Duke of Edinburgh opens new £3.5m Cheam school department

THE DUKE of Edinburgh returned to Cheam School, Headley, last Friday, exactly 80 years after he was a pupil at the school.
The duke visited the independent school to open Cheam’s new £3.5m art, design and technology department – which has been named after him – along with new pre-prep facilities.
He was received by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan, and presented on arrival to the deputy mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Roger Gardiner, deputy mayoress, Tricia Gardiner and also to the headmaster, Mark Johnson.
“He embarked on a thorough tour of the school, visiting the Mallinson Room (Cheam’s museum) en route – where he met Jimmy Taylor (a second world war Spitfire pilot), who was a fellow pupil with HRH in 1933,” said Hilary Reeves, a spokeswoman for the school.
“Prince Philip opened the Duke of Edinburgh Building in the presence of staff, pupils and parents who had generously supported the successful £1m appeal to raise the money for the project.”
The duke is the patron of the Cheam School Association.