New names for Lower School Houses

Today UCS launched the new names of our Lower School Houses: Seacole (ENBU & SSMH), Macarthur (EHJF & SRCT), Kendall (EPJO & SCMA), Bonington (EAEM & SEJK) and Bannister (EBVL & SAKC).

The announcement follows a painstaking process launched when Lower School pupils were asked to nominate appropriate candidates. From 150 nominations received, we chose five pioneering individuals linked to North London who responded positively to setbacks. Our ‘famous five’ effected change, pushed boundaries and helped others.

Sir Roger Bannister was a former UCS pupil. Alongside his well-documented athletics achievements, his work in neurology was arguably even more impressive.

Sir Chris Bonington is another Old Gower. This renowned mountaineer, who has conquered Everest, passionately supports motor neurone disease charities.

Guy Kendall, UCS’s forward-thinking Headmaster from 1916–36, increased the breadth of the curriculum, instigated overseas trips and raised the provision for pupils on fee-assisted places. By the mid-1920s, some 25% of the entire pupil body received a 100% fees discount.

Mary Macarthur, a Golders Green-based Scottish suffragist, championed the cause and rights of female workers, raising awareness of poor working conditions and encouraging activism against injustice and inequality. One particular 1910 strike led to those involved getting the country’s first minimum wage.

Mary Seacole, a 19th-century British-Jamaican nurse, came to England aged 50 intending to travel onto Eastern Europe to care for soldiers in the Crimean War. The War Office refused her application, so Mary raised the funds herself and established a hospital near the front line.