Exeter Cathedral School

Short description: Private school in Exeter, Devon, England

Exeter Cathedral School

The cathedral

Address
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The Chantry, Palace Gate

Exeter

Devon

EX1 1HX

England

Coordinates|  [ ⚑ ] : 50°43′18″N 3°31′49″W﻿ / ﻿50.72167°N 3.53028°W﻿ / 50.72167; -3.53028
Information
Other name| ECS
Type| Private school
Religious affiliation(s)| Church of England
Established| 12th century
Local authority| Devon County Council
Department for Education URN| 113561 Tables
Headmaster| James Featherstone[1]
Gender| Mixed
Age range| 3–13
Enrolment| 246 (2020)[2]
Capacity| 300[2]
Accreditation| Choir Schools' Association
Affiliation| Independent Association of Prep Schools
Website| www.exetercathedralschool.co.uk

Exeter Cathedral School (ECS) is a 3–13 mixed, Church of England, private day and boarding choir and preparatory school in Exeter, Devon, England. It has been closely associated with Exeter Cathedral since it was first recorded as existing in the 12th century. The prep school will close from September 2026.[3][4]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Planned closure
* 2 Notable former pupils
* 3 Notable staff
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 Further reading
* 7 External links

## History

The exact date of the founding of the cathedral school is not known, but it has been educating choristers since 1179.[5] In the 12th century, Exeter was regarded as an important centre of learning, and canon law was also taught at the cathedral.[6]

For centuries, the school was provided by the Dean and Chapter to educate and house about twenty-six boy choristers who sang the cathedral's daily services, including Sung Eucharist and Choral Evensong.[7]

Musical training was given to the choristers by the cathedral's organist and the master of choristers. Although these offices could be held by the same person, from the 17th century on they were usually carried out by two different men.[8] In 1609, Edward Gibbons, a brother of Orlando Gibbons, was hired to teach the choristers instrumental music. In 1662, William Wake was being paid £20 a year to teach the choristers and secondaries composing, singing, and the playing of the viol and the violin, and at the request of Charles II was given a leave of absence to carry out the same duties for the Chapel Royal.[9]

The school entrance

The school's present main building, known as the Chantry, was built in 1870.[7]

In the 1960s, the Dean and Chapter began to enlarge the school, offering places to boys other than the cathedral choristers. In 1994, a girls' choir was established in the cathedral, and the school became co-educational.[7] By 2008, the families of the choristers were having to pay for their education, but there were eighteen choral scholarships, worth up to one quarter of the school fees.[10]

In 2014, the school became independent of the Dean and Chapter, when it was established as an institution with its own governance and separate finances.[7]

In 2017, two thirds of school-leavers were offered scholarships, exhibitions, or other awards by senior schools.[11] The school was assessed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in May 2019 and judged to be 'excellent' in all areas.[12] By 2020, the school was educating about 275 children, offering a broad education rooted in Christian values.[7] It is a member of the Choir Schools' Association.[13]

### Planned closure

In January 2026, Exeter Cathedral School announced that, due to ongoing financial pressures, it would close the Preparatory School (Years 3–8), including the Cathedral choristers, from September 2026. Under an agreed arrangement, the Nursery and Pre-Prep provision (up to Year 2) is expected to continue under the management of the Inspired Learning Group, in partnership with Hall House School and Shebbear College. A new partnership with Exeter School was also confirmed to enable choristers to continue their education together in a co-educational setting. The school will remain open in its current form until the end of the summer term in July 2026.[14]

## Notable former pupils

* Matthew Locke, composer[15]
* George Baker, organist[16]
* Joseph Kemp, organist[17]
* William Spark, musician and composer [18]
* Samuel Knight, architect[19]
* Albert Moulton Foweraker, painter[20]
* Geoffrey Mitchell, conductor[21]
* Tony Hymas, musician and composer[22]
* Piers Dudgeon, biographer[23]
* Harry Williamson, musician[24]
* Andrew Nethsingha, Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge[7]
* Chris Martin, singer[12]
* Adam Gibbons, known as Lack of Afro, musician[25]
* David Webb, of the English National Opera[7]
* Pat McCormick, clergyman and sportsman

## Notable staff

* Richard Langdon, organist[26]
* Jackson of Exeter, Master of Choristers 1777 to 1800[27]

## See also

* List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom

## References

1. ↑ "Headmaster's Welcome". https://www.exetercathedralschool.co.uk/about-us.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Exeter Cathedral School" (in en). GOV.UK. https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/113561.
3. ↑ "Prep school to close at Exeter Cathedral". 2026-01-09. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y54rdp70zo.
4. ↑ "Statement from Exeter Cathedral School". Exeter Cathedral School. 8 January 2026. https://www.exetercathedralschool.co.uk/statement-from-exeter-cathedral-school/.
5. ↑ News Desk, National top spot for Exeter Cathedral School Pupil, Exeter Daily, 6 January 2017, accessed 8 October 2020
6. ↑ Thomas J. McSweeney, Priests of the Law: Roman Law and the Making of the Common Law's First Professionals (Oxford University Press, 2019), p. 93
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 History & Heritage at exetercathedralschool.co.uk, accessed 2 October 2020
8. ↑ Stanford E. Lehmberg, Cathedrals Under Siege: Cathedrals in English Society, 1600–1700 (Penn State Press, 1996), p. 163
9. ↑ Lehmberg (1996), p. 165, referencing Act Book 1607–1628, p. 112 (Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3553), and a letter to the Dean and Chapter from King Charles II dated 23 December 1662
10. ↑ "Anglican Choir Schools" in British Music Education Yearbook (Rhinegold Publishing, 2008), p. cxxvii
11. ↑ "Exeter Cathedral School Sweeps the Board with Outstanding Academic Success" at woodard.co.uk, accessed 11 October 2020
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Anita Merritt, "Exeter's oldest school which Coldplay's Chris Martin attended gets rave review", 1 July 2019 at devonlive.com, accessed 2 October 2020
13. ↑ The Independent Schools Guide 2011-2012 (Gabbitas, 2011), p. 407
14. ↑ "Statement from Exeter Cathedral School". Exeter Cathedral School. 8 January 2026. https://www.exetercathedralschool.co.uk/statement-from-exeter-cathedral-school/.
15. ↑ "Matthew Locke", in Charles Herbermann, ed., Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1913)
16. ↑ John Alexander Fuller Maitland, "Baker, George (1773?-1847)" in Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 3 (London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885)
17. ↑ David J. Golby, "Kemp, Joseph (1778–1824), organist and composer" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2007)
18. ↑ Henry Charles Lahee, The Organ and Its Masters (L. C. Page, 1903), p. 198
19. ↑ Charles Welch, W. T. Pike, London at the opening of the twentieth century (1905), p. 123
20. ↑ "Foweraker, Albert Moulton (FWRR890AM)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge. http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=FWRR890AM&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50.
21. ↑ "President" at basildonchoral.org, accessed 2 October 2020
22. ↑ "Tony Hymas, Pianist and Composer" at meettheartist.online, accessed 11 October 2020
23. ↑ "The Big Interview: Piers Dudgeon" in The Yorkshire Post, 15 September 2013
24. ↑ Daniel Farson, Henry, an Appreciation of Henry Williamson (M. Joseph, 1982, ISBN 978-0718121228), p. 11
25. ↑ "Music", in Fanfare 1996–1997, p. 15
26. ↑ James Cuthbert Hadden, "Langdon, Richard", in Dictionary of National Biography Vol. 32, Lambe-Leigh (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1892)
27. ↑ Robert Farquharson Sharp, "Jackson, William (1730-1803)" in Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 29 (London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1892)

## Further reading

* Nicholas Orme, "Education and Learning at a Medieval English Cathedral: Exeter, 1380–1548" in Journal of Ecclesiastical History 32 (1981)

## External links

* Official website
* Exeter Cathedral School - Chorister Memories at YouTube
* Exeter Cathedral School - Sport and Wellbeing at YouTube
* Tagged articles at The Exeter Daily

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