Twyford states itself to be the oldest preparatory school in the United Kingdom.[1]
It moved to its present site in 1809, but there has been a school for boys in Twyford since the seventeenth century.[2] During the nineteenth century buildings were added, including a large schoolroom built during the 1820s, and a mid-Victorian chapel. Original buildings are still used and form part of today's campus.[citation needed]
In 1859, while George Kitchin was master of the school, his friend Lewis Carroll took a photograph of Kitchin and his class of nine boys.[3]
Current status
A series of developments coincided with the admission of girls to the school, and have continued in recent years. Building works and improvements have been undertaken, although historic fabric has generally been retained. In addition the sports grounds and other outdoor facilities have been upgraded.[1]
Twyford is a private school, and a registered charity. It accepts both day pupils and boarders, and has a pre-preparatory school on the same campus for children below the age of five. It has capacity for around 400 pupils between the ages of 3 and 13, with boarders being accepted from the age of 8. It is a Church of England school.
^Jon A. Lindseth, Grolier Club, Yours very sincerely, C. L. Dodgson (alias "Lewis Carroll") (1998), p. 52: "Photograph of Twyford School boys and the headmaster, George William Kitchin, by Lewis Carroll. Summer 1859. George William Kitchin, headmaster of Twyford School, Hampshire, with the "first class" of nine pupils."
^ abJohn Dudley Browning, Education in the 18th Century (1979), p. 105: "In 1692 the Reverend William Husband, alias Bernard, succeeded the Reverend Thomas Brown, alias Weatherby, as headmaster at Twyford."
^ abThe Diaries of Lewis Carroll Volume 2 (1954), p. 387: "Lathom Wickham [sometime of Christ Church, Headmaster of Twyford School 1862-87] brought a son to matriculate here [Charles Townshend Wickham, became Headmaster of Twyford on his father's retirement].
^http://www.twyfordschool.com/History-of-the-School..."In 1961, Bob Wickham’s son, David, joined the staff. It was the intention that David Wickham would take over the school on Bob’s retirement. This happened in 1963"
^"History of the School". Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. .."Richard Gould left Twyford in 1996. His successor was Mr. Philip Fawkes, who came to Twyford School from Lathallan School in Scotland."
^Good Schools Guide 2003, p. 894: "TWYFORD SCHOOL... From April, 2003 the new head will be Dr David Livingstone (late forties), deputy headmaster of Rugby and a housemaster and geography teacher there. Doctorate in environmental sciences (East Anglia)."
^http://www.twyfordschool.com/History-of-the-School..."Dr. Livingstone left in July 2009 to take up another Headship. He was replaced by Dr. Steve Bailey, a Senior Housemaster from Winchester College and an extremely experienced educationalist as well as a renowned Olympic historian."
^Donald Leinster-Mackay, Old School Ties: Some Nineteenth Century and Early Twentieth Century Links between Public and Preparatory Schools, in British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Feb., 1984), pp. 78-83
^Howard Erskine-Hill, “Pope, Alexander (1688–1744)”, in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
^Jeremy Dibble, "Parry, Sir (Charles) Hubert Hastings, baronet (1848–1918)", in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
