Redrice School

The school was founded by Adrian Stokes and Richard Arnold Jones in 1961 with patronage of The Bishop of Portsmouth. and with a Board of Governors chaired by Thomas Shaw, 3rd Baron Craigmyle. A later chairman was William O'Brien. The school was dedicated to the 40 English Martyrs, whose names were given to the houses and dormitories. The school crest depicted the martyr's crown and palm leaves. After the Second World War, there was an increased demand for Catholic education. In the private sector, the Catholic preparatory and public schools were often oversubscribed. When Redrice opened in 1961 it was the first entirely lay-run Catholic public school. Originally, there was a planned limit…

Some trees were removed to create space for rugby and cricket fields. New buildings were built onto the existing building to accommodate classrooms and dormitories. Some attempts were made to convert an ornamental water garden into a swimming pool. A new house was built in the grounds as accommodation for one of the headmasters (Adrian Stokes) and his family.