John Hanson school has been on 3 sites, the museum and church, across the road from Beech Hurst Council offices and its current site, where there is space enough for future expansion.
The family crest of John Hanson is historically associated with black and gold livery colours, which were common during the Wars of the Roses. These colours were used to identify units on the battlefield, and the school ties and blazers during John Hanson’s school’s opening were the same colors as his family’s livery and crest. The livery colours were significant in identifying loyalty and allegiance during that era.
1571-1582
Until the late sixteenth century, schooling in Andover was limited to a nunnery and a priory offering education to a limited number of boys and girls. In 1571, John Hanson was a graduate of Winchester College; he was concerned about the lack of free education in Andover, so he left a £200 endowment in his will for a new free school.
1571-1582
Other benefactors included local tradesmen and prominent local families, who made donations of money and resources in the early days of the school. The surnames of Richard Kemys, Richard Blake and Hugh Marshall (the school’s second headmaster) were used alongside that of John Hanson as the names for the school’s “houses” until the early 21st century.
1571-1582
The original school opened in 1582 in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, accessed via Andover’s famous Norman arch.
It was extended in 1618 and rebuilt in 1773, before being demolished in 1847, when the church itself was demolished and replaced with the current church. The site of John Hanson’s “Andover Free School” is now a shrubbery.
1845
In 1845 the school was renamed Andover Grammar School and Martha Gale, a resident of Church Close, donated a house to provide a new site for the school, as well as money for development. The house is now Andover Museum, which was opened by former pupil Lord Denning in 1981.
1845
In 1845 the school was renamed Andover Grammar School and Martha Gale, a resident of Church Close, donated a house to provide a new site for the school, as well as money for development. The house is now Andover Museum, which was opened by former pupil Lord Denning in 1981.
1925-1950s
In 1925 the school moved to a new purpose-built site on Weyhill Road, with the entrance in Croye Close. This coincided with girls being admitted for the first time. An open-air swimming pool was built in the 1930s, and in the 1950s the school was extended with state-of-the-art science labs and a new dining hall, with integral kitchens and an impressive theatrical stage.
1925-1950s
The First Andover Grammer School Chronicle’s 1933 and 1970 – We continue this tradition now with the John Hanson Chronicle.
The first edition of the John Hanson Chronicle has led to even more treasures to be uncovered- a former pupil, now grandfather Andy Gratton, contacted us; he very kindly not only shared with us his recollections of the school, but donated some items of uniform that we had been hoping to discover including the original school cap! Some key insights on the school day included:
Rugby had to be temporarily suspended as one boy lost the top of his ear in an inter-house competition.
The school-cap had to be worn in between each lesson.
All teachers wore mortar boards, capes and addressed all students by their surnames.
1925-1950s
1974
In 1974, the school was renamed John Hanson School in honour of its founder. According to a promotional brochure for the town published in the early 1970s, the John Hanson name had originally been intended for the new college, which was ultimately designated Cricklade College. More new buildings, known as the A Block, were added, providing art studios, a large sports hall and well equipped home economics classrooms. Pre-fabricated huts were installed, as the school expanded.
2001
In 2001, now renamed John Hanson Community School, the school moved to its current site on Floral Way. The Croye Close buildings were demolished and the site is now a small housing estate, with roads named after Lord Denning and Richard Kemys.
