The Manchester Grammar School

The Manchester Grammar School stands on a 19-hectare site in Rusholme, a suburb of Manchester. Founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, it began as a free grammar school for boys from Lancashire. The school moved to its present grounds in 1931 after centuries of expansion on its original city-centre site. Its reputation rests on centuries of academic achievement. Alumni include Nobel laureates, BAFTA-winning filmmakers, leading journalists and politicians. The school’s founder used profits from water-powered corn mills on the River Irk to fund its endowment. In the 18th century it sent three or four boys each year to Oxford or Cambridge on exhibitions. By the early 20th century state grants contributed nearly a third of its income. Visitors find red-brick buildings arranged around playing fields. The 1870s extension by Alfred Waterhouse added laboratories and a gymnasium linked to the original by an upper-storey bridge. The site includes tennis courts, a swimming pool and cricket pitches. The Long Millgate building, once part of the old school, now houses Chetham’s School of Music.