Rossall School, often called \u2018The Eton of the North,\u2019 has a long history. It was started in 1844 by Rev. St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College, which had opened the year before. The goal was to offer a top-quality education in classics, math, and general studies at a fair price for the sons of clergymen and others. Rev. Beechey got support from well-known people like The Earl of Derby, the Duke of Devonshire, and the Bishop of Chester to establish the school. Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood rented out his family home, Rossall Hall, to the school for 21 years, with an option to buy it for \u00a37000 within the first ten years.<\/p>\r\n
The school was originally named The Northern Church of England Boarding School but was renamed Rossall College under its first Headmaster, Dr. John Woolley. It opened on 22 August 1844 with 70 boys, and by the next March, it had grown to 120 students. During the Victorian era, as education expanded, Rossall received a Royal Charter on 21 October 1890, which boosted its reputation. By the end of Queen Victoria\u2019s reign, Rossall was among the top 30 public schools in the UK and earned the nickname \u2018The Eton of the North.\u2019<\/p>\r\n
Reflecting on the school\u2019s challenging coastal location, its first Captain, TW Sharpe, noted: \u201cThe choosing of the site was often held up in the ridicule .\u2026 but to us, who could bear the winds and brunt the storm, it gave a hardening strength which has braced us up for life.\u201d In the 1970s, Rossall School began admitting girls, who now comprise half of its student body.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"