
Housemistress – Mrs Emma Ladd
Mrs Ladd teaches Physics and has been at King’s since 2001. She previously taught at Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover and was made Housemistress of Mitchinson’s House in 2012.
She likes to sing and often takes part in concerts at school as well as enjoying reading, crosswords and walking her dog. She takes part in Pilates as part of the Activities programme and practises this outside of King’s too.
Boys’ Boarding
Boys’ Houses
Galpin’s House takes its name from The Reverend Arthur Galpin, Headmaster from 1897-1910. It was built in 1864 for use as the Headmaster’s house and became a boys’ boarding house in 1952 when School House was divided in two.
Near the main entrance to the School, Galpin’s occupies one side of the Mint Yard quadrangle, sitting adjacent to the new Science building with easy access to the Edred Wright Music School and The Green Court. The main entrance is in the Mint Yard, home to a short-lived sixteenth-century royal mint, and the garden is bordered by the City wall.
Notable former members of Galpin’s include Sir Michael Morpurgo (author of Warhorse and recently Children’s Laureate), and Jonathan Powell (Chief of Staff to Tony Blair in No 10 Downing St).
Housemaster: Mr Robert Sanderson
Mr Sanderson has been at King’s since 2002 having previously taught at St Bede’s School, East Sussex. He became Housemaster of Galpin’s in 2019.
As former Head of Geography, he has taken pupils on trips to Morocco and Iceland as well as other school trips to Australia, Portugal, and Peru, satisfying his passion for travel.
He was King’s Week Manager for 11 years, relinquishing the role when he became Housemaster, and enjoys being part of the musical side of the school. He sings and plays the piano and flute, but not all at the same time!
He coaches hockey and tennis and supports the Cranmer Society (an informal Christian meeting) at King’s and is very rarely seen without his trusty fox-red Labrador, Hilly.
The Grange is a boys’ boarding house that takes its name from its former home in the Precincts between 1928 and 2007. Built on the ruins of a former granary, the original building now houses the Edred Wright Music School, classrooms, and part of the School Archives. The new building was opened in 2007 by the late distinguished travel writer Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor DSC OBE OKS, himself a former Grange boy.
Situated next to Harvey House, the house benefits from its proximity to St Augustine’s back field, which the boys use regularly for sport, and it is just a short walk to the library and buildings of St Augustine’s.
Notable former members of The Grange include the aforementioned Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor and Antony Worrall Thompson (celebrity chef).
Housemaster – Mr Mark Orders
Mr Orders joined King’s in 2009 having experienced a wide range of roles beforehand. He has worked in a Cantonese takeaway, a cardboard box factory, a prison kitchen, at a racecourse, in a pub, making rubber stamps for office desks and in a coffee filter manufacturing plant, before finding his calling to teach. Prior to joining King’s, he taught at schools in Leicester, Corby, and Canterbury. In 2014, he was made Housemaster of The Grange.
He currently teaches Physics and Astronomy and coaches Football as part of the Activities programme.
Outside of King’s his main interests include music, cookery, learning the piano, and tending his garden. He is also dedicated to the development of diabetes technology, working alongside the developers of DIY OpenAPS, a simplified Artificial Pancreas system designed to automatically adjust an insulin pump’s basal insulin delivery to keep blood glucose in a safe range overnight and between meals.
Linacre House, a fine Georgian building incorporating part of the medieval prior’s lodging, is a boys’ boarding house and lies within the shadow of the Cathedral.
Named after Thomas Linacre, founder of the Royal College of Physicians who was educated in Canterbury, the building was at one point a Canon’s house. When Canon Nelson, brother of Horatio, lived here, Lady Hamilton is reputed to have danced on a table in the room that is now the Head of House’s study.
Notable former members of Linacre include David Gower OBE (England cricketer), and Fred Scarlett MBE (Olympic rowing gold medallist at Sydney 2000).
Housemaster – Mr Mat Lister
Mr Lister was a pupil at King’s before embarking on a teaching career that has seen him take on numerous roles. He was Head of Economics and Business and taught Physical Education at The Harvey Grammar School and taught Physical Education at The Folkestone Academy before returning to King’s in 2015 where he teaches Physical Education, Business Studies and Geography.
He is heavily involved in the sporting side of things at the School. He is the Head of Rugby and coaches Athletics, Cricket and Strength & Conditioning.
Outside of work he enjoys cycling, triathlons and trail running and to wind down after all that exercise likes spending time with his family and reading books on leadership, management, coaching and mentoring.
Meister Omers, popularly known as MO, was built in the fifteenth century by Cardinal Beaufort. It has had a distinguished history: Edward IV held a Parliament here in 1470, Cardinal Coligny died here in suspicious circumstances in 1568, and the royal coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth I in the hall marks her visit in 1573. It became a boys’ boarding house in 1936.
The house sits on the Brick Walk between the main school campus and St Augustine’s, adjacent to Luxmoore and Linacre and reputedly has one of the widest fireplaces in England.
Notable former pupils include Tunku Imran (Former President of the Commonwealth Games Federation), Oz Clarke OBE (wine expert), and James Turner MBE (Former Team Leader of the Red Arrows).
Housemaster – Mr Richard Singfield
Mr Singfield has been at King’s since 2005 as a Physical Education teacher, having previously taught at Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire. He was made Housemaster of Meister Omers in 2019.
He is currently the Director of Sport, Head of Cricket, coaches rugby and hockey and is a Lieutenant in the Combined Cadet Force.
Outside of King’s he enjoys playing a round of golf, hitting the trails on his bike and spending time with his family and friends.
School House, a boys’ boarding house, was opened in 1864 to replace the old Almonry building which was then demolished. From the 1860s until 1901 School House was the only boarding house, though there were also dormitories in what later became The Grange. The Headmaster was the housemaster, originally living in what became the separate Galpin’s House in 1952.
Nestled in the corner of the Mint Yard quadrangle, the House lies at the heart of the school with easy access to all academic departments, the Edred Wright Music School and the Dining Room.
Notable former members of School House include Michael Foale CBE (astronaut and astro-physicist), and John Lloyd CBE (producer of television programmes such as Blackadder, Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI).
Housemaster – Major Adam Vintner
Major Vintner, a former Army Officer, has been at King’s since 2008. He became Housemaster of School House in 2018 having served as Deputy since 2010.
After leaving the army he worked as a Production Planner at Emco Wheaton in Margate and then as Contingent Commander of the Combined Cadet Force at Gad’s Hill School, Higham, Kent.
He teaches Life Matters (PSHE) and is Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, as well as leading the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the Combined Cadet Force.
Most comfortable in the great outdoors, he enjoys mountaineering, and walking adventures he also finds time to take in a bit of culture, attending gigs of various genres, the theatre, ballet and art galleries when possible.
Tradescant House is a boys’ boarding house and named after John Tradescant OKS, the distinguished gardener and collector. The building was designed by William Butterfield and opened as part of St Augustine College in 1848. It was one of the two original houses when the School acquired the St Augustine’s site in 1976. Girls were attached to the house from 1979 to 1990.
Overlooking the Dovecote lawn, Tradescant sits adjacent to the library and is one of five boarding houses located at the St Augustine’s campus. The campus has its own dining hall and is just a short walk from the main school campus.
Housemaster – Mr Robert Harrison
Mr Harrison teaches Spanish, French and Life Matters (PSHE). He joined King’s in 2017 from Tonbridge Girls’ Grammar School and became Housemaster of Tradescant House in 2022.
He leads the Inter House General Knowledge activity and coaches Football, Tennis and Hockey.
His passions include all sports, singing, drama, cooking and walking his dog around Canterbury. He is also a big Crystal Palace FC fan.
Outside of King’s he plays padel, watches his beloved Palace, sings in choirs and enjoys cooking and travelling to experience new destinations and cultures.
Girls’ Boarding
Girls’ Houses
Bailey House is a specialist Sixth Form girls’ house set within St. Augustine’s historic medieval towers and gardens, home to five boarding houses and the school library. It was a girls’ lodging house from 1979-90, before becoming a separate girls’ house in 1990.
The gateway at Bailey was built in the fourteenth century and the main part of the house in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Next to the house is the route of the original Roman road into Canterbury, and the first Kent and Canterbury Hospital was at the end of the garden.
The building was part of the former St Augustine’s College and is named after Henry Bailey, the second Warden of the College from 1850 to 1878 and an honorary Canon of the Cathedral. His portrait hangs in the Refectory.
Housemistress: Mrs Emma Bell
Mrs Bell joined King’s in 2013 after receiving 1st Class Honours in her Master’s degree in Mathematics from Queen’s University, Belfast. She was the recipient of both the Raymond Flannery Prize (awarded to the MSci graduate in the School of Mathematics and Physics with the best overall mark) and the Blair Morton Prize (awarded to students who have distinguished themselves in the honours course in Applied Mathematics, particularly in their essay work).
A keen cyclist and runner, Mrs Bell is involved with Cross Country and plays a key role in the King’s Week Annual Bake Off.
She became Housemistress of Bailey in 2018 and teaches Maths and Further Maths.
Broughton House was one of the two original boys’ houses when the School acquired the beautiful St Augustine’s site in 1976. Girls were attached to the house from 1978 and Broughton became the School’s fourth girls’ boarding house in 1993. The house is named after William Broughton (KS 1797-1804), the first (and only) Bishop of Australia of the Church of England.
Close to the library and four other boarding houses, the main part of the building was originally built by William Butterfield in 1848 as the Warden’s lodgings for St Augustine’s College. Next to this was the fellows’ building and – a later addition – the ‘natives’ building’. To the right are the Upper Chapel, used by the School, and the Lower Chapel, with memorials to missionaries from the College.
Notable former pupils include Sir Hugh Robertson (the Minister in charge of the London 2012 Olympic Games), Blythe Masters (former Head of Global Commodities at JP Morgan Chase) and Anna Pinnock (Oscar-winning set decorator).
Housemistress: Dr Doreen McVeigh
Dr McVeigh joined King’s in 2017 and became Housemistress of Broughton in 2018.
A former Deep-sea Biologist, Dr McVeigh has a Masters in Environmental Biology from Hood College, Maryland and a PhD in Marine Sciences from North Carolina State University, where she received numerous awards including two Sigma Xi Excellence in Research Awards in recognition of exceptional graduate research. Her current research uses satellites to monitor plankton blooms in the Atlantic Ocean in order to understand the factors that cause the blooms and how the blooms impact other communities.
She loves horse-riding and has helped supervise the horse riding activity at King’s and is also a keen baker, getting involved with the cooking elements during King’s Week. She enjoys the great outdoors; hiking and skiing when time allows and it will come as no surprise that she is a seasoned SCUBA diver.
Harvey House is a girls’ boarding house located at the St Augustine’s campus, next to The Grange. The building, which incorporates Mount Pleasant Cottage, was officially opened by the eminent scientist Professor Susan Greenfield in 1999.
Harvey started in 1996 at 82-86 Broad Street in the cottages that had been Broad Street House which later became part of Jervis House before moving to its current home where it has views of Canterbury Christ Church University on one side and the St Augustine’s Abbey ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the other.
The house is named after one of our most famous OKS, William Harvey, an English Physician who was the first to demonstrate the circulation of blood through the body.
Housemistress: Mrs Joanna Cook
Mrs Cook has had a long career as an English teacher at King’s, having joined in 1998 following work as a civil servant in the Employment Service and teaching at Parmiter’s School in Hertfordshire. She was made Housemistress of Harvey in 2013.
She has run the London Marathon twice, enjoys practising yoga, and, when time permits, travelling to experience different countries and cultures.
Jervis House is a purpose-built girls’ house, which was opened in 1992. It is named after OKS Douglas Jervis and his sister Norah Jervis, both benefactors to the School. Until 1996 it included the cottages that were formerly Broad Street House. Girls had lodged here since 1978. It now incorporates the adjoining Malvern House and since 2013 part of Bower House.
Situated on Broad Street, Jervis is conveniently linked to the Precincts by a door through the city wall that leads directly to the Dining Hall, the Undercroft, and Green Court.
Housemistress: Mrs Rachael Heskins
Mrs Heskins was at King’s as a pupil before teaching French and Spanish at Kingston Grammar School and Haileybury. She was Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys before returning to King’s in 2011, where she became Head of Spanish. She took over as Housemistress of Jervis in 2017 and continues to teach the language.
Throughout her time at King’s (as a teacher) she has also taught swimming and been involved in hockey, cross country and the Shell activity carousel.
When not running a busy boarding house, Mrs Heskins, a mum of two, spends her time travelling, swimming, using the gym and having fun with her family.
Kingsdown House opened as a girls’ boarding house in 2015, initially for just Removes and the Sixth Form, and became a full 13-18 house in 2016.
A striking combination of old and new, the house features a new building joined to an existing Grade II listed building that was originally a school itself in 1847. Just outside the old city wall, adjacent to the Precincts, Kingsdown is close by Jervis House with whom it shares a courtyard garden and direct access to the main school campus.
Named after, and opened by, Lady Kingsdown, the building received three Canterbury Society Design Awards, was shortlisted for a RIBA South East Award, and received a commendation at the Civic Trust Awards.
Housemistress – Mrs Charlotte Hayes
Mrs Hayes joined King’s in 2009 after completing her degree. She became the inaugural Housemistress of Kingsdown House in 2015.
At King’s she teaches Religious Studies, Philosophy and Life Matters (PSHE) and is part of the Extended Projects team.
She enjoys cooking and loves to get involved with the food activities during King’s Week.
Outside term time she likes to travel with her family.
Luxmoore House, set between Linacre and Meister Omers, is now a girls’ boarding house. The award-winning building, by architects Maguire and Murray, incorporates the surviving ruin of the medieval Great Chamber. It was opened by the Queen Mother in 1981. A sundial in the front garden records her visit in Latin verse.
Originally a boys’ house, Luxmoore was founded in 1945 when it was in 75 New Dover Road and it included the neighbouring Combe House (no. 73) from 1953. It moved into the new building in the Precincts in 1980 and girls were attached to the house from 1981. Luxmoore became the second girls’ boarding house in 1991.
Named after Sir Arthur Fairfax Coryndon Luxmoore OKS, Lord Justice of Appeal, the house is located on the Brick Walk, nestled behind the city wall and in convenient proximity to both the main school campus and St Augustine’s.
Housemaster – Dr James Wilper
Dr Wilper has taught English at King’s since 2017, Classics since 2022, and became Deputy Housemaster of Kingsdown House in 2018 before taking on the role of Housemaster of Luxmoore House in 2023.
Prior to working at King’s, Dr Wilper lectured at the University of Westminster and taught English at Rooks Heath College in West London.
His passions include reading, languages, theatre, classical music, art, swimming and he is a published author.
Located in the heart of the School behind Shirley Hall, Walpole House is an 18th century building that incorporates remains of the medieval Archbishop’s Palace. Tradition has it that the tree within the peaceful garden has been there since the time of Thomas Becket.
Named after the novelist Sir Hugh Walpole (KS 1896-98), Walpole originally housed the Junior School. It was then the Sanatorium, until it became a boarding house in 1935. Walpole was the first girls’ house when the School became fully co-educational in 1990.
Notable former members of Walpole include Philip Ardagh (children’s author), and Frances Houghton (Olympic rowing silver medallist at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 & Rio de Janeiro 2016).
Housemistress – Mrs Nicola Ridley
Mrs Ridley joined us as Housemistress of Walpole House in September 2023 from Wellington School in Somerset, where she taught Music.
She previously spent 10 years at Lancing College, during which she was resident in a boarding house and then set up and ran a girls’ day house for seven years. She then spent two years at King’s College, Taunton where she was involved in boarding before joining Wellington School as a music teacher and boarding house tutor.
Mrs Ridley has a particular passion for choral music. She was a founder member of the Salisbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir and became Head Chorister in her final year, after that she was a music scholar at King’s Taunton and then choral scholar at University College, Durham. In addition to music, Mrs Ridley enjoys CCF, camping and walking. She is joined in Walpole by her husband Oliver (Head of English at King’s) and three children.
Sixth Form
There are countless pathways to excellence and fulfilment, and our goal is to help everyone find the route that best suits their personality and strengths.