STAFF and students at Northampton High School are preparing to mark the School’s 140th birthday with a series of events throughout the year.
The school, which opened in 1878, will celebrate its role as a pioneer of girls’ education in the region, beginning with a Reunion for Old Girls and Associates later this month.
The school, which is part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, the largest girls’ education charity in the UK, will host special birthday receptions in two of its former buildings in the town centre – at 78 Derngate (now the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Museum) in May and at 44 Derngate (recently converted to a specialist dental practice) in September, and which was one the school’s former buildings, in its programme of events. A 140th Anniversary Ball, organised by the Friends of Northampton High School, will be held on Saturday 16 June at the Marriott Hotel.
An Arts Festival in June will form a major part of the celebrations and will be an opportunity for the school, which is also marking 25 years on its current purpose-built site in Hardingstone, to celebrate its close links with the local community. A four-day exhibition will showcase the girls’ work in art, drama, dance, fashion, music and textiles. A Literary Festival will be held at the school on Wednesday 27 June, a Music Recital on the evening of Thursday 28 June and the Senior School will be performing The Sound of Music from 28 to 30 June. Tickets for these events will be free of charge and pupils past and present, parents, staff and members of the local community are welcome to attend.
Throughout the year, an exhibition exploring Northampton’s creative leather-making heritage and curated with support from the University’s Institute of Creative Leather Technology and the Leathersellers’ Company, will be available to view.
The celebrations will end with a Gala Concert on Friday 7 December at All Saints’ Church which will feature soloist Rebecca von Lipinski and the Orchestra of the Swan, along with current pupils and members of the local community.
Northampton High School, which boasts among its alumnae the writer Anne Fine and former Director-General of MI5 Dame Elizabeth Manningham-Buller, provides education for girls from the age of two up to 18 years through its Nursery, Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form.
For more information about Northampton High School and to arrange a visit, see the website www.northamptonhigh.gdst.net and contact the Registrar, Amanda Wilmot, on 01604 765765 or email