The History of Lucton School
Lucton School was founded in 1708 by successful London Vintner, John Pierrepont. Having made a fortune under the reign of Charles the II, John was a man full of enthusiasm for the Church of England’s new charitable endeavours and Lucton School was one of several philanthropic ventures.
Lucton was originally a grammar school for local boys where they could have expected a solid grounding in the classics as well as the strong Anglican values on which it was founded; however, as the school grew and flourished over time it began to attract students from further afield and in 1881 accommodation was expanded to cater for the increasing number of boarders.
The first half of the 20th century saw Lucton welcome students from Russia and Belgium as war ravaged Europe and beyond and in 1918, Headmaster Vernon Pitt introduced Lucton’s very own Army Cadet Force, which was a precursor to our current CCF and recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary.
During the Second World War, as can be expected, the complement of boarders in the School practically doubled overnight as Lucton opened its doors to evacuees from Birmingham, Coventry and London. From the accounts of the Old Luctonians, squadrons could regularly be heard flying overhead; however, the students had found a safe haven at Lucton and passed the war in relative tranquility.
The post-war period saw a vast reorganising at the school, and a large programme of redevelopment as it continued to grow. These years saw a considerable stream of young men carrying the Lucton name on to university, and thence to the furthest corners of the globe, becoming captains of industry and many other professions.
The 1970s saw a number of important changes including the introduction of its own Junior School and, more importantly, making the progressive decision to allow girls to enter the school. Bolstered by the goodwill and generosity of many local people, Lucton’s numbers continued to swell and whilst much has changed over the years, Lucton continues to welcome students from all walks of life and religious beliefs and still embraces the solid moral values upon which it was founded. Floreat Luctona!
