Hampton School has a proud tradition that at the end of every academic year the School Bell (which has been situated in the main hall since 2019) is rung by the longest serving member of the Common Room. But one does have to wonder, where did the bell come from?

In Hampton, there once stood a large family residence known as “The Elms” that, in 1913, belonged to the Countess of Carlisle.

However, one night in 1913, militant suffragettes broke into the property and set it on fire. Thankfully, the building had been vacant for a few years, and there were no casualties. But the fire did destroy the majority of the property. Remarkably the bell, that had hung on the North wall of the main building, managed to escape any serious damage.

When the site was sold for redevelopment in 1914, Mr. Herbert Broome purchased the bell. A principal reason for this purchase, was that between 1850 and 1860, the business that Mr. Broomes father had worked for, was responsible for fixing the bell to the north wall of the Elms. He recalls how the bell had been used as “a Dinner Bell and Fire or Burglar alarm”.

Mr Broome latterly became a Governor of Hampton School. In 1924, he donated the Bell the School (then situated at Upper Sunbury Road) with the knowledge that “this bell which has withstood the dangers of fire and water and weather for so many years can still be utilised in a useful way at Hampton Grammar School.”

The remarkable history and resilience of this bell adds new gravitas to current School’s tradition.