Liverpool College

A Brief History

Founded in 1840 and officially opened just one year later by the future Prime Minister, W.E. Gladstone, Liverpool College can claim to be the first of the Victorian public schools. The original building, designed by the distinguished architect H.L. Elmes, who also designed St George's Hall, was a magnificent gothic structure on Shaw Street. In 1884 the Upper School moved to Lodge Lane and by 1907 this became Liverpool College. The school finally moved to its current 26 acre estate between Penny Lane and Queen's Drive in Mossley Hill in 1939.

Liverpool College pupils were quick to make their mark. In 1870 Richard Pendlebury was the first Liverpool boy to win the most coveted award at Cambridge University, that of Senior Wrangler, or Head of the First Class in Mathematics. One of his contemporaries at the College, Armitage Robinson, became Dean of Westminster and 'stage-managed' the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V. Other notable Old Lerpoolians include double Victoria Cross winner, Noel Chavasse, and the England cricket captain, Ken Cranston. More recently, Sir Simon Rattle and The Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the current Bishop of Manchester, were educated here at the College.

In December 1872 Gladstone, now Prime Minister, visited the College for the last time, to distribute the prizes. His words on this occasion demonstrate clearly his affection for the school he helped to found :

"I rejoice in everything which refreshes my memory of the place and strengthens my connections with it."

Today he would be a proud man.

Mission Statement

"Liverpool College values the dignity of each individual and promotes the development of character and learning through a commitment to high standards within a caring community"

Core Values

We recognise that all pupils have different talents and strive to ensure that every pupil has an equal opportunity to find and develop the talents they do possess