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| St Marylebone Grammar School | |
|---|---|
 The original building, in August 2011 | |
| Location | |
 | |
City of Westminster, London United Kingdom | |
| Information | |
| Motto | ex animo tamquam Deo |
| Established | 1792 (1792) |
| Closed | 1981 |
St Marylebone Grammar School (SMGS) was agrammar school located in the London borough of theCity of Westminster. It was open from 1792 to 1981.
Founded as thePhilological Society by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of thePrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, its object was to help "the heads of families, who by unexpected misfortune, have been reduced from a station of comfort and respectability." Founded in Mary Street (later renamed Stanhope Street), NW1, it moved toMarylebone Road in 1827. Its fortunes improved largely due toEdwin Abbott, headmaster from 1827 to 1872. After Abbott, the school's financial position deteriorated.[1]
In 1901 it was accepted in trust by theLondon County Council and renamed St Marylebone Grammar School. AfterWorld War II it recovered. Under headmaster Philip Wayne it developed artistic activities, acquired shared use of playing fields inSudbury Hill, and established a country base in the village of Forest Green, nearLeith Hill.[2] In 1957 the motto "ex animo tamquam Deo" ("from the heart, as from God") was added to the school's crest at the suggestion of the deputy headmaster Kenneth Crook.[1][3]
After Philip Wayne, SMGS was led by Harry Llewellyn-Smith as headmaster until 1970. During his period a new and separate science block was built a short walk away from the school's main site. Roy Mansell led the science team and was for a short period, following Patrick Hutton's tenure, the final headmaster.[1]
Soon after headmaster Patrick Hutton (formerly head of English[4] atSt Paul's School) arrived in 1970, theInner London Education Authority (ILEA) proposed to merge SMGS with the local secondary modern school, Rutherford School, later part of North Westminster School. ILEA itself came into conflict with the newConservative government, whose secretary of state for educationMargaret Thatcher took an interest in SMGS. By 1981, however, SMGS had closed.[5]
The former science block continued in educational use as the Cosway Street Centre, part ofCity of Westminster College, but was later demolished. The main school building consisted of the original school building onMarylebone Road and two later wings inLisson Grove; the Lisson Grove buildings were demolished and replaced with an office block. The original building is Grade IIlisted and remains intact. From 2002 to 2024 it was part ofAbercorn School.
Former pupils of the school are known as Old Philologians.