The Lord Wandsworth Foundation grew from the bequest left by Lord Wandsworth in 1912. His will contained instructions to establish an orphanage bearing his name, for children of agricultural workers, who had been killed while serving in the First World War, or in an accident while at work on a farm.
Several years after his death, the Trustees bought Gosden House near Bramley in Surrey, and several farms in the village of Long Sutton in Hampshire. In 1920 the first pupils were admitted to Gosden House which accommodated boys to the age of 11, and girls to the age of 16.
At the age of 11, the boys moved to the newly formed Lord Wandsworth College in Long Sutton.
The first pupils arrived in 1922. These first boys received very little formal education but were given lectures and practical lessons in a variety of rural subjects. They spent their mornings in the classroom and their afternoons out in the fields.
After the war, the Foundation concentrated on educating boys who had lost one or both parents. In 1946 fee-payers were first admitted in order to supplement the income the Foundation earned from investments and the farm.
The concept of the orphanage gradually developed into a boarding school and today the College is a co-educational day and boarding school for children aged 11-18.
Sadly, Lord Wandsworth was not able to see his dream fulfilled as he passed away shortly after the Foundation was established but at the heart of the College, Lord Wandsworth’s legacy continues to live through the work of the Lord Wandsworth Foundation.
The Foundation remains as relevant today as it was in 1922. While today’s Foundationers are more likely to be here as a result of illness, abandonment or accident, the resulting trauma is felt just as keenly. The Foundation offers a chance for them to rebuild their shattered lives, in a supportive and caring environment.
