To celebrate the College's 60th Anniversary in 1959, we launched the 'Shiplake at 60' project. Between January and the end of June 2019 we published highlights of what happened in each year of the school's history. From images to artefacts, stories and other objects, the project gives a real insight into how much the College has grown and changed since its foundation on 1 May 1959, but we also see how in many respects the ethos and values have remained the same.
All our material is available to view on our digital archive which can be accessed here
Click on the thumbnails below for each year's full entry.
1958
Shiplake Court is Purchased
1959
Shiplake Court Opens
1960
Our First Prospectus
1961
Our First Magazines
1962
Granted Arms
1963
First OVS Circular
1964
Renamed Shiplake College
1965
Cricket Pavilion Opened
1966
Exemplum Docet
1967
The Sixth Form Society
1968
Numbers up to 194
1969
Then & Now
1970
Burr moves to 'The Red House'
1971
1st VIII compete at HRR
1972
Sixth Form Society Dinner
1973
Shiplake Spirit
1974
Orchard House Opens
1975
Record Rugby Season
1976
Our First Olympians
1977
Jubilee River Concert
1978
19 Short Years
1979
A Year of Celebration
1980
The Sports Hall Opens
1981
Going for Gold
1982
The College Expands Further
1983
A Very Special Headmaster
1984
The Jubilee Year
1985
Shiplake College Facts
1986
Art at Shiplake
1987
Shiplake Rugby on the Map!
1988
A Place for Everyone
1989
Thirty Years of Shiplake College
1990
The Goodwin Building Opens
1991
A Confidence-Building Establishment
1992
The Everett Extension Opens
1993
A More Modern Prospectus
1994
Future Proofing the Curriculum
1995
Orchard Extension and Cricket Pavilion Opens
1996
CCF Success
1997
The College General Elections
1998
Our First Six Girls
1999
Ruby Celebrations
2000
From Shiplake to Kikunduku
2001
Pride of Shiplake
2002
A Sixth Form House
2003
Dare to Dream
2004
16 Year Stint
2005
Our Iconic Blazer
2006
A Media Frenzy
2007
A Trench Life
2008
An Historic First Win
2009
Shiplake Stories
2010
Grounds for Celebration
2011
Friday Night Lights
2012
50 Years of Rowing
2013
The Community Comes Together
2014
A Great Loss
2015
An Excellent School
2016
Seven Years for Year Seven
2017
Challenge Creates Character
2018
A Virtual Reality
2019
Shiplake at 60
A prologue from former member of staff, David Welsh, who joined the College in 1960 as a teacher of Classics and went on to serve under four headmasters, spending 38 years at the College and being involved in numerous school productions as well as founding the Sixth Form Society, the Wine Society, the AFC, the Arts Committee, and of course Welsh House itself:
'When I turned into the drive for the first time in September 1960, I thought this would be an interesting time for me, helping in the early days of a new Independent School. The rain had cleared and the sun shone on some nicely kept hockey pitches to my left, but then suddenly the tarmac ran out and the area before the main door of the house was a bit of a mud bath. The area to my immediate right was a building site – Everett House had risen to floor level – and to the left were some temporary huts – the ‘’Green Huts” as they were affectionately called, for many more years than their guaranteed life. I stepped gingerly into the mud, and immediately a polite boy appeared and asked if he could help me with my suitcase.
This was my introduction to Shiplake Court and this first impression was to prove enduring. Every penny had to be counted and if we did not have something, we had to improvise until we did. Every year some new project was launched, and slowly, step by step, the education that was being offered was broader and richer. I think these pages will amply demonstrate this.
For the teaching staff, the environment was very exciting and surprisingly rewarding; for the boys it was a new world of responsibility and achievement. We believed that if you gave a boy (or more recently a girl!) a happy environment and opportunities to excel in some field, they would usually surprise you with what they could achieve. They already had the general good nature and helpful outlook, now they could see what could be achieved with that as the foundation stone.
This is what I learnt in my first weeks at Shiplake. I realised that such an opportunity was not to be missed, that such a programme would not take one or two years as I had originally foreseen my stay at the school, but would not even be finished after 38 years, by which time I decided that I had given about all I had to give.'