The School Gateway, sometimes known as Burlington’s Arch, has become an iconic feature in the landscape of Westminster School. This site aims to enlighten readers as to the monument’s history and the tradition of inscriptions which flourished in the 19th century.
The school has now completed the first ever inventory of names carved into the edifice and matched these with biographies drawn from The Record of Old Westminsters. Detailed information regarding the lives of some of those who left their mark can also be found, and more will be added as time goes on.
Finally there is some wry advice for budding stone masons and information regarding the current project to refurbish Little Dean’s Yard – offering Old Westminsters (OWW) a new opportunity to make a permanent impression on the fabric of their School.
Acknowledgements
This project was initiated by William Kitchen (Ashburnham House) during the school’s Archives Lower School Activity run by Tom Edlin. The website was constructed by the Archivist, Elizabeth Wells, with the support of the school’s IT department. The History page draws heavily on the research of former school Archivists, Lawrence Tanner and Eddie Smith. Thanks are due to Jonathan Katz, Patric Choffrut, Anthony Sheehy and Karin and Ben Maraney for their help deciphering and transcribing inscriptions. Sandy Crole generously took photographs of each of the individual inscriptions. The school is deeply indebted to Hugh Pagan for his research into the lives of Old Westminsters without which this project would not have been possible.