Lancing College is a public school (English private boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing in the parish of Lancing, on the south coast of England. Lancing College was founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard and educates c. 600 pupils between the ages of 13 and 18; the co-educational ratio is c. 60:40 boys to girls. Girls were admitted beginning in 1971. There are five male houses (Gibbs', School, Teme, Head's, Second's) and four female houses (Field's, Sankey's, Manor, Handford). The first mixed house, Saints' House, was established in September 2018, bringing the total number of Houses to 10.
Overview The college is situated on a hill which is part of the South Downs, and the campus dominates the local landscape. The college overlooks the River Adur, and the Ladywell Stream, a holy well or sacred stream within the College grounds, has pre-Christian significance. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith," and the discipline of the prefect's cane. John Dancy was appointed headmaster in 1953 to improve academic standards, which had taken second place to prowess in sport. Lancing was the first of a family of more than 30 schools founded by Woodard. Other schools include Ardingly College, Bloxham School, Denstone College, Ellesmere College, and The Cathedral School, Llandaff.
Roughly 65% of pupils are either full or weekly boarders, at a cost of £18,439 per term; 35% are day pupils, at a cost of £12,602 per term. Occasional overnight stays are available to day pupils at an additional cost of £92 per night.
The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Girls were first admitted in 1970. The school is dominated by a Gothic Revival chapel, and follows a high church Anglican tradition. The College of St Mary and St Nicolas (as it was originally known) in Shoreham-by-Sea was intended for the sons of upper middle classes and professional men; in time this became Lancing College, moving to its present site in 1857.
The school's buildings of the 1850s were designed by the architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter, with later ones by John William Simpson.
In 1985 the school hall and classroom blocks were designated a Grade II* listed building.
History
Foundation and Early Years (1848–1857) Lancing College was founded in 1848 by the Rev. Nathaniel Woodard, when he published A Plea for the Middle Classes and set out his vision of an Anglican boarding school “based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith”.
Woodard’s aim was to provide for children of the emerging professional and middle-classes the kind of public school education previously reserved for aristocratic families.
Originally known as the “College of St Mary and St Nicolas”, the school initially operated at Shoreham-by-Sea before relocating to its present site on the South Downs above Lancing village.
1854–1911 In 1854 the foundation stone for the new college buildings at Lancing was laid. The architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter was engaged to design the Gothic Revival school buildings, intending the architecture itself to be an “ornament to the country” and to elevate the taste of pupils.
In 1856 Lancing created its own code of football which (unlike other school codes) was regarded as a means of fostering teamwork.J. Lowerson and J. Myerscough, Time to Spare in Victorian England (Brighton: Harvester, 1977) pp 119–20, cited in Football: The First Hundred Years. The Untold Story. Adrian Harvey, Routledge, 2005
Construction proceeded slowly; the crypt of the chapel was consecrated in 1875, and the upper chapel was dedicated in 1911. Although originally planned to include a great tower, financial constraints meant it was never completed as originally envisaged.
Over the decades the school’s buildings became one of its defining features: commanding the South Downs skyline, and featuring cloister walks and rich Gothic detailing.
Developments throughout the 20th Century The 1920's saw significant building developments across the College. The Foundation Stone of the Cloister was laid on 25 June 1921 in memory of the Old Lancings who had died in the First World War. The New Block of classrooms were opened in 1927 and in 1928 The Head Master's House was built at the front of the College, it will later be re-named Teme House.
During the Second World War the College was evacuated to Teme Valley, Shropshire. The naval training establishment HMS King Alfred occupied the College throughout the duration of the war. In 1941 Winston Churchill met with General Montgomery in Teme House at Lancing College.
In 1960 the Amphitheatre was opened by Agatha Christie.
In 1970 the school became fully co-educational, admitting girls and thereby broadening its intake and mission. This was further expanded in the 1990's when day student numbers were allowed to increase to nearly 50% of the student body.
The 150th Anniversary of the College was attended by Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.
Recent Developments The west porch of the Lancing College Chapel was completed in April 2022 after fundraising began to complete the Chapel in 2019.
Chapel
The college chapel is a Grade I listed building that was finally completed in 2022. The first phase of its construction began in 1863 with the installation of the foundations of the building, completed five years later. One report states that the foundations are deep. The structure itself would not be fully completed until long after Woodard's death in 1891, although the tower at the west end that had been planned in the 1800s would not be built as of 2024; the tower had been intended to raise the height to . The apex of the vaulting rises to . It was designed by R. H. Carpenter and William Slater, and is built of Sussex sandstone from Scaynes Hill.
By 18 July 1911, the upper chapel had been built and went into use after its consecration and dedication to St Mary and St Nicholas; this phase of the work was completed through the efforts of Woodard's son, William. "Despite a shortage of funds, he turned all the vaults and oversaw the completion of all but two bays of the main interior ..." according to a 2024 report. The listing by Historic England provides this more specific summary of the Gothic Revival upper chapel at that time:The main portion of the chapel was finished in 1911. It consists of an apse and 10 bays. Central portion with aisles. Great buttresses flank the windows of the aisles. Over the roof of the aisles double flying buttresses connect the buttresses below to the walls of the main building. Balustrade of pointed arcading. Slate roof. (Historic England) Prior to July 1911, the college had worshipped in the finished crypt since that was consecrated in 1875.
Before the final completion of the chapel in the 21st century, additional work was completed over the decades. As of May 1978, the structure contained among other things, the tomb of the founder, three organs, and a rose window designed by Stephen Dykes Bower, completed in 1977, and the largest rose window built since the Middle Ages, being in diameter. It was added by James Longley Construction, a building company which operated from 1863 to 2020, and was also involved in the building of Christ's Hospital near Horsham. Some reports state that the structure is the largest school chapel in the world.
The eastern organ is a two-manual mechanical organ built by the Danish firm Frobenius and was installed and voiced in situ in 1986. That year also marked the completion of the rebuild of the four-manual Walker organ at the west end of the chapelThe History of the English Organ. Stephen Bicknell, Cambridge University Press, 1999 – both of which featured in the opening concert by the American organ virtuoso Carlo Curley.
A stained-glass window was commissioned in memory of Trevor Huddleston OL, and consecrated by Desmond Tutu on 22 May 2007. The west wall of the chapel was built between 1960 and 2017. That area had remained bricked up since 1978 when bricks replaced the previous corrugated iron facade.
In 2019 permission was obtained for building the western three-arched porch that had been designed by Michael Drury. During this phase, the brickwork in the facade was also completed, as were the chapel's buttresses.
The chapel was closed to visitors during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequently during the construction of the west end porch and refurbishment work on the school kitchens opposite. It reopened to the public on 25 April 2022.
Campus During World War II, students were evacuated to Downton Castle in Herefordshire. Both the main college and the prep school buildings were requisitioned by the Admiralty and became part of the Royal Navy shore establishment .
List of headmasters
+OrdinalNameDatesReference1Henry JacobsAug–Dec 18482Charles Edward Moberly1849–18513John Branthwaite1851–18594Dr Robert Edward Sanderson1862–18895Harry Ward McKenzie1889–18946Ambrose J. Wilson1895–19017Bernard Henry Tower OL1901–19098Henry Thomas Bowlby1909–19259Cuthbert Harold Blakiston1925–193410Frank Cecil Doherty1935–195311John Christopher Dancy1953–196112Sir William Gladstone, 7th Baronet1961–196913Ian David Stafford Beer1969–198114James Stephen Woodhouse1981–199315Christopher John Saunders1993–199816Peter Tinniswood1998–200517Jonathan Gillespie FRSA2006–201418Dominic Oliver2014–202519Dr Scott Crawford2025–Present
House System +Name of HouseGenderDay or BoardingYear EstablishedReferenceField'sGirlsBoarding HouseGibbs'BoysBoarding House1914HandfordGirlsBoarding House1986Head'sBoysBoarding House until 2002. Now a Day House1857ManorGirlsBoarding House1978Saints'MixedDay House2018Sankey'sGirlsDay House1973SchoolBoysBoarding House1854Second'sBoysBoarding House1892TemeBoysBoarding House1947
Co-Curricular and Sports
Co-Curricular Programs
Lancing offers a variety of co-curricular programs such as:
A Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Duke of Edinburgh's Award Equestrian Farming programs Scouts
Sports Lancing offers a variety of sports for students that include cricket, football, hockey, netball, tennis, and swimming.
Cricket Cricket has been played at Lancing since 1857, the first team was captained by G. Woodard, son of Nathaniel Woodard. Cricket is offered during the Summer Term and the program is run by Mr. Rajesh Maru, an ex-professional cricket player.
Notable alumni
Arts George Warner Allen (1916–1988), artist of the Neo-Romantic school Tim Battersby (b. 1949), composer, musician and lyricist David Bedford (1937–2011), composer and musician, worked with (among others) Mike Oldfield, orchestrating Tubular Bells Giles Cooper (1918–1966), radio dramatist, injured in The Spanish Civil War, later working with The Royal Shakespeare Company, Kenneth Williams and Harold Pinter and dramatised the works of John Wyndham, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore (b. 1951), Patron of the Arts, on the board of the National Gallery of Ireland Frederick Gore (1913–2009), Post-Impressionist artist, educator and author Brodrick Haldane (1912–1996), art photographer whom Sir Cecil Beaton described as the founder of modern society photography Kenneth Hall (1913–1946), artist, painter, drafter and designer, known for co-founding The White Stag Group Henry Hardy (b. 1949), student and editor of the epistemological, dialectical and historiographical works of Isaiah Berlin and music composer Sir Peter Pears (1910–1986), tenor, associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner Edward Piper (1938–1990), artist (son of British Modernist painter and Official War artist, John Piper)