Lyttelton House Staff Judy Gracie - Housemistress Judy grew up in Zimbabwe before pursuing a research career in medical microbiology in Cape Town. On arriving in Buckingham she heard about Stowe and started as a biology technician in 1990 with three young children. As the children grew up Judy started teaching and recently completed a PGCE. Her role as housemistress is new but she enjoys it immensely. Her son, an old Stoic, is now at Loughborough University and she has two daughters still at home. Judy is keen on all kinds of music, the outdoors and sport, reads a wide range of books and enjoys the cinema and theatre.
Pat Robson - Matron Pat was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), moved to Zimbawe with her parents to complete her education, before moving to South Africa, then arriving in the UK, her parents’ home country, in 2002. Pat has a daughter, who lives in Botswana. An avid reader, Pat also enjoys cooking – she once owned a take-away in South Africa - and a spot of fishing, so she is keen to get to at Stowe’s lakes. Previously, Pat worked as a care worker to the elderly - a job that she says can make you laugh and also make you cry.
Emma Hughes - Under-Housemistress & 3rd Form Tutor Introduction to follow soon.
Elspeth Morgan - 4th Form Tutor Elspeth studied French and German at the University of Bristol, and before training as a teacher she worked for an electronics company, representing customers in Germany, Belgium, France and Eastern Europe, primarily in the mobile telecoms industry. She joined Stowe in 2006 to teach French and German. Elspeth enjoys travelling and meeting people from different parts of the world and likes cooking, being particularly fond of Thai food. Closer to home, she also enjoys swimming, theatre and music. Elspeth helps with swimming at Stowe.
Kim McMahon - 5th Form Tutor Kim teaches Chemistry at Stowe. Kim taught in a number of schools in both Australia and New Zealand, day and boarding, mixed and girls only, before coming to Stowe in 1998. She started as 3rd Form Tutor for Walpole House, then moved to Lyttelton when Stowe became fully co-educational. Kim is a 5th Form Tutor, and is looking after the same group of girls as she was a 4th Form Tutor last year. She says she loves every minute of being part of a girls House, especially with the complete age range that the House now has, from 3rd Form to Upper Sixth.
Fiona Quiddington - 6th Form Tutor Fiona is a new member of the Economics and Business Studies Department at Stowe. She was educated in Sydney, attending Roseville Ladies College and went onto obtain a Bachelor of Economics, Diploma in Journalism and Masters of Teaching from Sydney University. Fiona has lived in the UK since 2000, initially working as a Business Journalist in London for four years, before deciding to head home to Sydney to study teaching. Fiona has taught in both Sydney and the UK. She looks forward to being part of Lyttelton and guiding her 6th Form tutees with all the exciting choices they have ahead of them.
Stephen Hirst - 6th Form Tutor Now Director of Staff Performance and Development, as well as teaching English, Stephen used to be Housemaster of Chandos. Since 2001 he has been attached to Lyttelton as a 6th Form Tutor and also helps the girls put on their annual House play. Stephen has two sons of his own at Stowe.
Ceri Fiddes - 6th Form Tutor Ceri joined Stowe in September 2006 as Head of Mathematics. Before coming to Stowe she taught and was a Liaison Tutor in a girls' 6th Form House at Millfield School in Somerset. Before this she studied Mathematics at the Universities of Oxford and Bath. Most of Ceri's spare time is spent looking after and riding her horse, confusingly named Kerry, although she also enjoys gardening; swimming; playing the violin and saxophone; reading and, of course, Mathematics. Ceri is currently the deputy leader of the UK International Mathematical Olympiad team.
Stanhope - Named after Lady Hester Stanhope, niece of Pitt the Younger, this was the first girls' House. The first five girls to join the Stowe 6th Form arrived in 1974 and there were enough to form a House by 1976. As the numbers increased, a second House, Nugent, was formed in 1985 in what had been the boys waiting House. Further increases necessitated moving the girls of Stanhope into Lyttelton in 1993, which had until then been a boys' House. It was decided to keep the name of Lyttelton and no longer use Stanhope as a House name
The Stanhope building now houses the Careers, International, and Skills Development departments.
Stanhope Housemistresses
Elizabeth Mead
1976 - 1979
Julie Nixon
1979 - 1988
Fiona Lockton
1988 - 1991
Emma Cowling
1991 - 1993
History of Lyttelton House Lyttelton - Viscount Cobham's youngest sister, Christian, married Sir Thomas Lyttelton, founding a dynasty which has remained prominent to this day. The Cobham viscountcy is held by one member of the family following the 'special remainder' of 1718 which came into effect on the 3rd Duke's death in 1889. In 1954 a new title of Viscount Chandos was conferred on another member of the family, who presented the prizes at the 1960 and 1965 Speech Days, laying the foundation stone of Lyttelton House at the latter. He also gave his name to the Lyttelton stage of the English National Theatre.
