Welcome to our school's archives
Bilton Grange Preparatory School is rich in history. Originally started as a school in 1873 and in its current location since 1887, BG prides itself on developing happy, confident and successful pupils.
The photos in our archive show the breadth of experience that a BG education can provide our pupils, from drama to sport, music to Scouts, BG strives to nurture talents and expand horizons.
If you have photos you would like to share, please contact obsociety@biltongrange.co.uk
Our School
Situated in 90 acres, our main Prep School building was originally bought by Washington Hibbert in 1846 and it was Hibbert who first asked Augustus Pugin to build a mansion around the pre-existing Georgian farmhouse. During this period Pugin was also designing the interiors, and the exterior detailing, of the House of Lords and the Commons at Westminster. Pugin designed the overall plan of the building, the tiles, the stained glass, the panelling, the heraldic beasts on the staircase, the wallpaper, the door furniture and other structures around the grounds including the walled garden and adjacent cottage.
In the 1860s the building was bought by John Lancaster who added the bay windows, created the current main drive and built the small lodge, now known as Island Cottage, and the North Lodge.
In the summer of 1887, the Reverend Walter Earle moved the school he had started in Yarlet in 1873 to Bilton Grange. One of the first additions Walter Earle made was to convert the brewhouse and the working men’s room to become the Chapel we enjoy today, as well as of course the classroom building which was designed to fit seamlessly with the Pugin mansion.
The Bilton Register, which became our Bilton Record (yearbook) was established in 1888 and in 1922, following the death of our founder, the Old Biltonian (alumni) Society was established.
In 1938 the kindergarten for day boys and girls was opened at Homefield. Later to become a school for boys up to age 8 and for girls up to age 12, the Homefield building is now used for our Pre-Prep department catering for children from Reception to Year 3.
The School has continued to innovate over the years adding the Ravenscroft Theatre in the 1960s, followed by our indoor 25m swimming pool in the 1970s, a Sports Hall and Music School in the 1980s and a Craft Design and Technology centre (now known as Design Technology) in the 1990s and in 2015 we opened our new hockey pitch in the Pugin walled garden.
In the early 1990s, the School became co-educational and Homefield became the Pre-Prep we see today.