Prior Park College is a Catholic co-educational boarding school. It is situated on a hill overlooking Bath, England. The adjoining convert|57|acre|ha|0|lk=on Prior Park Landscape Garden, once part of the school site, is now owned by the National Trust.

Overview

Originally intended to be England's first Catholic university, Prior Park College was founded in 1830, and since then has been a Roman Catholic school. It was established by the Irish Christian Brothers, and continues to provide co-educational schooling for boys and girls aged eleven to eighteen in the Catholic tradition and ecumenical spirit. The College is the largest fully co-educational Catholic Independent boarding and day school in Britain.Fact|date=November 2007

Prior is affiliated with Prior Park Preparatory School which is located in Cricklade, Wiltshire, and, as of 2006, the Paragon School, Bath.

History

The buildings which now house Prior Park College were originally designed and built chiefly by John Wood, the Elder. He was commissioned to build on the site by Ralph Allen. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. [cite web | title=Prior Park (Now Prior Park College) | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=443306 | accessdate=2007-11-23] The Prior Park Landscape Gardens, now owned by the National Trust, were designed by Capability Brown.

Refurbishments

Since 2000 refurbishments include the indoor swimming pool, a new ICT centre, other classroom extensions and the new Mackintosh Dance Studio which opened in September 2006.

Notable alumni

* Patrick Barry, Knight of the Légion d'honneur, took part in Operation Chariot in March 1942 [cite web | title=Prior Park Gossip Bowl 2007 | url=http://www.webalumnus.com/Uploads/30115/Documents/Gossip%20Bowl%2007.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-15]
* Damian Cronin, Bath and Scotland rugby player
* Christopher Logue, CBE, poet [cite web | title=Prior Park Gossip Bowl 2007 | url=http://www.webalumnus.com/Uploads/30115/Documents/Gossip%20Bowl%2007.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-15]
* Sir Ken Macdonald QC, Director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales (head of the Crown Prosecution Service) [cite web | title=Prior Park Gossip Bowl 2007 | url=http://www.webalumnus.com/Uploads/30115/Documents/Gossip%20Bowl%2007.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-15]
* Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British theatrical producer (formerly partnered with composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber)
* Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster
* Toby Nowlan, BBC Wildlife magazine's "Young Environmentalist Journalist of the Year (2006)" [cite web | title=Prior Park Gossip Bowl 2007 | url=http://www.webalumnus.com/Uploads/30115/Documents/Gossip%20Bowl%2007.pdf | accessdate=2008-03-15]
* Hugh Scully, broadcaster
* John Aloysius Ward, former Archbishop of Cardiff
* Charlie Holt, President of the Oxford Union, 2008-2009

ports facilities

*The Monument field: a National Trust-owned site, but used solely by Prior Park that holds a number of rugby, football, rounders and cricket pitches and squares, as well as a running track.
*The Eliminator: a modern facility capable of hosting two matches at once. There are also tennis courts on the Astro, and rugby 7s training takes place here as well.
*The Netball Courts: four tarmac netball courts.
*The Top Fields: two cricket pitches. The Top Fields also include three grass hockey pitches as well as an area used for rugby training.
*The Swimming Pool: Recently refurbished indoor swimming pool, built at the end of the nineteenth century.
*The Gym: A large indoor area that hosts anything from basketball to badminton, also built in the nineteenth century.
*The Old Gym: Soon to be refurbished, the old gym provides a weights and conditioning room as well as a warm-up area for the rugby 1st XV.
*If additional facilities are needed Prior Park College is located 10 miles of the National Lottery-funded Bath University Sports Village, which is the training camp of the England Rugby Union and Netball teams, as well as Bath Rugby Club and the Great Britain Rugby League team.
* The Burton Prep Room - can host cricket, rugby, football and wrestling events.

Houses

*Within the school, there are four houses for boys and three for girls; three of which are boarding and four are for day-pupils.
*Boarding houses are Allen and Roche for boys, and St. Mary's for girls.
*Day houses are Clifford and Burton for boys, and Fielding and English for girls.
*One further house, Baines accommodates all students in the years seven and eight.Baines contains several internal houses namely: Garrick, Brownlow, Rice, Moore and Pope, named after previous Prior Park alumni, benefactors and monks.

Trivia

*Prior Park was used as a location for the 1950 David Niven film The Elusive Pimpernel, and in the early 1980s for Spandau Ballet's promo video for "She Loved Like Diamond] ". Fact|date=April 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.priorparkschools.co.uk/ Prior Park College] - Official website
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/05/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/800_6001.stm School Results for Prior Park College from BBC News online]