Development Projects 2009 onwards

After the recent opening of the new Emms Centre by Lord Patten on 20th May 2009, Cranleigh's Science, Maths and Modern Languages facilities are now all accommodated in fantastic new surroundings.

The old, vacated buildings for these disciplines have been converted into what  has become the Rhodes Art & Design Centre – a long-awaited aspiration for Cranleigh, and one that we hope will build upon the outstanding exam results we have seen in this Faculty in recent years (100% of pupils received A/B grades for their AS last year, and 86% at A-Level).

Taking in the Rhodes Block, the old R-Classrooms, the Victorian Gym, the old squash courts and the 1912 Science School, huge new individual studios have been generated for Drawing and Painting, Ceramics, Printmaking, Sculpture and Textiles – all of which  were ready for the Michaelmas term September 2009.

The internal walls of the Rhodes Block were removed and an internal steel cage constructed to provide three large, light and airy studios for Sculpture, Ceramics and Textiles. The cluster of buildings around the Gym, including the Gym itself,  has been converted into Design workshops, classrooms and technician areas, while the old squash court building is to become a Printmaking studio and offices. Probably the most interesting and exciting conversion is that of the 1912 Science School into two large Painting studios, a Director's studio and an exhibition space. The rather unattractive quadrangle of 1950s and 1960s Science buildings has been demolished, restoring some wonderful views from the 1912 Science School out across the golf course towards Pitch Hill.

The oval ball made its first appearance at Cranleigh in January 1916, with the arrival of LC Gower, a former Welsh International. From the start he set a relentless pace, with two rounds of scrum practice on St Andrews each day. It worked: from 1916 to his departure in 1931, his 1st XV teams won 109/165 matches played. So fearsome was their reputation, it was rumoured that other schools habitually earned a day’s holiday if their 1st team beat Cranleigh. Through the 1930s the knock on effect was for the OC side to be one of the most successful Old Boys sides in the country, with no less than six OCs earning England caps and one British Lion.

These early years set an extraordinarily strong foundation for Cranleigh rugby, which was to be consolidated in impressive style over future decades. In the early 1950s, the 1st XV won 33/37 matches, achieved an unbeaten season in 1955 and saw one of their players, Jeffrey Clements, being capped for England in 1959. The early 1970s saw a success rate of almost 80%, and the 1980s saw the emergence of some star players, with Nigel Smith and Jim Turley leading the way, playing for England age groups. In the 1990’s the 1st XV enjoyed an unbeaten season under the captaincy of Zane Sennett (now a Red Arrows pilot!). Heading into the new millennium, Cranleigh once again became a breeding ground for young international players, with Andy Houston, Seb Stegmann, Greg Bateman and Sam Smith gaining England schoolboy honours (as Stegmann and Bateman consecutively helped to take the School’s 1st XV side to an unbeaten season in 2005) – while, most recently, Old Cranleighan Will Collier was selected for the England U18s.

Cranleigh’s successes have afforded it a reputation as one of England’s premier rugby schools; have ensured a constant stream of quality players to the OCRFC, of whose recent successes we are all proud, and have increasingly been reflected in rugby players who go on to achieve National honours. It is an enviable track record – and one we now intend to build upon, with the launch of Rugby Excellence!

This year, we launch Cranleigh Rugby Excellence!, a concept providing new facilities to keep Cranleigh at the pinnacle of School rugby, cultivating those capable of achieving national honours as well a constant stream of quality players for the OCs.

Land will be excavated from behind Pickup, offering three further pitches that combine with the current St Andrews in an L-shape, enabling the School to train and play all matches on this side of the road. The jewel in the crown will be a “Field of Dreams” – a new 1st XV pitch – excavated from the rolling meadows of the old School Farm to create a natural amphitheatre with tiered seating built into the banks, allowing spectators to watch crunch games against our old rivals from an elevated position. A dedicated rugby clubhouse, floodlights and new scrummaging machines are just some of the additions we hope to include in the vision that is Cranleigh Rugby Excellence!

Planning for this exciting new OC-partnered project is well underway, supported by the OC Rugby Club and underpinned by an OC committee whose personal passion for Cranleigh rugby will undoubtedly help in driving it forward. Several individual OC enthusiasts have already generously pledged their sponsorship, and we have high hopes that other supporters of the School will follow their lead, allowing us to complete this project and invest in the long-term future of Cranleigh rugby.