Established 1962 DfE number 866/6044 Phone +44 1474 823371 | Headmaster Paul Mitchell Students 159~[2015] Founded 1962 | |
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Type Independent day and boarding school Location Gravesend
Kent
DA12 3BL
England Address Cobham, Gravesend DA12 3BL, UK Similar Shorne Wood Country P, Darnley Mausoleum, Owletts, Fleet Air Arm Museum, Hall Place Profiles | ||
Cobham Hall is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Cobham, Kent. The school is housed in a Tudor era manor, which is now Grade I listed. It is a Round Square school and a member of the Girls' Schools Association.
Contents
Bohemian rhapsody by cobham hall school choir
Building History
There has been a manor house on the site since the 12th century. The current building consists of a pair of Tudor wings built for The 10th Baron Cobham in the 16th century and a later classical central block, the 'Cross Wing', remodeled in 1661-63 by Peter Mills of London for The 3rd Duke of Richmond. The attic storey was extended and other alterations made for The 3rd Earl of Darnley by Sir William Chambers, ca 1767-70 A kitchen court was added to the rear in 1771-73. The most notable feature of the interior is the two-storey Gilt Hall, designed and installed by George Shakespear, master carpenter and architect, of London, who made extensive interior alterations, 1770-81. The organ was built by John Snetzler in 1778-9.
The fourth earl, who inherited in 1781, employed James Wyatt extensively, for interiors that included the Picture Gallery and the Dining Room, and for stables and a Gothic dairy. The Library was fitted up by George Stanley Repton in 1817-20, and with his son, John Adey Repton, in Jacobethan style, including the ceiling for "Queen Elizabeth's Room" (1817). Cobham Hall remained the family home of the Earls of Darnley until 1957 and is now home to the school. It is open to the public on a limited number of days each year. [1]
The building has also been used as a film set. A scene in Agent Cody Banks 2 in which Frankie Muniz fights Keith Allen in a room full of priceless treasures was filmed in the Gilt Hall. Scenes from an adaption of Bleak House were also filmed outside the building, and it was also used in a few scenes in the comedy sketch show Tittybangbang.
The Hall is used as the school 'Abbey Mount' in the 2008 film Wild Child starring Emma Roberts. and as the Foundling Hospital in the CBBC adaptation of Hetty Feather.
School
Cobham Hall was founded as an international boarding school for girls aged between eleven and eighteen in 1962. The school has a large contingent of international students. Just over 50% are local British while the rest represent some 30 nationalities.
Curriculum
In 2009, the administration decided to replace A Levels with the International Baccalaureate as its main curriculum in Sixth Form after first introducing it in November 2008. Girls in Middle School (up to Year 11) follow the GCSE curriculum.
Boarding
Over half of the student population are boarders. There are three boarding houses: Main Hall, Bligh House and Brooke House.
Notable alumnae
Francesa Amfitiahtrof, Creative director Tiffany's