Iconic school looking to the next 250 years

PROFILE: WILDON'S HOSPITAL SCHOOL, MULLINGAR, CO WESTMEATH: Wilson's Hospital School, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary, is an iconic institution set in rolling farmland. It looks much the same as it did in the 18th century, but the boarding school is now offering free places to day pupils and adjusting to some new realities

WHEN ANDREW Wilson committed his fortune to a school for boys he surely had his legacy in mind. Almost 300 years after his death he’s a household name to the hundreds of students at Wilson’s Hospital School in Multyfarnham, outside Mullingar.

Wilson’s is an iconic institution by virtue of its vintage and status as one of the few seven-day boarding schools left in the country. It is also famous for its Arcadian setting in the heart of Westmeath farmland between the lakes of Derravaragh and Owel.

“Wilson was a self-made man with no children, and on his death he left a large portion of his fortune to the Church of Ireland for the building of this school. Later the remainder of his fortune came our way too, as his wife chose to remarry and forfeited her share,” says principal Adrian Oughton.

Wilson’s nephews were horrified by the bequest and challenged the will for long enough to delay the building of the school for decades. However, in 1761 Wilson’s Hospital opened its doors for the first time, and now, 250 years later, the school is bigger and better than ever, according to Oughton.

The original Georgian building still houses classrooms and dorms. It’s a warren of ancient corridors and worn stone steps, but when you enter the rooms it’s 21st-century teendom in full force, Justin Bieber and Bella Swan framed by ornate cornices and sash windows.

The “hospital for old men” that originally accompanied Wilson’s school is long gone, leaving only its name. Girls were invited to attend in the 1970s, and now more than 400 teenagers live and learn at Wilson’s. There has been a great deal of change at the school in recent decades, co-education, doubling of the numbers, international intake and major restoration among them, but the prevailing theme at Wilson’s is consistency.

“In 250 years we have only had 12 principals,” says Oughton. “The longest serving was here for almost 40 years. We have added a new building to the grounds to accommodate extra classrooms, but other than that Wilson’s looks pretty much as it did in the 1700s.”

Many of the staff have worked at the school for decades, and a number of the teachers are past pupils. The view from the school steps is an unspoilt expanse of water and farmland as far as the eye can see, and the eye can see as far as Cavan.

“One of the attractions of this school is its remote location,” says Oughton. “Parents like the fact that their children are far from cities and even towns. The nearest village is not within walking distance.”

Most of Wilson’s students are boarders, and many stay through the weekend, spending their Saturdays in structured sporting and artistic activities. There’s not much scope for devilment.

Wilson’s Hospital is under Church of Ireland patronage, and, like its sister schools, it caters for a scattered community. About 90 per cent of its students are from Ireland – 22 counties are represented – and the rest come from overseas. Fees at the school are relatively low for seven-day boarding, at €7,875. Fees for the day students are about to drop.

“We have made a decision to stop charging tuition fees,” says Oughton. “We’re not the first boarding school to make this move, and it makes financial sense for us.”

A private school offering boarding services is entitled to come into the State school funding system while continuing to charge for non-tuition services. It’s an attractive option for private Church of Ireland boarding schools in particular, as they have lost their special status and its associated extra funding in recent years.

The idea is that parents could, in theory, avail of the tuition services at the school for free, as they might at a State school, but not avail of the extra services offered at Wilson, such as meals and nursing services.

In practice, Oughton believes it unlikely that parents will not pay the new annual fee of €1,800 (down from €2,800) to cover food and other services. Given its location, it’s not really an option for most students to go home for lunch.

The benefit for Wilson’s is that its pupil-teacher ratio will be restored to State school levels of 19 to 1.

It all indicates Oughton's ambition for the school. This is not a man looking over his shoulder. Recent high-level investment in the old Georgian house will see it stand for many years to come. Oughton has applied for funding to add buildings to the grounds and has added subjects such as technical drawing to the curriculum. Under his watch Wilson's has climbed The Irish Times's league tables.

“We’re number one in Westmeath and in the top 10 in Leinster,” says Oughton. He adds the usual caveats about academic success versus education, but it’s clear that he’s proud of the school’s performance.

In the midst of the change, Oughton admits that Wilson’s attraction lies in its tradition. “That’s the big challenge for Wilson’s. How do we keep the school vibrant without changing its character? The admissions policy is part of that. Two-thirds of our places are reserved for Church of Ireland students, and we hope that the reduction in fees will mean that those families who are struggling economically will still be able to afford to send their children here.

“We also reserve 60 per cent of our places for boarders, so that element of the school character doesn’t go into decline.”

For now the best way for Wilson’s to capture its historical essence is to make an anniversary splash. Over the next few weeks the school will mark its birthday with the unveiling of a Celtic cross on the front lawn, a dramatic re-enactment of the school’s key moments on the front steps, a 250-pupil choral performance at 2.50pm on Saturday, April 9th, and a large gathering of past pupils at a gala dinner.

As he walks past a military-style lunch operation in the large canteen at Wilson’s, Oughton muses on the task of managing hundreds of teens in a mixed-gender live-in environment. He says the school has no big discipline issues and he has never had to deal with problems such as drugs or violence. The pupils go to bed at 9.30pm or 10pm, depending on their age, and once the lights go out all you can hear is the odd cow in the neighbouring field.

A former League of Ireland soccer referee, Oughton enjoys the challenge of keeping spirited young people in line. “I have a distinct leadership style,” he says. “Let’s just say I’m in favour of law and order.”

WILSON'S UNIQUE FEATURES

At 250 years Wilson’s Hospital School, in Co Westmeath, is one of the oldest in the country. Its unusual name is a legacy of an old partnership with a hospital long since gone. The “hospital” tag is not its only unique feature.

SCHOOL

Wilson’s is a seven-day co-educational boarding school under Church of Ireland patronage charging just under €8,000 a year.

SETTING

The school is on 73 hectares of farmland bequeathed to the church by wealthy merchant Andrew Wilson in 1726. The old Georgian building, sitting between two lakes, was recently renovated. The original chapel, complete with “anti-slouch” pews (below), has also been restored.

PAST PUPILS

An unusually large number of Wilson’s pupils fought in the first and second World Wars. Extensive lists of Wilson’s war dead are featured on the school chapel wall.

HISTORY

Wilson’s was the site of one of the last battles of 1798 between Humbert and the United Irishmen. The students were evacuated and the school, remarkably, was not damaged.

CURRICULUM

Because of its rural setting Wilson’s has an unusually high level of students – one in three – taking agricultural science as a Leaving Cert subject.