The School’s charter, granted by Elizabeth I in 1560, stipulated that there should be 40 Queen’s Scholars. It also confirmed that College should be a Boarding House, with all Scholars residing in a single house rather than living at home or boarding separately. The boys were originally housed in Dean’s Yard, in what had been the granary of the Monastery. By the 1700s this building was in a ruinous state and it was imperative that a new home for the Scholars should be found. Money was raised from legacies from old boys and donations from benefactors, including a gift of £1000 from George I.
In 1730, College moved to a purpose-built dormitory, designed by Lord Burlington, where it remains to this day, although the dormitory has been much remodelled and sub-divided internally, having been gutted by incendiary bombs in May 1941. In 2017 the school’s statutes were modified with Royal approval to allow for the creation of female Scholars, increasing the total number in the house to 48 pupils.
The Scholars take their title from the reigning monarch and, therefore, reverted to being ‘King’s Scholars’ on the accession of Charles III.
Facts and Figures
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Housemaster:
Mr Gareth Mann (History)| Founded | 1560 (as part of the Elizabethan Foundation, though there had been ‘King’s Scholars’ on Henry VIII’s foundation since 1540) |
|---|---|
| House Type | Boarding |
| Total Pupils | 44 |
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"College is the institutional heart of Westminster School, and embodies and carries forward the educational tradition started here a millennium ago in the Benedictine Abbey, transmitted through Henry VIII’s short-lived foundation, and more lastingly in the scholarships created by his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. These are the scholarships which still exist today. The King’s Scholars enjoy a special link with the Abbey, and have their own pews in Quire. They are the core of the School’s annual ‘Commem’ services; they sing Compline on Wednesdays; and they are by long tradition the group which first acclaims the Monarch at the Coronation – as last happened in 2023. All of this can sound stuffy, but the truth is much more informal and relaxed. Everyone in College boards, and it is the largest boarding community in the School by some way – so there is a family atmosphere, and an ease of making friendships outside of your year-group. Matron is a crucial figure in all this: her baking is unparalleled, and her care is constant. Pizza-making has become a real summer (and September) fixture, using the wood-fired oven in Ashburnham Garden, and our outstanding Tutors have become known for their inventive and collaborative outings, organised at the ends of terms. Academic success depends on hard work – but just as much it relies on rest, perspective, fun and good friendships, and College is where all of those things happen. "
— Gareth Mann, Master of the King's Scholars