The Heart of Clare House
A school is more than buildings and grounds, more than curriculum and examinations. A school lives through its people – the leaders who set its direction, the teachers who shape young minds daily, the pupils who carry its values forward, and the staff who make everything work.
These are the people of Clare House Preparatory School.
The Four Sections
Major Hodges → The headmaster who defined Clare House for three decades – from wartime service to post-war revival to the painful closure.
Teachers & Staff → The dedicated men and women who taught, guided, and cared for generations of Clare House boys.
Pupils & Alumni → The boys who walked through Clare House doors, the men who remember, and the community that endures.
In Memoriam → Honoring those who shaped Clare House and have since passed, ensuring their contributions are never forgotten.
Synopsis: Voices and Faces Across Generations
The Continuity of Leadership
Clare House’s character was shaped by distinct leaders across its seventy-four years. From George Philbrick’s founding vision in 1896, through the rescue by Robin Gladstone in the 1930s, to Cyril Crump’s revival efforts and ultimately Major John Hodges’ three decades of dedicated leadership – each left their mark.
But it was Major Hodges who truly defined Clare House. Joining as Assistant Master in 1936, serving his country in Churchill tanks during the war, fighting to reclaim and reopen the school in 1946-47, then leading it, as Headmaster, through its most successful years until forced closure in 1970 – his story IS the school’s story for most alumni.
The Teaching Tradition
Form teachers whose names still resonate decades later: Miss Mayhew, Mrs. Burr, Miss White, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Scott, Mr. Ridgeway, Mr. Scully. And supporting staff: Mr. Chambers, Mr. Whitton, Mr. Mayhew, Mr. Gillam, Miss Caskey.
For many boys, these teachers were formative influences – remembered for encouragement, discipline, humor, and genuine care. What they might have lacked in formal teaching qualifications, they made up for in experience, enthusiasm, and personality. The impressive Common Entrance results year after year proved their effectiveness.
During the war years at Ashurst Wood, Clare House boys also encountered Abbey School staff – figures like George Storrs, Clayton Palmer, Rev. Edward Wallace Green, Robert Thompson, and Miss Kitty Arbuthnot, whose stories enriched the shared wartime experience.
Generations of Boys
From 1896 to 1970, hundreds of boys wore the red blazer. They came from naval families in the early years, from Beckenham and beyond as the school’s reputation grew. Some experienced evacuation and wartime at Ashurst Wood. Others knew Clare House at its 1950s-60s peak.
The House System
The Boys were organized into Houses: Drake (blue), Raleigh (yellow), Wolfe (maroon), and Clive (green). These names honored great figures from British history – Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabethan adventurers; General James Wolfe, victor of Quebec; and Robert Clive, conqueror of India.
The House structure was a competitive system, operated for earning or losing house points – conduct, academic effort, sporting achievements all counted. Points were displayed on the house notice board and totaled at the end of each term. The winning house typically earned a half-holiday. Individual “centurions” who accumulated a hundred points or more received similar rewards.
They learned Latin from age seven, prepared for Common Entrance, played cricket, football, and rugby, and carried the school motto forward into their lives.
Names like Michael P. Miller and Simon Bowen (both 1943-49) preserved detailed wartime memories. Richard Grant (1962-68) spoke movingly at Major Hodges’ funeral about the values Clare House instilled.
The Community That Endures
For more than thirty years after closure, former pupils went their separate ways. Then in 2001, James Alcock contacted Peter Barclay-Jones, sparking the idea of forming an association. Through searches and connections, twenty-five former pupils were located by 2002.
On 12th October 2002, the Clare House Association was formally organized. Around twenty alumni gathered for the first reunion – many seeing each other for the first time in over forty years. The caption on one photo captured it: “Not seen each other since they were boys over 40 years before.”
At reunions, through this website, in shared memories, and in virtual Zoom calls, the Clare House community lives on – proving that the bonds formed in those classrooms and playing fields were more profound and more lasting than anyone might have imagined.
What They Remember
When alumni speak of Clare House, certain themes recur:
Stability and fairness – Clear rules, consistent consequences, recognition earned
Character formation – Not just academics, but becoming decent men
Friendship – Bonds that lasted lifetimes
Belonging – Being a Clare House boy meant something
As Richard Grant said: “The framework of stability, fairness, and security that the School afforded its pupils… the values that Clare House instilled during those formative years remained with them all their lives.”
An Invitation
Much about Clare House’s people remains to be discovered. Records were not systematically preserved when the school closed. We have memoirs from a few alumni, photographs saved by individuals, and fragments in archives – but many voices are missing.
If you were part of Clare House – as pupil, staff, or family – your memories matter. Your photographs and stories help complete the picture. This website exists to gather and preserve them.
Explore the four sections above to meet the individuals who made Clare House what it was.