West House
Housemaster: William Earl
Assistant Housemaster: Ben Barton
Resident Tutor: John Norton
Matron: Jean George
Founded in 1878, West House is a friendly, busy and lively boys’ Boarding House for students aged 13 – 18, with room for 45 – 48 Boarders, and 25-30 Homeboarders. The house itself is situated on the far side of the School field, next to the Clapham Building and the Astroturf with the newly renovated Sports Hall nearby. The character Mr Chips in James Hilton’s novel Goodbye Mr Chips is said to be based on a former housemaster of West House, W.H.Balgarnie. His legacy prevails in the running of the house and each individual member of West benefits from the pastoral support that is available within the homely environment.
Within the House there is an excellent house spirit alongside which high personal standards are expected in behaviour, academic and non-academic activities. We have a strong ethos of ‘work hard, play hard’ as well as encouraging Westonians to take responsibility for their daily lives and to do the best they can through purposeful practice. We try to achieve this by encouraging our members to strike a balance in the academic, wider curriculum and social aspects of school life.
Members of West House have excelled in many areas of the School, particularly in Drama, Art and Music with their contributions evident on a regular basis in all aspects of school life. Many large School events, such as the Unplugged and West Factor, have been overseen by the students from West House. The Hilton-Rennie Club (named after two famous old boys) rewards these cultural achievements and colours can be gained for representation. The House also has a very strong sporting tradition and has dominated inter house competitions for the last few years; the Lion Club runs the House sports competitions and House Colours can be gained for participation in them. Furthermore, most, if not all, Westonians will represent the school’s sports teams and be committed to their success.
Recent leavers have gone to a range of Universities dependent on what is right for them. Destinations have included Oxford, LSE, Imperial, Durham, Loughborough, Manchester Metropolitan and Oxford Brookes for example. Old boys have achieved success in many careers ranging from having films shown at Cannes to working in Westminster and designing surfing equipment in Cornwall, thereby reflecting the diversity of those coming through the house.
Above all else the greatest strength in West is that we are able to support one another and create a strong sense of community.