Life in our Houses sits at the heart of the Eastbourne College experience. Each has its own character and is home to between 50 and 70 pupils which keeps things friendly and personal.
The atmosphere in each House is shaped by the people who live and work there, from the Housemaster or Housemistress and their pastoral team to the resident tutors and matrons. We offer day, day plus, flexi and full boarding across the College, with individual Houses offering different combinations so families can find the setup that suits them best.
While each House is slightly different they all have plenty of spaces to enjoy, from the common room and kitchens where pupils can make snacks, to music practice rooms both in house and over in the impressive Birley Centre’s practice rooms. Boarding houses have big TVs for movie nights and watching sport, and each House has relaxing spaces inside for chatting with friends, listening to music or playing pool and table tennis, as well as access to a garden or courtyard for outdoor games, barbeques and relaxation.
Pupils make use of the five-a-side astros, the tennis courts, the gym and all the wider sports facilities, including the sports hall, squash courts and the swimming pool. They also have access to quiet study spaces in house and in the Learning Resource Library. Music and arts pupils dip into the Birley’s recording studio, ensemble rooms, piano spaces, art studios and design workshops.
Weekends on site are relaxed and enjoyable, whether that’s a paddleboarding trip, heading to the beach, enjoying one of our exciting trips or simply making the most of the space, facilities and what is available on campus.
The map below shows the proximity of our houses to the School.
The summaries below give you a very brief glimpse into the offering of our houses.
Boys Houses
| HOUSE INFO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GONVILLE | PENNELL | POWELL | REEVES | WARGRAVE & CRAIG |
|
| Gender | Boys | Boys | Boys | Boys | Boys |
| Day | Y | Y | |||
| Day Plus | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Flexi 3 | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Full Boarding | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Housemaster/Housemistress (Hsm) | Alex Wingfield Digby | Tim Holgate | Sam Mason | Matt McVeigh | Tim Spiers |
| Subject taught by Hsm | Teacher of Geography | Teacher of Business and Economics | Teacher of Geography | Teacher of Business and Economics | Teacher of History |
| Hsm subject and interests | Wide range of sporting interests, outdoors, dog-walks, food, theatre, travel, my family. | Rugby and a variety of other sports, football, dog walks. | Rugby, golf, the outdoors, dog-friendly country pubs and boating. | Travel, tennis, football, rugby, golf, skiing and running - enjoy the outdoors. | Skiing, squash, travel, reading, the theatre, running including cross-country. |
| Resident Tutor | Alex Roberts | Freddie Clarke | N/A | N/A | Amelia Davies |
| Matron | Tanya Osborne-Brown | Treya Wilkinson | Beck Anderton | Beck Anderton | Charlie Woods |
| Facilities eg garden, astro, tennis courts, galley/kitchen, games room including…, dance room, lift, pool table, music practice room, House dog and name!, gym, quiet room, tuck shop | Common room/games room with pool and table tennis and TV. Garden for football and BBQs. House gym and wellbeing area. Half basketball court. | Common room with table tennis and pool table. TV room. Music room with drum kit, keyboard and amps. | Common room. Pool and table tennis. Kitchens. Three tennis courts. House dog called Max. | Common room with pool table, table tennis, kitchen and 75 inch TV with Sky Sports. Outdoor 5 a side football astro turf along with a back garden used for yard cricket and picnic benches for summer revision. | Common room. Large TV for movie nights. Garden for quick cricket, picnic benches. Hard area for 5 a-side football and basketball. House dog called Monty. |
| Historic or Purpose Built | First opened in 1889. It was originally located at 50 Blackwater Rd before moving to its current location. | Opened in 1920 and named after former pupil Theodore Pennell, who was awarded the gold, Kaisar-i-Hind medals for his missionary work. | Originally owned by Stanley Langhorne Powell and donated to the College in the 1930s becoming the first day house for boys in 1936. | Opened in 1947 and named after Herbert Reeves who was a pupil between 1879 and 1881. Opened on Grange road after WWII and was originally on the site of the Craig House. | Founded in 1888 by HF Matheson and named Wargrave, as his father-in-law was rector of Wargrave in Berkshire. |
Girls Houses
| HOUSE INFO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
BLACKWATER | NUGENT | SCHOOL | WATT |
|
| Gender | Girls | Girl | Girls | Girl |
| Day | Y | Y | ||
| Day Plus | Y | Y | ||
| Flexi 3 | Y | Y | ||
| Full Boarding | Y | Y | ||
| Housemaster/Housemistress (Hsm) | Lisa Price | Hayley Fry | Carla Whiddett-Adams | Alison Tutt |
| Hsm subject and interests | Teacher of Geography, Director of Netball, Head of Athletics. | Assistant Director of Music | Teacher of PE | Teacher of English and PE |
| Hsm interests | Ex England netball player. Anything outdoors and nature. | Hockey, travel, theatre, being outdoors and most things crafty. | Netball and crossfit, arts and crafts, dog walks and spending time with family. | All sport (especially golf), fitness, gardening, knitting, reading. |
| Resident Tutor | Sarah Gordon | |||
| Matron | Beck Anderton | Sana Karkach | Katie Thorpe | Beck Anderton |
| Facilities eg garden, astro, tennis courts, galley/kitchen, games room including…, dance room, lift, pool table, music practice room, House dog and name!, gym, quiet room, tuck shop | Common room. Kitchens on all floors. Music practice room. House dog called Bea. | Common room. Quiet study. Courtyard garden. Dance studio. Lift. Wheelchair accessible bedrooms. Year group galleys. | Common room. Sitting room. Quiet room. (Galleys). Large garden. Gym. Table tennis. Volleyball. Large TV for movie nights. Piano. House dog called Poppy. | Common room. Snug. Kitchens on all floors. Two gardens. Games room with air-hockey, pool and table tennis. Music room. House dog called Callie. |
| Historic or Purpose Built | Built in 1885 as a boys boarding house; rebuilt in 1996 as a girls day house. | Built circa 1870. Initially a house for boys but became the first girls house in 1969. Extended in 2005 to accommodate the growing number of girls at the College. | The classrooms and bedrooms were designed by the Duke of Devonshire's architect, Henry Currey and in use by 1871. School House was visited by the late Queen Elizabeth II and her father, King George VI in 1936. | Opened as a girls' day house in 1991. |
