Minchenden Grammar School

 Websitehttp://www.minchenden.org/

Minchenden School was a mixed secondary school situated in Southgate, North London, established in 1919 with 90 pupils.^[1] It merged with Arnos School in 1984.

History

The school was established in 1919 in Tottenhall Road as a mixed secondary school. In 1924, it moved to Southgate House, where it remained until 1987.^[2] The staff and pupils built an observatory.^[3] From 1960 to the early 1970s, there was an annexe in the Fox Lane school, Palmers Green.^[1] The annexe catered for the 1st 2 years of pupils. The school's English department was particularly strong. Head of English Douglas Barnes 1959-1966 introduced a series of important innovations in teaching methods. In 1967, Minchenden Grammar School was converted from a grammar school to Minchenden School, a comprehensive school, with the upper school in High Street and the lower school in Fox Lane.^[1] It was merged with Arnos School in 1984 to form Broomfield School, after the Conservative council sold the extensive playing fields to a development company to build homes, with the original Southgate House protected as a Grade I listed building.

The building is now used by Durants School, having previously been used by Southgate College.

Former teachers

• James Kirkup, poet

Notable alumni

• Graham Robert Allan, mathematician and an expert on Banach algebras, Professor of Pure Mathematics from 1970 to 1978 at the University of Leeds
• Neville Brody (born 1957), graphic designer, typographer and art director
• Prof. Harold Brookfield (born 1926), scholar of rural development, Australian National University
• Prof Peter Clarricoats CBE, Professor of Electronic Engineering from 1968 to 1997 at Queen Mary and Westfield, and vice-president from 1989 to 1991 of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (since 2006 the Institution of Engineering and Technology) Fellow of the Royal Society (1990)
• Nick Dunning, actor - credits include The Tudors, My Boy Jack, Alexander^{[citation needed]}
• Judy Dyble (1949-2020), Singer songwriter and founder member of Fairport Convention
• Irving Finkel (born 1951), philologist and Assyriologist
• Professor Brian J Ford (born 1939), scientist, author, broadcaster and lecturer
• Lynne Franks (born 1948), public relations innovator
• Judy Fryd (1909–2000), political campaigner
• Hazel Genn (born 1949), legal academic
• Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (born 1938), sociologist, Director from 1997 to 2003 of the London School of Economics
• John Hodge (1929–2021), engineer and NASA flight director
• Jana Jeruma-Grinberga (born 1953) former bishop in the Lutheran Church
• Peter Kellner (born 1946), journalist and political commentator
• William Orbit (born 1956), musician, composer and record producer
• Chris Pond (born 1952), Labour MP from 1997 to 2005 for Gravesham
• David Puttnam, Baron Puttnam (born 1941), film producer and politician
• Martin Rushent (born 1948), record producer
• Peter Sallis (1921-2017), actor
• Sir Peter Soulsby (born 1948), mayor of Leicester and former Labour MP for Leicester South
• Barry Took (1928–2002), comedian, writer and television presenter
• John Wimpenny (1922-2015), aerodynamicist and holder of the world record for man-powered flight for ten years from 1962, when he flew the Hatfield Puffin over a distance of 995 yards.

References

Further reading

• Minchenden School golden anniversary, 1919–1969, published by Minchenden School, 1969 ISBN 978-0-9501826-0-5
• Douglas Barnes, Becoming an English Teacher (London: NATE, 2000)

External links

• Social Change and English, 1945-1965 - Minchenden is one of three schools in London that are included in this Leverhulme Trust-funded project about the teaching of English in the period 1945–1965. The project is collecting oral histories from former teachers and pupils at the school.