Bridewell – Our Living History

Our Founder, Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, understood that education can transform lives and in 1553 inspired the young King Edward VI to grant Bridewell Palace in the City of London to the Lord Mayor to house, care and educate girls and boys within The Bridewell Royal Hospital. Significant financial support was offered from the City of London, including from the Lord Mayor and livery companies to establish Bridewell as a place of learning, serving those whose needs meant that they needed an opportunity to learn skills for independence.

In 1860, the School was renamed King Edward’s, as a school of the Bridewell Royal Hospital Foundation, and in 1867 moved to our current site in Witley where we are able to take advantage of our station, less than 5 minutes walk from our school and with direct links to London Waterloo. We are proud to maintain our royal and City of London connections; HRH Duchess of Gloucester is our President, the Lord Mayor attends our annual Service of Thanksgiving and Admissions Day and many Bridewell events are held in our capital city.

The Court of Bridewell Royal Hospital continues to be the custodians of our school’s Foundation, supporting a number of pupils within through the endowment and the continued generosity of our vibrant Old Witleian community charitable trusts, partners and livery companies as financial support is not drawn from parents’ fee payments.

Within our school, the King Edward’s community continues to enthusiastically demonstrate our compassion in service, and our pupil-led Charities Committee curates a wide range of activities over the school year supported by our Chaplain. We are mindful of our responsibilities to our local, national and international environments and have gained Eco-Schools England accreditation with distinction, as national recognition of our work in this area.