Our Heritage | Alleyn's School


Our Heritage | Alleyn's School
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Alleyn’s School is a leading co-educational independent day school in Dulwich, London, educating pupils aged 4–18 across its Senior School and two Junior Schools: Alleyn’s Oakfield and Alleyn’s Junior School.
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Our Heritage
Alleyn’s School
Our Heritage
Alleyn's has a wonderful history that we cherish along with a desire to remain at the forefront of education.
The enterprising Edward Alleyn
1619
Our school’s origins can be traced back to Edward Alleyn in 1619.
Edward Alleyn was a famous Elizabethan actor and contemporary of Shakespeare and Marlowe, who led ‘My Lord Admiral's Men', a celebrated company of players, and owned the Rose Theatre and the Bear Pit on Bankside, and the Fortune Theatre in Cripplegate.
He was also ‘Master of the King's Bulls, Bears and Mastiff Dogs'. This lucrative appointment, together with other business ventures in Southwark, brought him the wealth which enabled him to purchase, for £5,000, the Manor of Dulwich for his retirement.
I am a true pleyn man, my heart and tongue must always go together.
Edward Alleyn
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1605
In 1605, determined to atone for a life of worldly preoccupations, he set about creating his great charitable foundation: ‘Alleyn's College of God's Gift', which was to consist of twelve poor scholars - six poor brethren and six poor sisters. The Master was originally to be chosen from a list of two, by lot (hence ‘God's Gift'). The original Foundation building, still existing in the centre of Dulwich Village, consisted of a Chapel, with residences for the Master and staff in the centre, almshouses to the left and a school to the right.
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1616
‘Alleyn's College of God's Gift' was opened with a great feast on 1 September 1616: Edward Alleyn's fiftieth birthday.
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1619
Letters Patent (i.e. a grant from the monarch or government) to recognise the Foundation were given by King James I on 21 June 1619.
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1882-1887
Alleyn's School became a separate part of the College of God's Gift in 1882, before moving to its present site on Townley Road, Dulwich, in 1887.
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1970
Following the abolition of Direct Grant status and the withdrawal of the Inner London Education Authority's annual grant to the School, the Worshipful Company of Saddlers agreed in 1970 to provide funds to support the School, and this association continues with the investiture of Saddlers' Scholars each year.
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1975
In 1976, Alleyn's became co-educational, and was in fact one of the first independent schools in the country to do so.
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1992
Alleyn's Junior School was opened in 1992 as a fully co-educational linked school, sharing the site and its wealth of facilities.
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2022
Following its substantial redevelopment and associated expansion in numbers in 2022, the Junior School’s two buildings were named The Rose Building and The Fortune Building to reflect our links with Edward Alleyn and desire to give children the best possible spaces to learn.
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2025
In 2025 Alleyn's acquired a well established Independent school located in West Dulwich. Now Alleyn's Oakfield, the school is our second fully co-educational linked junior school, benefiting from sharing our Townley Road facilities including our swimming pool.
Today
Alleyn's is one of the foremost co-educational HMC schools.
The future of Alleyn's
The Alleyn’s archive
Whether you want to learn more about our history, find out more about a past Alleyn’s alumni or donate to our collection. Visit our digital archive to explore Alleyn’s past. You can contact the Archive by email -
[email protected]
, or by post to Alleyn's School, Townley Road, London, SE22 8SU.
WW1 Memorial Site
This website is an online exhibition of how Alleyn’s School is commemorating the centenary of World War One.
Visit the site
Administrative records such as admissions registers, pupil reports, Board of Governors minutes, and examination results; photographs; architects' plans and building records; School publications; House records; Combined Cadet Force records; papers relating to School sports clubs; material relating to School theatrical productions, such as programmes, posters, and videos; material relating to School events, such as Speech Days and Founder's Day, and anniversaries; items of uniform; press cuttings; biographical information relating to eminent former pupils; Edward Alleyn Club material. Please note that some records in the Archive are confidential and depending on their age may be closed or have access restrictions.
We are continually seeking to add to the archive collections and welcome donations of material falling into the categories above, and in particular papers relating to individual pupils' time at the School. For example, school reports, photographs, items of uniform, and journals or diaries. We also seek to collect School-related ephemera and artifacts.
If you wish to donate any material please write to or email the Archivist beforehand as we do not accept unsolicited material.
Our Values
Our Stories
EDI at Alleyn's
Staff and Governors
All About Alleyn's
Discover Alleyn's
Our Heritage
Our Values
The Future of Alleyn's
The Future of Learning
Project Crucible
All Studios
AiQ
TEDxAlleyns School Youth
TEDxAlleyns School Youth 2023
TEDxAlleyns School Youth 2025
EDI at Alleyn's
Sustainability
Community and Partnerships
Staff and Governors
Fellows
Policies and Reports
Join our Team
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