Houseparents Emily & John Wright
Assistant Houseparent Rebecca Brown
Under Houseparent Jessica Nichols
Matron Laura North
Arriving at Stowe in September 2025 as Queen’s Houseparents, and John as Deputy Head Pastoral, we are very proud to lead such a wonderful community of girls who are kind and supportive of one another, and give their absolute best in the classroom, in their activities, and when they are representing the House and the School.
I grew up in Oxfordshire, and went to Queen’s Anne’s School. I studied History at King’s College, London, before completing my History PGCE at the University of Oxford. I started my teaching career at Wycombe Abbey as a History teacher, before moving to Winchester College – where I met John.
John grew up in Norfolk, and went to Gresham’s School. He studied Geography at Bristol, before starting a career in the City. He decided to switch careers in 2010, and moved to Winchester College to teach Geography. After a quick stint at Whitgift School, he returned to Winchester College as Head of Geography.
In 2020, we moved with our young family to Shrewsbury School, where John led Churchill’s Hall, a boys’ boarding house. We now have three young children, Kit, Honor and Hamish. In the holidays, we go home to South Devon, where we all delight in being outdoors despite it raining most of the time.
There are three values that we think are crucial to each girl, and the House as a whole, thriving. The first is kindness: ‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.’ (Matthew 7:12). The second is courage: ‘With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.’ (Mark Twain). The third is integrity: ‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.’ (C. S. Lewis).
The very fabric of our House helps us to encourage these values. Our small-numbered, en-suite dorms create a sense of home-from-home - and a sense of belonging to the Queen’s community. We are right in the heart of the School, which makes it easy for the girls to immerse themselves in their academic and co-curricular interests here at Stowe.
Our aim is to, alongside their families, nurture the development of confident, positive and resilient young women who have a strong sense of self-worth and a solid moral compass.
Queen’s House was opened in November 2007 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. There is an engraved stone on the front of Queen’s, which originally had the apostrophe behind the s in Queen’s. This grammatical error was quickly picked up by Buckingham Palace, who were very clear in reminding Stowe that this House is her Majesty’s – not future Queens’.
A vertical 13-18 year old girls’ boarding house, which also houses 60 boarders and 12-15 day in boarding pupils, Queen’s is ideally placed for ease of access to Chapel and the Academic Area. A purpose built boarding house, it benefits from all the modern commodities of en-suite, small numbered dorms, which creates the perfect home away from home feeling for both boarding and day pupils.
"Queen’s is a house that exemplifies kindness and compassion, which I have experienced over the past four years. Queen’s girls show determination in all that they do, another reason which creates this special atmosphere. Queen’s has great inter-year relations, which are amplified through having house families. I believe that if anyone had a problem, big or small, they would feel more than comfortable asking anyone in the house. Over the last four years, Queen’s has become a family to me and that I will be forever grateful for. I know that whatever happens after Stowe, Queen’s will be a family that I will always be a part of."