Bristol Cathedral Choir School

Founded in 1140 as part of what was then Bristol Abbey, Bristol Cathedral School was re-founded by Henry VIII in 1542 after he dissolved the monastery. A fee-paying school up until the Second World War, from 1944 to 1975 it was a direct grant school. When direct grant schools were abolished, it had to become an independent school once more to maintain its policy of selection by academic ability. The school began accepting girls into the sixth form in 1982 and became fully co-educational in 2005. In April 2007 the school appointed a new headmaster, Hugh Monro. In July of that year, the school moved towards ending a 30-year period as an independent, fee-paying institution by applying to…

The main school building was part of St Augustine's Abbey, which was founded in 1140. This contains the refectory and a 13th-century right-hand archway, with upper walls from the early 16th century. It was extensively altered and partly refaced in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. The Abbey House and Deanery are also Grade II* listed. Following its conversion to academy status, several new buildings were added to the school on the west side of College Square. In 2008 the Rectory building was completed at a cost of £3.5 million. This was followed by the Parsonage and then the Cresswell Centre, which was opened…