Bangor Grammar School

Bangor Grammar School (The Grammar or B.G.S.), is a Northern Irish voluntary grammar school for boys in Bangor, County Down. It was founded in 1856 by the Conservative politician, Col The Hon. Robert Ward PC MP(Ireland)[1] and is one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

Bangor Grammar School
Address
84 Gransha Road

Bangor
,
Down
,
BT19 7QU

Northern Ireland
Information
TypeVoluntary Grammar
MottoLatin: Justitiae Tenax
Maintain Justice
Religious affiliation(s)Interdenominational
Established1856
FounderCol, The Hon. Robert Ward PC MP(Ireland)
Local authorityEducation Authority
Chairman of the BoardMr J. Adrain, B.Sc (Econ), FCA
PrincipalMrs Elizabeth P Huddleson
ChaplainsRevd Nigel Parker, BSc
Revd Willis Cordner, BTh
GenderBoys
Age11 to 18
Enrolment≈800
HousesCrosby
Dufferin
School
Ward
Colour(s)   Royal Blue & Yellow
PublicationThe Gryphon
Gryphitti
Former pupilsGrammarians
Chair of the GrammariansMr Trevor Gray
Websitehttp://www.bangorgrammarschool.org.uk

Old boys of the school are known as Grammarians.

History
Bangor Grammar School Sites
Original site on Main Street (1856–1901), now site of a Bank of Ireland building.
College Avenue site (1905–2012), building in foreground is Crosby House.

Endowment for the school came from the will of local gentleman and politician Col The Hon. Robert Ward PC of Castle Ward. The Hon. Ward was the fourth son of 1st Viscount Bangor and grandson of Michael Ward MP. The Hon. Ward bequeathed £1,000 to be, "…expended in building and endowing a School-house for the education of boys in Mathematics, Astronomy and Navigation…", in his family home town and parliamentary constituency.

Initially established as Bangor Endowed School, the school was originally situated on the site of the modern day Bank of Ireland building on the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. By the turn of the 20th century the school had changed its name to Bangor Grammar School and because of a growth in school population moved from site to site over a number of years. With the help of Mr W.K. Crosby, the school moved to a new site on College Avenue, in the northeast of Bangor in 1906. The facade visible from College Avenue is a combination of two buildings: Crosby House (known as the Crosby Buildings), which dates back to 1905 and was named after the school's benefactor; and a later extension to the north, which was added as a Headmaster's residence around the time of the outbreak of The Great War (1914–1918).

Despite Northern Ireland not being subject to conscription like the rest of the United Kingdom, a significant number of Grammarians volunteered for the British Armed Forces and fought in both World Wars, in particular the Second World War (1939–1945). The school population was comparatively small at this time, reaching just 200 pupils in 1930 as opposed to 936 pupils in 2008.[2]

Two commemorative plaques are erected in the school assembly hall listing the names off all ex-pupils that died whilst serving in the British Armed Forces during both World Wars. The school's Debating Society minutes present a record of motions brought to the house concerning key events of the times, including a motion concerning the Munich Agreement."

Site move

A three-year campaign to gain funding from the Department of Education for a new school building for Bangor Grammar School came to a successful end on 1 March 2006, when funding was granted. Building on the new site started in 2011, and the school finally moved to Gransha Road for the term beginning January 2013.

Clubs and societies

Sport
Former School Playing Fields at Ballymacormack, near Groomsport.

Bangor Grammar has won the rugby Ulster Schools Cup on five occasions and has appeared in nine finals.[3] The school is therefore ranked as seventh in terms of overall success in the competition.[4] The late 1980s saw a particularly successful period for the school, appearing in four finals from 1985 to 1988 and winning three of them.[3] Bangor Grammar have won the Burney Cup and McCullough Cup and All Ireland schools titles in hockey. In 2005, a badminton double was achieved in the Ulster Finals of the Minors Division 2 and the Seniors Ulster Cup. The Minors beat RBAI in the League Final 4–2 and the Seniors won 4–2. The Seniors were also in the Division 2 final but were beaten by Belfast Royal Academy, a Division 1 team.

Debating

The Debating Society is Bangor Grammar's oldest society, established in 1927. The Senior Debating Team defeated Abbey Christian Brothers from Newry in the final of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition on 22 April 2016. This was the fourth time the school had won the country's schools cup. The Senior Debating Team on 24 April 2009 defeated Our Lady's and St Patrick's of Knock in the final of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition, won Schools Cup in 2004, the Best Speaker's Shield in 2006, and has been a finalist a record eleven times.

Music

The school has a long musical history with its concert band playing at many events throughout the year including Speech Day, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (1969-) and the Spring Concert (1970-). The concert band also plays annually at Bloomfield shopping centre in Bangor, raising money for charitable causes.

A recording entitled 'Christmas Music from Bangor Grammar School' featured the Gryphon Consort, the school orchestra, and the brass ensemble performing various congregational carols was made in 1990 under the direction of Mr. Hunter.

The department has recorded and produced two CDs: A String of Pearls (2004) and The Christmas Album (2005).

During the 2006/2007 academic year, the school celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary (150th) with a gala concert held in Belfast's Waterfront Hall on 14 October 2006.

Bridge

The school bridge club has won numerous events in both Ulster and All Ireland competitions. Winning The All Ireland Teams competition in 1994, 2007, 2009 and 2011 in addition to winning the Pairs competition in 2010.

Preparatory school

The school had a preparatory school called Connor House for pupils aged 4–11 until the end of the 2011–12 academic year.

Associations with other schools

As is the case for many single-sex schools Bangor Grammar maintains close links with its sister single sex school in Bangor, Glenlola Collegiate. The two schools regularly participate in joint activities, most notably the Combined Cadet Force, which meets in an MoD-funded, purpose-built site on Bangor Grammar's campus; the two Scripture Union Societies which hold joint meetings and activities; and the two drama departments, which collaborate on student productions.

Notable past pupils

Politics
David Trimble

Media and society
Colin Bateman

Music
Two Door Cinema Club

Sport

Former Bangor Grammar students have represented Northern Ireland, Ireland, Great Britain and Europe at international level in a number of sports.

Rugby union
British and Irish Lions
 Ireland
Ireland A
Ulster A

Cricket
 Ireland

Association football
 Northern Ireland

Field hockey
 Ireland
 Great Britain

Olympians
Ireland
David Feherty with Tiger Woods
Great Britain

Golf

Source:[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Arms
Coat of arms of Bangor Grammar School
Notes
Granted 8 July 1954
Crest
On a wreath of the colours a griffin couchant wings elevated and addorsed Or.
Escutcheon
Azure within two bendlets as many bendlets dancettee all between two mullets Or a bordure of the last.
Motto
Justitiae Tenax [11]

References
  1. Great Britain Parliament; House of Commons (1889). Reports From Commissioners, Inspectors and Others: Thirty Volumes -U- Education (Ireland). XXX. London: HMSO. From the Harvard University Collection. See notes 2972-3081
  2. Northern Ireland Assembly – Department of Education Interior Correspondence "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) See Page 7, Under the list of SEELB voluntary schools. Retrieved 26 August 2010 .
  3. "Ulster School's Cup Previous Winners". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  4. "Ulster School's Cup Rankings". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  5. "Bangor Grammar School launches its Sporting Wall of Fame". grammarians.co.uk. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  6. Ward, Tony; Rooney, Kieran; Kelly, David (25 January 2006). "Where are they now? Kenny Hooks (Markethill 1/1/60)". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  7. "Bangor Grammar School - News Sesquicentenary Sports Weekend". 28 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  8. "Ulster Rugby : News Archive - An Exile Returns Home". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  9. "Ulster Rugby Player Has Decided to Retire". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  10. "Ulster Rugby News U21 World Cup". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  11. "Bangor Grammar School". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
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