Cardinal Newman College

History

The college contains Lark Hill House, built in 1797 as private house for Samuel Horrocks, a cotton manufacturer and later Mayor and Member of Parliament for Preston. The house was unoccupied after the deaths of both Horrocks in 1842 and his son four years later, until 1860 when it was sold to the Faithful Companions of Jesus Sisters, to become Lark Hill House School for girls.

The house was modified in 1870, with more classrooms added in 1893, 1907, and 1932. The school was a direct grant grammar school for girls from 1919, known as Larkhill Convent Grammar School. From 1967, the school took in sixth form female students from other Catholic secondary schools around Preston. The introduction of comprehensive schools in Lancashire forced the school to stop admitting under-16 pupils from 1978.

In that year, the Lark Hill sixth form merged with the sixth forms of the other two Catholic grammar schools in Preston, namely Winckley Square Convent School and Preston Catholic College, to form Cardinal Newman College, named after John Henry Newman. Initially, the sites of all three former schools were used, but within a few years, the college was concentrated at the Lark Hill site.

However, the former Catholic College's playing fields, one mile (1½ km) south of the college, are still used by Newman College.

Notable former students

• Guy Flanagan, actor
• Julie Atherton, actress
• Rae Morris, pop singer songwriter
• Hannah Britland, actress
• Dominic Lyne, author
• Clifford V. Johnson, physicist

Larkhill Convent

• Helen Southworth, former Labour MP for Warrington South

Notes

References

• Garlington, J. (1995, new edition 2006), Images of England: Preston, Nonsuch Publishing, Stroud,
• Hartley, S. (2006), (20.1 MiB), Lancashire County Council, Preston, accessed 11 December 2007

References

1. [https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/40/130745], Ofsted website, accessed 22 January 2024
2. Hartley, p.48
3. [http://www.cleo.net.uk/followtheyarn/timeline/people_1766.html ''Follow the Yarn: 1766 Samuel Horrocks''] accessed 27 November 2007
4. Garlington, pp.78–79
5. (July 2017). "Performing Arts Course: Stars in Their Eyes!". Cardinal Newman College.
6. "Pulling Focus: Julie Atherton interview". the industri.