| Royal Masonic School for Boys | |
| Mottoes: | --> |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 51.6522°N -0.3702°W |
| Other Names: | --> |
| Former Names: | --> |
| Founders: | --> |
| Age Range: | 4–18 |
| Accreditations: | --> |
| Affiliations: | --> |
| Website: | https://www.oldmasonians.org |
The Royal Masonic School for Boys was an English private school for boys at Bushey in Hertfordshire.
The origins of the school lie in the charities established in the late 18th century to clothe and educate the sons of Freemasons near their homes. These charities amalgamated in 1852 and established a boys' school at Wood Green in North London in 1857.[1] The foundation stone for a new school in Bushey was laid by the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.[2] It was designed by Gordon & Gunton[3] [4] and completed in 1903.[5] A Junior School was added on the other side of The Avenue in 1929 and by 1939 there were 800 boys at the school.[1] [6]
Following a decline in pupil numbers the junior school closed in 1970, with the senior school closing in 1977. The site of the junior school is now occupied by The Grange Academy. The Royal Masonic School for Girls, based at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, was unaffected by the closure.[7]
The site was acquired by Comer Homes in 1998; the buildings were rented out to the United States International University (Europe) (later Alliant International University) until 2009 when Comer Homes began redeveloping the site as Royal Connaught Park.[8]
Both the senior and junior school were commonly used for films such as Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Lucky Jim, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade from the 1950s until recently. The opening scenes of the children's series, Thunderbirds was filmed in the old science block. The senior school and its grounds were used throughout the long running series of Judge John Deed starring Martin Shaw employing the teaching block as the judges's chambers and other parts of the senior school for the in-court scenes. The interior was used for the 1990 comedy Nuns on the Run.[10] [11] The school's dining hall was used as the Great Hall for the Harry Potter films.[12]