How Marlborough Has Developed

At Marlborough College we have always believed in pushing the boundaries of academic, cultural and recreational activities in order to offer all students the opportunity to realise their full potential.

Marlborough, like many great institutions, relies on the support and generosity of friends to ensure its long-term development. The magnificent Memorial Hall at Marlborough, which was completed in 1925, was built with help from various appeals. And, over the past 160 years, many other buildings and facilities around the College owe their existence to the generous support of willing benefactors.

In recent years, the new drama and music school, the Henry Hony centre, has made a considerable impact and greatly improved the way in which these subjects can be taught. The new 25 metre, 8-lane swimming pool, which was opened in September 2002, is another excellent example of how the generosity of our friends helps ensure that the College is able to offer its students the very finest facilities.

Key Stages in Our Development

In its 160 years' existence, Marlborough College has seen many changes in education and public opinion. As an institution it has always strived to be alive to the issues of the day and to complement its excellent track record with a forward-looking attitude.

August 1843 saw a former coaching inn converted into the Marlborough Collegiate School and open its doors for the first time.

In 1848, the school had its first chapel costing £6,000 to build, of which parents and friends contributed over a third.

In 1860 the Sanatorium was built. £600 was raised by general appeals and parents contributed a further £1,000 to pay for its construction by paying an extra 10s a term for three years.

The 1948 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, in a Centenary Celebration delayed due to the War, led to developments of sponsorship through the allocation and distribution of the Centenary Fund which was originally launched in 1933.

1933 saw the opening of the College's first proper science laboratories - square, functional and a classic of its time, was one of the first buildings to use shuttered concrete in its construction and is now a listed building. It produced among others Sir Peter Medawar, Nobel Prize Winner in 1960 for his work on the immune-response system, Francis Camps, professor of forensic medicine and Sir Arthur Bell, gynaecologist to the Royal Family. The same year a Centenary Fund was launched in preparation for the 100th Anniversary of the school in 1943.

By 1946 the fund had reached £40,000 and it was agreed that it should become an endowment fund with an income of around £1,200 to be spent on buying school items that were needed but not strictly essential.

In the 1960's Marlborough pioneered the introduction of Business Studies as a subject and admitted girls for the first time.

Formally opened in 1991, by Right Hon The Lord Brooke, the new Language Centre led to even greater expansion of language teaching. Currently courses in nine languages are regularly offered.