Histories of Radley College

Radley College was founded in 1847 by William Sewell (1804-79) and Robert Corbet Singleton (1810-81). The Founders were inspired by the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church and aimed to create a school for boys where Christian principles of brotherliness were reinforced by the beauty of the environment and of the furnishings and objects which surrounded them. Daily choral services in a finely decorated chapel were a key aspect of the school, and remain so today. In addition, each boy had his own private space, an enclosed cubicle within a dormitory: this was a pioneering innovation which was rapidly adopted by other leading English public schools.

The original idea was to found a school which mirrored the social and administrative structures of a College. The boys were initially affiliated to individual Fellows for pastoral care, and thus became known as Sociales, from which Radley derives the unique name for its boarding houses: Socials.

The school was originally housed in Radley Hall, now known as the Mansion, built in the 1720s for the Stonehouse family. In the 1770s, Sir William Stonehouse commissioned Capability Brown to re-design the grounds. Elements of his design are still visible.  Later in the eighteenth century the estate was inherited by their cousins, the Bowyer family, who owned it until 1889. At that point, the Trustees of Radley College bought the Mansion, offices and a small area of the parkland. The school has gradually acquired more of the estate until in the 2020s it stands in more than 850 acres.

The extensive grounds now include a lake, a golf course (first laid out in the 1870s), woodland, and the games pitches on the former deer park. The Natural History Society published biodiversity surveys in 1912 and 1949.

Four histories of the school have been published. Most recent is Untold Stories by Clare Sargent, 2022