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The Beresford

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Housemaster

Mr Gavin Franklin joined Wellington in 2008 as Master i/c Cricket and English teacher. He was appointed Housemaster of the Beresford from September 2010. He played professional cricket for Warwickshire CCC in the late 1990s and following that pursued a career in coaching at the Oval where he was i/c elite player development for Surrey CCC and gained his ECB Level 4 coaching certificate. Gavin was educated at Malvern and Durham, where he met his wife, Claire, who is also a teacher. They have a young son, William and live in accommodation adjoining the House.

Housemaster’s Study 01344 444133

Mobile (24 hours) 07780 904717

Email: gdf@wellingtoncollege.org.uk

Assistant Housemaster

Mr Kevin Brennan teaches PE and is Master i/c Rugby. Kevin graduated from Brunel before undertaking a Masters at Oxford, where he captained the varsity team and gained a Blue. He is a former professional rugby player with London Irish and prior to his arrival at Wellington, taught at Abingdon. Kevin lives in accommodation attached to the House with his wife, Sian, who runs her own Dance business and their young son, Ethan. Kevin tutors the Upper Sixth.

Tutors

There are other tutors attached to The Beresford. They spend one evening each week on duty in the house. They may well come into the house at other times too to see tutees. The tutor monitors and helps with academic work, extra-curricular activities, grades and reports, and life at Wellington in general. Do please contact the tutors if you have any academic queries.

Mr Matthew Albrighton, Head of Geography and Head of M.Y.P., tutors the Fifth Form.
Dr Mark Farrington teaches Physics and is the Director of the Easter Revision Course, as well as coaching Hockey and Cricket. Dr Farrington also performs the vital role of Common Room Cellarer. He tutors the Lower Sixth.
Mr Matthew Ford teaches Chemistry and is the Assistant Director of Studies. He also presides over the popular Wellington College Real Ale Appreciation Society. Mr Ford tutors the Lower Sixth.
Mr Aaron Williams joined us from Lord Wandsworth to teach Maths. He has a real interest in Cricket, he plays for Dorset CCC, and tutors the 3rd form.
Dr Mike Finn is Head of Politics and Oxbridge coordinator. He joins us from King’s Canterbury and tutors the 4th form.

Beresford: the House

The Beresford has been designed as a spacious, well-appointed and prestigious building in character with others on the Wellington College estate. It occupies the site of the Old Talbot, nestling among mature woodland and landscaped water features, some 5 minutes walk from the main College buildings, which gives the feeling of a "real home" for the boys. It has an environment which is homely, secure, comfortable, and conducive to study and in which social contact is natural and easy.

As well as the elegant oak-panelled Dining Room, in which boys take breakfast and supper, the facilities, which are second to none, include a large Common Room with Sky TV, Pool and Table Tennis tables, two traditional Brews Rooms and a separate library / TV room for the Sixth Form. There are computing and printing facilities in an alcove off the TV room, whilst the Matron' well-appointed room on the first floor has washing and drying machines which ensure a speedy turn round of boys' laundry. Outside the building, aside from the lakes and grassy areas, there is a floodlit play area where the boys participate in touch rugby, 5-a-side football or cage cricket depending on the season.

The Housemaster, Mr Gavin Franklin lives on site with his young family, as does the Assistant Housemaster, Mr Kevin Brennan and his family, so the boys never lack tutorial supervision.

This newly built out of college house is named after the Marshal Beresford, onetime commander of a mixed Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish army that had laid siege to the French garrison City of Badajos in the battle of Albuera, 16th May 1811, during the Peninsular War. Beresford had been given the job in 1808 of reforming the Portuguese Army and his appointment as Marshal was a Portuguese rank. He was a savage disciplinarian and man of great strength. During the battle of Albuera, Beresford was attacked by a French lancer. He disarmed the lancer and threw him from his horse. Although considered a victory for the British, Portuguese and Spanish, the casualties to the British infantry were disastrous. The Duke of Wellington is reported to have said "Another such battle will ruin us". History shows otherwise. Beresford remained Marshal for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars.