{{Short description|Defunct school in Surrey, England}}{{Infobox school | established = 1896 | closed = 1996 | gender = Boys | lower_age = 6 | upper_age = 13 }}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=February 2023}} '''Scaitcliffe''' was a prep school for boys aged 6–13 in Egham, Surrey. Founded in 1896, it was both a boarding and day school.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Egham |title=Educating Egham Part 2 - Egham Museum |url=https://eghammuseum.org/educating-egham-part-2/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Egham Museum |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Leinster-Mackay |first=Donald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m9M7EAAAQBAJ |title=The Rise of the English Prep School |date=2021-12-16 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-35754-7 |pages=197–198 |language=en}}</ref> After merging with Virginia Water Prep School in 1996,<ref>{{cite news |title= Goodbye to all that |date= 18 July 1996 |work= Staines and Egham News |page= 1 }}</ref> the school is now co-educational and known as '''Bishopsgate School'''.<ref>{{cite news |title= Excellence in park setting |date= 27 August 1999 |work= The Staines Informer |volume= 25 |issue= 34 |page= 19 }}</ref> The school is located in a small village near Egham called Englefield Green.
==History== ;First school The first Scaitcliffe school was founded by Charles Croslegh in 1881 and was named after his family home in Lancashire. It was run as a preparatory school for the Royal Indian Engineering College at Cooper's Hill, later Brunel University. Croslegh was responsible for building the Big Room and commissioned Henry Woodyer to design the chapel in 1886.<ref name=SH>{{cite news |title= Born in 'glory' days of the Empire |date= 30 March 1995 |work= Surrey Herald |page= 25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last1= Elliott |editor-first1= John |editor-last2= Pritchard |editor-first2= John |date= 2001 |title= Henry Woodyer, Gentleman Architect |publisher= University of Reading |location= Reading |isbn= 978-0-7049-1331-8 |page= 226 }}</ref>
;Second school In 1896, Croslegh sold the lease to Philip Morton and Ronald Vickers, who established a preparatory school. In 1903, Vickers became the sole owner and oversaw the extension of many buildings and the construction of the sanatorium and squash courts. The number of pupils had reached 40 in the 1920s and 72 by 1979.<ref name=SH/>
Following several decades under the control of the Vickers family, in 1990 the ownership of the school was placed in the hands of a charitable trust.<ref name=SH/>
The school was used as a location for ''A very open prison'', an episode of the BBC series ''Screen Two'', broadcast in March 1995.<ref>{{cite news |title= TV prison role |date= 30 March 1995 |work= Surrey Herald |page= 27 }}</ref>
==Former pupils== * Bim Afolami, MP * Marcus Armytage, journalist and former jockey<ref name=SH_1995_26>{{cite news |title= Didn't they do well... |date= 30 March 1995 |work= Surrey Herald |page= 26 }}</ref> * Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group * Damian Elwes, artist * Cary Elwes, actor * James Fisher, naturalist<ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Thorne Fisher |first=. Clemency |date= 23 September 2004 |title= Fisher, James Maxwell McConnell (1912–1970), ornithologist |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/33142 }}</ref> * Geordie Greig, newspaper editor * Michael Holroyd, biographer, who describes it in his 1999 book ''Basil Street Blues''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=Egham |title=You'll never believe who I just saw...! Part 1 - Egham Museum |url=https://eghammuseum.org/local-celebrities-part-1/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Egham Museum |language=en-GB}}</ref> * Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo, the former chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain<ref>{{cite web |title= Lord Peter Palumbo (1935-) |date= 26 July 2019 |publisher= Edith Farnsworth House |url= https://edithfarnsworthhouse.org/lord-peter-palumbo/ |access-date= 4 November 2023 }}</ref> * James Reed CBE (born April 1963), chairman and chief executive of the Reed group of companies * Jonathan Riley-Smith, historian<ref name=SH_1995_26/> * William Rous, army officer<ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Holden Reid |first= Brian |date= 4 October 2008 |title= Rous, Sir William Edward (1939–1999) |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/72312 }}</ref> * Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner, socialite<ref>{{Cite book |last=Courtney |first=Nicholas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bvoBBAAAQBAJ |title=Lord of the Isle: The Extravagant Life and Times of Colin Tennant |date=2013-12-01 |publisher=Bene Factum Publishing |isbn=978-1-903071-71-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Davenport-Hines |first= Richard |date= 9 January 2014 |title= Tennant, Colin Christopher Paget, third Baron Glenconner (1926–2010) |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/103290 }}</ref> * Pen Tennyson, film director<ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Martin |first= D.E. |date= 28 May 2015 |title= Tennyson, (Frederick) Penrose [Pen] (1912–1941) |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/95005 }}</ref> * Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party in Thailand<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chronicle |first=Evening |date=2008-12-16 |title=Thailand Prime Minister revealed as Toon fan |url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/thailand-prime-minister-revealed-toon-1478778 |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=ChronicleLive |language=en}}</ref> * Peter Wilkinson, diplomat<ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Ure |first= John |date= 23 September 2004 |title= Wilkinson, Sir Peter Allix (1914–2000) |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/74315 }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Schools in Surrey}} {{coord|51.4402|-0.5852|type:edu_region:GB-SRY|display=title}}
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Category:Boys' schools in Surrey Category:Defunct schools in Surrey Category:1896 establishments in England Category:Educational institutions established in 1896 Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1996 Category:1996 disestablishments in England