The official foundation meeting of the Edward Alleyn Club was held on 18 April 1884. However the Club’s origins date back to 1882 when a small number of old boys from the Lower College of God’s Gift formed a social club. This took shape as a geological club which visited the South Kensington Science Museum and held discussions about rocks, volcanoes and ‘the nature and composition of the earth’s interior’. The suggestion to make this group more formal, with member’s subscriptions and an Annual Dinner is attributed to the Revd JH Smith.

On 17 January 1906 the title of the Club was changed to the Alleyn Old Boys’ Club which was used until November 1977 when the Club gained some ‘old girls'. At this point the Club reverted to its former name and has been known as the Edward Alleyn Club ever since.

All former pupils of the school will be familiar with the present clubhouse in Burbage Road (or the Old Boys’ as it is still affectionately known). This building is a replacement for the one that was destroyed by fire many years ago, but this was not completed fully until 1989 when sufficient funds had been raised via an appeal organised by Sir Lindsay Alexander (President 1986-87) and Peter Reeve (the then Club Secretary).

Old girls have been part of the Club’s council since 1983 and the first lady officer of the Club was Kate Liffen (née Hollingshead) who became editor of the magazine in 1986 and first lady President in November 1992.

Membership of the Edward Alleyn Club is automatically granted to all former pupils of the School and thanks to a scheme established by Derek Fenner, former headmaster, membership has grown rapidly since the 1980s. Derek Fenner’s scheme introduced the inclusion of the life subscription to the Club in the last year’s school fees, bringing both income and new members to the Club every year.

The Club now provides a contact point for many former pupils as well as acting as a base for many different sports clubs and the Burbage Theatre Company. It also provides the Sidney Incledon Scholarship, which enables a pupil of limited means to remain in the sixth form and sponsors some leavers to pursue voluntary service overseas in their gap year. Of course, the club is also responsible for the production of the Edward Alleyn Magazine, which is published twice a year and now has a circulation of over 5,000 copies worldwide.

Edward Alleyn Club Presidents

1884-1900 The Revd J.H. Smith
1901 F.A. Mayne
1902 C.F. Redman
1903 A.J. Roper
1904-1905 W.J. Woolrich
1906 F. Collins
1907 J. Attfield
1908 F.A. Mayne
1909 A.E. Watts
1910 W.J. Woolrich
1911 G.E.J. Swift
1912 A.J. Hudson
1913 W.W. Russell
1914 S.A. Hill
1915-19 A.E. Watts
1920 C. Isaac
1921 H.L. Hough
1922 S.J. Brading
1923 J.A. Nye
1924 H.W. White
1925 W.J. Fitter
1926 L.W. Brown
1927 F.H. Holland
1928 S.H. Carter
1929 C. Petherbridge
1930 W.J. Woolrich
1931 H.L. Hough
1932 W. Penman
1933 J.V.H. Coates
1934 C.H.J. Day
1935 H. Reynolds
1936 H. Foulds
1937 S.H. Payne
1938 G.H. Clark
1939-1946 A.F. Day
1947 C.S. Herridge
1948 E.C. Robbins
1949 A. Spring
1950 The Rt Revd W.H. Bradfield, Bishop of Bath and Wells
1951 T.T. Nye
1952 Maj Gen Sir Leslie Hamlyn Williams, KBE, CB, MC
1953 W.S. Arnold
1954 H.L. Rouse, CBE
1955 R.W. Hill
1956 Sir Cullum Welch, Bt., Lord Mayor
1957 C.W. Burman
1958 Leslie W. Farrow, CBE
1959 J. Nye
1960 The Rt Revd Bertram Simpson, MC, Bishop of Southwark
1961 Richard Lydall
1962 A.H. Mann
1963 S.R. Hudson
1964 Z.T. Claro, MVO, OBE
1965 Air Marshal Sir Walter Pretty, KE, CB
1966 S.R. Incledon
1967 Prof R.V. Jones, CB, CBE, FRS
1968 Cecil Addington
1969 R.G.R. Wall, CBE
1970 Vivian Frank, FCA
1971 Dr Gordon Watts, CBE
1972 C.R. Allison
1973 R.G.D. Vernon, MBE
1974 Sir Leonard Hooper, KCMG
1975 J. Somerville
1976 Sir Frank Young, CMG
1977 Philip Hall
1978 Sir Ronald Leach, GBE
1979 Charles Lloyd, JP
1980 James Maple
1981 The Most Rev & Rt Hon Dr Stuart Blanch, Archbishop of York
1982 Tom Bamford
1983 John Jewson
1984 Sir Cyril Pickard, KCMG
1985 Dennis Lomas
1986 Sir Linsday Alexander, JP
1987 Arthur R. Chandler
1988 Rt Hon The Lord Higgins, KBE, DL
1989 Alun Williams
1990 Raymond Cousins
1991 Micky Stewart, MBE
1992 Mrs Kate Liffen
1993 Derek Fenner
1994 Peter J. Reeve
1995 Dr Michael Sneary
1996 John Pretlove
1997 Timothy Inge
1998 Jim French
1999 Angela Horne
2000 Canon David Keene
2001 John D.E.Dunley
2002 Ken Farrington
2003 S.R.M. (Bob) Joyce
2004 Peter Rodway
2005 Dr Colin Niven
2006 Julian Glover
2007 David Hankin
2008 Nancy Carroll