Shiplake College lies on a beautiful 47 acre site on the banks of the River Thames just 2½ miles upstream from Henley-on-Thames.
The main buildings are centred on Shiplake Court, a fine Victorian manor house built in 1890. The house has since been named after David Skipwith, a key figure in the early days of the College. The focal point of the ground floor is the Great Hall, which hosts major College events and is used day-to-day as a dining room for pupils and staff. A number of function rooms lie adjacent to the Great Hall which are used often used as a meeting place for our numerous clubs and societies. Our experienced on-site medical staff are located in the Medical Wing.
The upper floors in Skipwith House accommodate predominantly day pupils alongside a small number of boarders. This is just one of the day and boarding houses which are dotted around the College site. The newest additions to the College campus are the Lower School, housing Year 7 and 8 pupils, and Gilson, a dedicated girls’ house, which both opened in 2009. Year 13 boys move into College House, a stepping stone to grant them more independence before moving on to university.
The main teaching area comprises the Goodwin and Bevan Buildings. The majority of academic departments are located in this area, with dedicated, fully equipped, classrooms available for each subject. The Business, Drama, Media and Careers departments are situated in the listed Stableyard area. The Tithe Barn Theatre is also located in this area, which is used to host all College Drama productions.
The state-of-the-art John Turner Building, named after one of the first boys to attend Shiplake College, opened in September 2014. In addition to housing first-class Music, Art and Learning Development Departments, the building contains a contemporary Thinking Space. This addresses the long-standing need for a place where pupils of all ages can collaborate, reflect, read and research, with access to a variety of digital learning technologies. There is also a Lecture Theatre with tiered seating for up to 140 people, providing a superb venue for many events such as meetings, recitals, performances and presentations. Situated opposite the John Turner Building, is the brand new Sixth Form café, Marjories. Equipped with a fully stocked counter area for Years 12 and 13 to enjoy.
The College also boasts a range of excellent sporting facilities, allowing pupils to enjoy representing their school and further enhancing Shiplake’s proud sporting reputation. Alongside a fully-equipped cardiovascular room, there is a designated weights room for strengthening and conditioning. There are three large sports fields on-site providing a number of high quality pitches for all outdoor sports. Award winning full-time grounds staff maintain the pitches to an excellent standard all year round. A modern cricket pavilion overlooks the front field and a large, multi-purpose sports centre lies at the heart of the College. There is also an all-weather Astroturf pitch on-site which is a popular recreational area for pupils at lunchtimes and after-school.
Located on the banks of the River Thames, Shiplake College has its own stretch of water providing an exceptional setting for rowing. The College has extensive rowing facilities and in 2020 the Davies Centre was opened to house the College's fleet of rowing boats, as well as a fitness suite, an indoor archery and rifle range, a two-storey climbing wall and storage for other watersports, CCF and Duke of Edinburgh's Award equipment.