Happy Birthday, Orchard!  

Often forgotten in the history of the school, the house has its own story to tell. Orchard House, originally the Crown Inn, was opened at the start for the academic year in September 1921 under unusual circumstances. At a moment when rising numbers and limited funds made providing accommodation for boarders an acute problem, Geoffrey Holt Isitt - who taught Physics and Chemistry - bought, adapted and furnished Orchard House as a boarding house. With his wife, Mrs Peggy Isitt, he ran Orchard House until 1946.

G H Isitt himself, remained at the school until his retirement in 1958. In recognition of his service rendered to science at the school, the new Physics Laboratories were named after him. Though they were demolished to make way for the opening of the Hubert Jones Science Centre in 2009, the plaque dedicated to G H Isitt remains on the new building as a reminder of the man to whom the school and Orchard House owes a debt of gratitude.

Orchard House has always been slightly different from the other Houses - any OB will tell you that. But it isn’t just its ‘distant’ location on Orchard Street that sets Orchard House apart. Orchard House was always smaller in scale than its Victorian counterparts, despite the huge dormitories (now smaller boarding spaces) behind the house and the extensions in 1959 and 1973. More changing-rooms, day-rooms and studies were added over the years for increasing numbers of boarders and further upgrades were made in the 2000s, culminating in the addition of the large dayroom in the extension link with Orchard Gardens in 2011. Orchard House now accommodates its boarders in surroundings more comfortable than may be remembered by former ‘inmates’.

To celebrate the House beginning its 101st year as a boarding house, an almost complete collection of House photographs has been added to the gallery. Many of these have long been on the walls of the House, including the more recent Tempest photographs. The Tempest photographs are reproduced as low-resolution images in the Gallery with the kind permission of Tempest. Original prints can be purchased directly from Tempest.

The Orchard collection is the largest House photograph collection in the Archive. With your help, a complete set is not unrealistic. If you have an Orchard photograph that doesn’t appear in the Gallery, please let Huw or Felicity know.

Some Orchard snippets from the Archive

Miss Rabagliate, the rather stern looking matron in the 1924 to 1927 photographs, was a family friend of the Isitts. From a politically active family, she went on to become the first female Mayor of Paddington. Serving as Alderman of Westminster City Council and twice as Mayor of Paddington, she had a particular interest in housing rights and was awarded the MBE in 1954 for political services. 

G H Isitt was succeeded by J R N Williams, who became the only Housemaster ever to run all three boys Houses - School House (1931-1936), Hostel (1936-1946) and Orchard (1946-1960).

Orchard boys were formerly known as Arcadians, with the Arcadian tie one of several house society ties worn by Sixth Formers in the 1950s.