Oxford Military College
| Established | 1876 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 1896 |
| Type |
Independent school military college Boarding school |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Location |
Oxford Ring Road Garsington Road Cowley Oxfordshire England Coordinates: 51°43′51″N 1°12′26″W / 51.7308°N 1.2072°W |
| Gender | Boys |
| Ages | 13–18 |
Oxford Military College was an all-male private boarding school and military academy in Cowley, Oxford, England, from 1876 to 1896. The military college opened on 7 September 1876. Prince George, Duke of Cambridge was the patron of the Oxford Military College. The military college was declared bankrupt in 1896. The college's 88 acres (36 ha) site later housed Morris Motors (1929–32) and the Nuffield Press. The main college building (manor house) was demolished in 1957. The buildings were used by the Nuffield Press until the mid 1990s after which they were converted into residential flats.
The College provided a four-year college preparatory curriculum: First year (age 13–14); Second year (age 14–15); Third year (age 15–16); Fourth year (age 16–17); Final year (age 17–18). The school drew its cadets from the United Kingdom and the Colonies. Candidates, whether sons of officers or not, were prepared for commissions in the military service, for any profession or business. The senior pupils were enabled to enter the University as unattached students, and to proceed to degrees. It combined classical studies with a military curriculum. The College provided instruction in military riding, infantry drill, lance, sword, carbine drill, swimming and gymnastics.
The staff initially consisted of a Head Master, Second Master & Senior Classical Master, 13 Assistant Masters, 2 examiners (classics), a physician & visiting surgeon, organist, an inspector & instructor of gymnastics, and a riding master.
Some of the courses at the College were instructed by current or former officers. Brigade Sergeant-Major Royal Horse Artillery William H. Garlick, for example, was Riding Master at Oxford Military College c. 1883. In 1894, the staff listed in Whitaker's Almanack consisted of a head master G.B. Grundy, 8 Assistant Masters, and a Secretary to Directors. William John Locke, the novelist, was a master at the Oxford Military College at Temple Cowley in 1889 and 1890.
The buildings, which had been used previously by the Cowley Middle Class School, were purchased for the College in July 1876. A 16th-century manor house stood on Oxford Road near the corner with Hollow Way. The campus consisted of school buildings, playing fields, and a central parade square. The College was extended with the addition of an east wing designed by Sir Thomas Graham Jackson. John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley laid the foundation stone on 21 July 1877.
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