Lambrook has been a Prep School for over 160 years.
Lambrook’s History
There has been a private school at Winkfield Row since 1860 when Robert Burnside bought Lambrook House with an eye on tutoring the sons of courtiers of Windsor Castle. In 1878, two of Queen Victoria’s grandsons, Prince Christian Victor and Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, were pupils at Lambrook.
Queen Victoria used to travel from Windsor Castle to Lambrook to watch her grandsons in plays and cricket matches. She is known to have parked her carriage where our New Development Wing is being built, and watch them from there. Their parents, Prince Christian and Princess Helena, also saw them acting in Aladdin, as well as performing in a Toy Symphony, and we are fortunate to have copies of programmes from these performances.
The photograph above shows the founding Headmaster of Lambrook, Robert J. Burnside, seated in the centre with Prince Christian Victor to his immediate right and Prince Albert two places to his left.
Lambrook grew steadily as a preparatory school for boy boarders and developed further in 1992 when day pupils were accepted, with a co-educational Pre Prep being opened shortly afterwards. Lambrook merged in 1997 with Haileybury Junior School from Windsor, which shared a very similar ethos and which had educated both day boys and boarders aged from 7 to 13 years old. Lambrook Haileybury expanded rapidly, soon added a Nursery and in 2009 formally withdrew from the arrangement with Haileybury, becoming Lambrook once more and now standing as an independent Charitable Trust in its own right.
Lambrook’s History Highlights and Timeline
From 1860 – 2020, Lambrook through History
1860 R. J. Burnside founds Lambrook in a private residence built by William Budd in 1853
1866 The Clock Tower Bell is cast at Whitechapel in London
1883 E. D. Mansfield becomes Headmaster
1887 The Schoolroom (our present Dining Room), classrooms, dormitories and indoor swimming bath are built
1892 A pipe organ is installed in the Schoolroom
1898 Orchard House is built
1904 The Reverend F. D. Browne becomes Headmaster
1905 The newly-built Chapel is dedicated
1911 The lake at the front of Lambrook is drained
1913 New Changing Rooms replace the former Carpentry Shop
1920 Revd. F. D. Browne purchases Lambrook’s freehold
1927 A new pipe organ is installed in the Chapel
1930 G. F. Cameron becomes Headmaster
1930 An extension is added to the south side of Lambrook House
1930 The original indoor swimming bath is modified
1934 The new Gymnasium and Fives Court are built
1939 A. H. Forbes becomes Headmaster
1946 Westfield Lodge (House) is purchased
1950 Lambrook becomes a Limited Company
1956 The Reverend P. P. S. Brownless becomes Headmaster
1959 The new Chapel extension and gallery are dedicated
1967 Lambrook becomes a Charitable Trust
1967 A new storey is added to the Annexe for extra teaching rooms
1968 Three staff bungalows are built opposite Westfield
1971 A new Swimming Pool is built
1971 T. V. Clough becomes Headmaster
1972 The original swimming bath is converted into a recreation room
1973 The Assembly Hall and adjoining Classroom Block are built
1973 The Schoolroom becomes the Dining Room
1973 The Dining Room becomes the Library
1978 An All Weather Pitch is created
1980 A new Art Room is opened
1983 The Squash Court is built
1985 The current Lower School Building is opened
1989 M. C. Bickersteth becomes Headmaster
1990 The Gymnasium is converted into a new DT Department
1992 I. M. A. Stewart becomes Interim Headmaster
1992 The Sports Hall is opened
1993 R. Badham-Thornhill becomes Headmaster
1993 The Pre Prep, housed in Westfield, is launched with five day pupils
1994 Lambrook Pre Prep becomes officially co-educational
1997 Lambrook merges with Haileybury Junior School to become Lambrook Haileybury
1997 B. J. Hare becomes Headmaster
1998 The Science and IT block is completed
1999 The Headmaster’s house is ready for occupation
1999 R. J. G. Deighton becomes Headmaster
2000 The Pre Prep building is completed
2000 The Millennium Wood is planted
2001 Westfield’s old Pre Prep rooms are converted for girls’ boarding
2001 The Fives Court is converted into a classroom
2001 Power’s field is drained to create playing fields
2002 The Astroturf comes into operation
2002 Three new cricket nets are installed
2002 The Junior (Lower School) Block is extended
2002 The Prep School Adventure Playground is installed
2003 The Squash Court extension provides extra classrooms
2003 The Dining Room is extended
2004 Prep and Pre Prep gravel playgrounds are surfaced
2005 J. Barnes becomes Headmaster
2006 The Swimming Pool is renovated
2006 The Drama Studio and Music Suite are created
2007 The Westfield Saplings Nursery opens with sixteen pupils
2008 Turf nets are installed for cricket practice
2009 Lambrook Haileybury reverts to its former name of Lambrook
2009 A computer organ replaces the former console in the Chapel
2010 J. Perry becomes Headmaster
2010 A stained-glass rose window is installed in the Chapel
2010 The environmental area and pond are created
2010 An additional adventure playground is installed
2011 The Pre Prep Willow Walk and Story-Telling Space are created
2011 An allotment is created near the environmental area
2011 Equipment is installed to harvest and recycle rainwater
2012 A new Grounds and Maintenance Compound is constructed
2013 The Diamond Jubilee Centre for Performing Arts is opened
2013 Three new classrooms are created on the site of the former Assembly Hall, and the existing classrooms are refurbished
2014 The Churcher Room extension to the School Library allows pupils to access and research digital information resources
2015 The new 25 metre Swimming Pool is opened
2015 The Pre Prep Building is adapted for pupils to move freely between indoor and outdoor learning environments
2016 Hives for bee-keeping are established in the Orchard
2016 Lambrook is named Tatler magazine’s ‘Prep School of the Year’
2017 An additional sports pitch is created in the Lambrook Meadow
2018 The Queen’s Building is completed, providing outstanding facilities for Art, DT, and IT, as well as academic classrooms, changing rooms, and a new Reception area
2019 The Dance Studio is opened in the Diamond Jubilee Centre
2019 An additional Woodland Area is planted
2019 The Farm Area and Elisabeth’s Orchard are opened
2019 Higher mesh fencing is installed around the Astroturf facility
2019 Hard courts are constructed behind the Sports Hall
2019 J. Perry is named Tatler Magazine’s Headmaster of the Year
2020 The Lower School extension and refurbishment are completed
