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The Blücher

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Housemaster: Mr Mark Boobbyer

Tel: +44 (0)1344 444137

I have been running the Blucher since 2001, having joined Wellington in 1994 after a spell coaching cricket in South Africa. I teach classics and I have led ten middle school trips to Rome and Pompeii. I have done a lot of coaching of first teams in rugby and cricket, having played to a decent level in both myself, including spending two winters playing cricket in South Africa and Australia. In 1995 I managed Soweto CC, the first ever township side from South Africa to tour Britain, having played for them the year before. I played cricket for Durham University and rugby for Durham University, London Scottish and Basingstoke. At present I am the manager of the 1st XI. I am also the assistant chaplain of the College. Other interests include fly-fishing, running, cycling and spending time down on the Welsh border.

My wife, Cathy, and I have four children: Angus, Luke and Naomi are at Wellington and Brendan is at Elstree Prep School. Cathy works in the Admissions Department and is the Wellington prep school liaison officer.

House team

Dan Rosen - Assistant Housemaster, Biology teacher and tutor to the Third Form.
Ian Frayne - Physics teacher. Ian tutors the Upper 6th Form and has been in the house for eight years.
Richard Atherton – Maths teacher and head of IB diploma. Tutor of the Fifth Form.
Hugh MacGregor – Drama teacher and tutor of the Lower 6th Form.
Ed Venables – Head of Business Studies and tutor of the 4th Form.
Helen Thompson – Helen is a counsellor and tutor without portfolio.

Housekeeper: Mrs Debbie Smith

Number of boarders and day pupils: 60

The Blucher was redeveloped in the first part of 2006 and reopened in September as the first in-college house to have been fully redesigned and refitted. The result is a much larger house with exceptional facilities, more akin to an out of college house, but with the advantage of being right in the middle of the school buildings.

This in-college house is named after Marshall Gebhard Blucher (1742 - 1819), Commander of the Prussian Army. From Prussia he served first in the Swedish cavalry then later with the Prussians as a Hussar officer and a very intrepid one by all accounts. He was promoted to the rank of General Field Marshal in Germany and was a key officer in fighting back the French forces entering France in April 1814. He led the Prussians to defeat at Ligny on June 16th 1815 and was crucial to prevent the French out-flanking the Allied force at Waterloo. He was lucky to have able chiefs of staff as, by all accounts, he was not a naturally gifted strategist. What he was was extremely eccentric, if not mad!