Look out of the front window of Abbeylands and you see the bustle of Sherborne High Street, glimpsed through the weighty branches of the House’s famous wisteria. This keeps the House grounded in the real world, but it is just a stone’s throw from the School’s main buildings, ensuring boys have everything within very easy reach.
Abbeylands is proud of its informal moniker: “Happylands”. It seems a good summary of the positive atmosphere, where boys are nurtured and encouraged, by staff and by each other.
Abbeylands is characterised by its family feel. The furnishings are comfy and welcoming, giving boys a real home-from-home atmosphere. And the historic value of the House helps ground boys in the rich legacy of which they are a part: Abbeylands is quintessentially Sherborne in its honouring of traditions, allied to a desire for boys to be formed for the future.
Such forming involves encouraging habits of mind and character such as resilience, determination, kindness and compassion. Visit Abbeylands, and you’ll see these in plentiful supply, across all year groups.
Housemaster: Rhidian McGuire
Rhidian studied Sport and Social Sciences at Bath University, where he was awarded a first class honours degree. He then went on to take an MPhil in Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge where he was awarded a Rugby Blue, playing in the Varsity match at Twickenham in 2008. He was also a Wales under-18 Rugby International.
After leaving Cambridge, he moved into teaching and became Head of Rugby and a teacher of Physical Education at Prior Park College in Bath. Rhidian is married to Helen, who holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and is currently a teaching fellow on the Pharmacy degree at Bath University. They have two young children, Osian and Olwen.
House Staff
- Assistant Housemaster: Mr A Kirby
- Matron: Mrs R Hiscock
- Assistant Matron: Mrs S Chaffey + Mrs N Stockton
- Resident Tutor: Mr F Henderson
Flickr album: Abbeylands | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin
