A STAPLE of towns and villages is the local school, with the buildings being the place where residents spend much of their youth.
Some schools gain reputations over the years for various things and Llandovery College is no exception. Here we take a look at the history of the college and the notable people who have been educated there.
Llandovery College was founded in 1847 by 88-year-old surgeon Thomas Phillips. He was born in London to parents from Radnorshire and returned back to Wales as a child, but much of his life was lived away from the country.
He was a major benefactor of Lampeter’s St David’s College and he wanted to endow a Welsh Professorship there but this was rejected, and so instead, he turned his attention to an endowed school, bringing the birth of Llandovery College.
He used £4,666 to build the college to offer a classical and liberal education, featuring the Welsh language, literature and history and set aside £140 per year for the warden's salary. He left £12,000 in his will to the college for the salaries of the wardens.
He presented 7,000 books and established 20 scholarships before his death.
It was initially a boys-only school when it opened on March 1, St David’s Day, 1848 under the name of the Welsh Educational Institution. The following year, the foundation stone was laid for the present building - a Collegiate Gothic style - and the school was expanded in the early 1900s by Lancaster architects Austin and Paley.
The original Tudor Gothic building had a large hall for examinations (the present library), four classrooms, cloakroom, dining-hall, committee room, library, teachers' room, dormitories for 30, a sick ward, service rooms and a separate house for the warden. Originally of local purple rubble stone with Bath dressings, it was clad in grey roughcast in the 20th century.
The college was described as the Eton of Wales by Sir James Williams-Drummond in 1902. The school’s first female pupils were in the 1960s.
Llandovery College's main building was given Grade II listed status in 1981.
Llandovery College has a long and proud rugby history. It was one of the first establishments in Wales to play the sport and produced two players for the first Welsh international rugby fixture as well as being present when the Welsh Rugby Union was created in 1881.
The college has had a number of notable students over the decades including actor Huw Ceredig, known for his role as Reg Harries in Pobl y Cwm, former Archbishop of Wales Arthur George Edwards, historian Deian Hopkin, jazz pianist Dill Jones, neurologist Ernest Jones, actor David Mervyn Johns, X Factor contestant Rhydian Roberts and former politician Rod Richards.
Welsh international rugby players Ewan Evans, Geoff Evans, Vivian Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Cliff Jones, Gwyn Jones, Kingsley Jones, Rhodri Jones, Charles Lewis, Edward John Lewis who was the first Welsh international from the college, George North, Andy Powell, Craig Quinnell, Arthur Rees, Peter Rogers and Rees Stephens all studied at the college, as did England international Harry Randall.
In total, more than 50 former Llandovery College students have earned more than 550 caps for their country.
Today the school is an independent day and boarding school for pupils aged between four and 18. It continues the strong rugby tradition with a partnership with Cardiff Rugby and has partnered with the Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.
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