This Saturday 8 June 2024, marks 60 years since the Archbishop of Canterbury of the time, Dr Michael Ramsey, laid the Foundation Stone at our current Shirley Park site.
Trinity had been located in North End, in the centre of Croydon, since 1931 but increasing student numbers and a redevelopment plan for the town, meant the location was no longer viable. The new, modern school was to be built in 27 acres of green space, on the site of the old and dilapidated Shirley Park Hotel.
On Monday 8 June 1964, the Foundation Stone Ceremony was attended by 60 students, staff, alumni and governors to mark the completion of the first stage of the new school, designed by George Lowe (pictured with the Archbishop below, right). The plans were to accommodate 750 boys, at a build cost of £1.25 million (approximately £31.7 million today).
During his address, Archbishop Ramsey commented, “We must always be looking ahead. Trinity has fine traditions. Let it be a school very adventurous in the use of new methods…let it be a school that…encourages its pupils to go out into the world and serve their fellows, encouraging a width of sympathy of human interests.”
According to the Trinity School Magazine in 1991, ‘a School House tie and freshly minted coins were included in the list of items placed in an airtight metal cylinder behind the foundation stone of the present school on 8th June, 1964’. This time capsule was opened by nine year-old student Joel Cuttle in 2015 (pictured below) and a new set of items including a Rugby World Cup ball, school magazines and a mobile phone were put back, to be opened in 2065.
Mr Kennedy, Headmaster of Trinity, says, “The move to Shirley Park was a pivotal moment in Trinity’s evolution, enabling us to become the school we are today. The extensive grounds have allowed our sports programmes to flourish, and the beautiful greenery is enjoyed daily by our students. The additional space has facilitated further growth, with more recent additions including our new Music School, the Shaw and Turner buildings and updated Concert Hall. As we mark this occasion, we reflect on both the changes and constants, and we continue to uphold the values articulated by the Archbishop of Canterbury: nurturing good humans and looking towards the future.”
This occasion kicks off a series of anniversaries over the next two academic years including the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the school at Shirley Park on 5 May 1966 (the school moved in September 1965), the 60th anniversary of the Trinity Boys Choir and the Trinity Concert Band which coincided with the move, the 100th anniversary of Rugby at Trinity and the 110th anniversary of Trinity CCF. Stay tuned for further details on how we, as a community, can look forward to celebrating.
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More photos and school magazines from the time of the move can be found in our Digital Archives. If you would like access, please contact Mr King, Archivist, on: lck@trinity.croydon.sch.uk
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