Education

The ancient foundation of Christ’s Hospital and the Guild, or Mistery of Cooks have links spanning five Royal dynasties. It is likely that the Cooks’ Company along with other Livery Companies responded to an appeal in 1552 for charity in establishing a school for the ‘fatherless and other poor men’s children’.

Doubtless the Company was involved in the founding of the school, but the first firm evidence of their contributions came in 1674 with the will of John Philips, ‘Citizen and Cooke of London ’ ’. He bequeathed parcels of land including wind and watermills, a wharf, alehouse and even fishing rights, upon trust for the education of children at Christ’s Hospital. For well over 300 years the Cooks have continued to present boys and girls to this exceptional institution, the most recent beneficiaries having entered the school in September 2002 and 2004.

Successful ‘Old Blues’, the name by which former scholars are known, include Bernard Levin, Coleridge and Samuel Pepys.