The Benson |
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Housemaster: Mr Tom Hicks
Tom joined Wellington as Housemaster in September 2009, having spent the previous five years at Lord Wandsworth College, Hampshire, where he was Assistant housemaster and full-time teacher of English. He is married to Penny, who currently works at Edgeborough prep school as Head of Classics. They have a two year old son, Toby, and are expecting a second child in January 2012. Cricket is Tom’s first passion and he still captains Dorset County Cricket Club and won four Oxford Blues in the sport, as well as being an MCC member. Other interests include running (2 completed London Marathons, and the sore knees to prove it!), squash and golf alongside non-sporting pursuits such as cryptic crosswords and general knowledge quizzes.
Tel: +44 (0)1344 444129
Email: tch@wellingtoncollege.org.uk
The House team:
Andrew Wilkinson – Assistant HM Andrew joined the house this year from the Raglan, after a hectic summer which saw him climbing mountains in the Alps and crossing Greenland on skis! He is an ex-Royal Marine who teaches in the Modern Languages department. Tutor to the Third Form.
Simon Allcock – Simon joined us in September 2006 and was Assistant HM for 5 years. He is Head of Classics, coaches a range of sports, runs Open Door (Wellington Christian Forum), and is tutor to the Lower Sixth form.
Sam Owen – Modern Languages. Interests include football, tennis, squash, photography, Open Door. Sam runs the ‘Food for Thought’ discussion group on his duty night in house. Tutor to the Upper Sixth.
Sam Hitchings – Sam recently graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Classics. He is a keen rugby player, coaching the college 3rd XV. He tutors the fifth form.
Dan Townley – Dan is in his second year of teaching having completed a Master’s Degree at Oxford. Last year Dan directed the house play ‘Bugsy Malone’. He is in the Chemistry department and tutor to the fourth form.
Karen White - Matron
Sarah Dyer – Housekeeper
Karen and Sarah look after the domestic and day-to-day running of the house including the boys’ laundry, medical affairs and cleaning. The matron’s room is manned from 7.30am to 6pm daily, Monday to Saturday and is often the first port-of-call for parents and visitors to the house. They are helped on a daily basis by out two cleaners – Tina and Tar.
The House
The Benson sits in its own grounds, and has wonderful facilities. An extensive garden provides a great place for the boys to play together, and the yard is very popular for House games as well. We have a games room with a 9ft snooker table, table football and darts, while the TV room is the old library with its elegant oak panels. The old dining room has been transformed into a spacious and comfortable common room, used for in-house suppers, house events and general relaxation. The new kitchen/diner ‘Lower Brews’ area offers a central social space and focal point for the house. With all this, the Benson is arguably the best appointed house in the college.
If you ask any of the boys in House what makes the Benson what it is, they reply universally: “House Spirit”. This supportive sense of cohesion enables individuals and groups to perform above their expectations and hopes. The Benson is very much an all round House with a warm atmosphere and hopefully a sense of balance, an environment in which every boy can thrive in each of their Eight Aptitudes.
Benson House is named after Edward White Benson. Benson was born in Birmingham in 1829 and educated at Trinity, Cambridge. He taught at Rugby School 1852-59 and then became the first Headmaster of Wellington College in 1859 at the age of thirty. He resigned from Wellington to become Chancellor of Lincoln Minster in 1872, and five years later he was consecrated as Bishop of Truro. In 1882, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. He also served as Prebendary of Lincoln and Chaplain to the Queen. Benson and his wife Mary Sidgwick had six children, three of whom - E F Benson, A C Benson and R H Benson - became writers.