Looking back on Wellington’s 

long and storied legacy

“Every College of ours is aimed at becoming a prestigious centennial College,” says Wellington College China Founder and Chairman Joy Qiao. Last year, our first school, Wellington College International Tianjin, celebrated its 10th anniversary. This year, Huili School Shanghai and Wellington College Hangzhou celebrate five years. We have only begun our journey, but we are standing on the shoulders of a giant with more than a century and a half of history.  

Wellington College in England was founded by Queen Victoria to commemorate Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, the brilliant military strategist who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. After this famous battle, the Duke of Wellington served as Prime Minister twice and retained the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Army until his death in 1852.  

Arthur Wellesley 

1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852 

British military and political leader, British Army general, 21st British Prime Minister 

The first Duke of Wellington 

The Duke of Wellington passed away after 65 years of royal service. The whole nation of England held a grand state funeral for him to express condolences. At the time, Queen Victoria wrote in a letter to the King of Belgium that the Duke of Wellington’s death was an “irreparable loss for the country” and called him “the greatest man this country ever produced”. Many things around the world have been named after the Duke of Wellington, including the capital of New Zealand, a mountain in New York, beef Wellington and countless businesses in England. In the 2002 BBC Great Britons survey, the Duke of Wellington ranked 15th of 100 great British heroes.  

The school’s founding was first proposed in a conversation between Queen Victoria, her husband Prince Albert, and the then British Prime Minister Lord Edward Stanley. In 1853, Wellington College was granted a Royal Charter and the Royal and Religious Foundation of Wellington College was established. Prince Albert was unanimously elected as the College’s President of the Governors, and during his tenure, he promoted the College’s development. 

Wellington College in the 19th century  

Construction of the College commenced in 1856 when Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone. Prince Albert had hand-selected the architect John Shaw Jr, who was famous for his distinctive English Baroque style, to design the school. Today, its iconic red brick, dark grey Mansard roofs and lofty bell towers remain visual hallmarks of all Wellington College International and Huili Schools.  

The Royal Family at the Foundation Stone 

In 1859, Wellington College accepted its inaugural class of pupils. 76 enrolled. 47 orphans of deceased army officers. The school’s opening ceremony was attended by Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and several key figures in British aristocracy. When the ceremony concluded, Queen Victoria toured the College buildings and was met with hearty cheers as she proceeded to the schoolrooms where pupils were conducting their studies. In her subsequent speech, she expressed her aspirations for future Wellingtonians: “In the students now before me I am glad to recognise the first fruits of this benevolent work; and I trust they will, by their steady industry and honorable conduct, their cheerful obedience to those who are set in authority over them, and their behavior to each other, earn a character for the College worthy of the name it bears.” In essence, the queen was laying out the Wellington Values of Courage, Integrity, Kindness, Respect and Responsibility. 

Queen Victoria at the College’s Opening, 1859

Queen Victoria visited Wellington College two more times during her reign, and the College was famous for educating several royals. To this day, the College’s connection to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is commemorated in various ways, most notably its V&A (Victoria and Albert) Café.   

In the 20th century, Wellington College in England continued to develop and grow, with the construction of new teaching buildings and boarding facilities. By the 21st century, the College had more than 1,000 pupils, and in 2006, it fully implemented co-education, offering its holistic education provision to a broader, more diverse, base of pupils. Meanwhile, its academic standards have remained at the forefront of the UK for many years. In addition to academic excellence, Wellington College has also served as a cultural and sporting hub for communities in the southeast of England. It has also hosted international events, such as the Round Square Conference in 2011, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and more than 1000 guests from over 20 countries.   

Now, Wellington has expanded its reach far beyond the UK. In 2009, on the 150th anniversary of Wellington’s opening, Joy Qiao shared with Queen Elizabeth II a scale model of Wellington College International Tianjin. Two years later, Wellington College China’s first school officially opened. In the subsequent 12 years, Wellington College China opened a total of 11 Wellington Colleges and Huili Schools in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nantong. Wellington College International has also established a partnership with schools in Bangkok, Thailand and Pune, India.  

Wellington College China’s Founder and Chairman with Queen Elizabeth II 

Looking ahead, Wellington College China will continue to share its bilingual education model with pupils overseas, as it builds a bridge between China and the rest of the world.  

160 years on, what began as a single tree has grown strong branches that span from the West to the East. Whether in the UK, China, Thailand, or India, our pupils, parents and teachers thrive like blossoms and leaves.  

惠灵顿（中国）创始人、理事长乔英女士曾说：“我们的每一所学校都是奔着百年名校去的。”就在去年，惠灵顿（中国）旗下第一所学校天津惠灵顿外籍人员子女学校迎来了第一个十岁生日，用4000余个日夜书写下了惠灵顿（中国）第一个百年征程里的璀璨开篇；而今年，上海惠立学校、惠灵顿杭州校区也即将迎来第一个五周年纪念。在中国，我们乘风起航、踔厉奋发，而远在西方的姊妹学校英国惠灵顿公学则在历史的长河中千帆过尽、勇立潮头。 

让我们共同在时光长廊中撷光拾影，追溯一个多世纪前远在英格兰敲响的开学钟声，感受穿越岁月的阵阵回响与当下的共鸣。

众所周知，英国惠灵顿公学是维多利亚女王为纪念第一代惠灵顿公爵而建。这位19世纪杰出的军事家、政治家凭借卓越的军事技巧，取得了滑铁卢战争的胜利，结束了长达12年的拿破仑战争，为在战火中苦苦挣扎的黎民带来了破晓。这场著名战役之后，惠灵顿公爵先后两次出任英国首相，并保留陆军总司令的职务直至去世。 

Arthur Wellesley  

1769年5月1日－1852年9月14日 

英国军事、政治家，英国陆军将领，第21位英国首相 

第一代惠灵顿公爵 

在皇室服役了整整65年后，惠灵顿公爵与世长辞。英国举国为其举办了盛大的国葬，以寄哀思。当时，维多利亚女王在给比利时国王的一封信中写道，惠灵顿公爵的离世是“国家无法弥补的损失”，并称他为“这个国家有史以来最伟大的人物”。为纪念惠灵顿公爵，全球各地有许多事物以惠灵顿公爵的名字而命名，其中有新西兰首都、纽约的一座山、惠灵顿牛排，以及英格兰地区数之不清的商家店铺。在2002年英国广播公司（BBC）举行的“最伟大的100名英国人”的调查中，惠灵顿公爵位列第15位。 

建立英国惠灵顿公学，是在维多利亚女王、其丈夫阿尔伯特亲王和时任英国首相爱德华·斯坦利勋爵的一次谈话中被首次提出的。在惠灵顿公爵去世的第二年，即1853年，惠灵顿公学就被授予了“皇家特许状”，并成立了“惠灵顿公学皇家和宗教基金会”，这意味着惠灵顿公学的创校及办学，获得了英国皇家特许权。与此同时，阿尔伯特亲王被一致推选为学校的理事长，在任期间，他大大推动了公学的发展。 

19世纪的惠灵顿公学 

1856年，维多利亚女王为惠灵顿公学奠定了奠基石，自此具有浓厚的维多利亚时期巴洛克风格的惠灵顿公学校舍开始投入建设。惠灵顿公学的设计是由阿尔伯特亲王亲定的以古典风格闻名的著名建筑师小约翰·肖（John Shaw Jr）进行设计的。时至今日，遍及中国、泰国等地的惠灵顿及惠立学校依然保留了以红砖、深灰曼莎顶、高耸钟楼等为标志性特色的建筑风格。 

英国惠灵顿公学的奠基石 

1859年，惠灵顿公学迎来了第一批76名学生，其中47名为陆军孤儿。开学后的第九天，公学举办了正式的开校典礼。维多利亚女王和阿尔伯特亲王、爱丽丝公主和亚瑟亲王、时任剑桥公爵、第二代惠灵顿公爵和公爵夫人、时任德比伯爵和伯爵夫人及众多英格兰贵族出席典礼。典礼之后，维多利亚女王参观了学校的各个角落，当她走进教室看着学子们认真学习的样子，十分动容。在随后的演讲中，她表达了对未来惠灵顿人的期望：“看到惠灵顿的第一批学生，我仿佛看到了建立这所学校的善举所生长出的果实，而我相信他们会以责任、正直、尊重的品格，对待身边的人，实现校名所包含的价值。”惠灵顿传承至今的五大价值观“勇气、善良、责任、尊重、正直”正是来源于此次演讲。 

1859年维多利亚女王出席英国惠灵顿公学开校典礼

英国惠灵顿公学与英国皇室之间的紧密联系历久弥新，各皇室成员也会不定期对学校进行访问。自开校之后，维多利亚女王还曾两次访问英国惠灵顿公学，在此之后惠灵顿公学更是因成为众多英国皇室成员就读的学校而闻名。为了感谢维多利亚女王和阿尔伯特亲王对学校建设的倾力支持，英国惠灵顿公学在校园内特别开设了V&A（Victoria和Albert）咖啡馆，而这一传统也在之后的海外新校中得以保留。

20世纪以来，英国惠灵顿公学不断发展壮大，新教学楼和寄宿楼相继落成。校园中，崭新的楼宇与百余年前具有悠久历史的建筑交相辉映。到21世纪，学校已有1000多名学生，并在2006年，全面实现了男女混校制。其优质的全人教育不仅为学生提供了多元发展的平台和空间，同时全力支持学子在学术领域成就卓越，多年来始终稳居全英前列的学术水平有目共睹。此外，英国惠灵顿公学对于当地的意义早已不仅仅是一所学校，更是英格兰东南部的社会、文化和体育中心。公学曾承办多场国际活动，如2011年全能教育协会会议（The Round Square Conference），伊丽莎白二世女王及全球20多个国家的千名学生和教职员工出席了此次会议。 

步入21世纪后，英国惠灵顿公学的发展脚步不再局限于英国，远道而来的中国伙伴为公学打开了全新的发展蓝图。2009年，在英国惠灵顿公学150周年的庆典上，时任女王伊丽莎白二世会见了惠灵顿（中国）创始人、理事长乔英女士，并在乔英女士的陪同下，参观了天津惠灵顿外籍人员子女学校的建筑模型。基于惠灵顿（中国）与英国惠灵顿公学的密切协作，2011年英国惠灵顿公学的第一所海外合作学校——天津惠灵顿外籍人员子女学校正式开校。在此后的近12年时间里，惠灵顿（中国）先后在天津、上海、杭州、南通共开设了11所惠灵顿、惠立学校。与此同时，惠灵顿国际与泰国等东南亚地区的合作商也已先后建立了伙伴关系，惠灵顿学校大家庭的版图正在稳步扩大中。

惠灵顿（中国）创始人、理事长乔英与伊丽莎白二世女王

未来，惠灵顿（中国）还会将双语教育模式落地海外，将优质的教育模式带向全球更广阔的学生群体，为搭建中西方文化交流的桥梁贡献属于惠灵顿、惠立的力量。 

远隔东西两端，跨越160余年光阴，却因同根同源，感受着同样的呼吸、同频的脉动。如果说，漫长的岁月为英国惠灵顿公学的发展奠定了稳固的根基，那如今遍布各方的惠灵顿学校大家庭成员正是受这同一根源滋养而生的树丫，它们枝繁叶茂，欣欣向荣。