Mount Kelly’s story begins in 1877, founded thanks to the generosity of Admiral Benedictus Kelly, a highly decorated 19th-century naval officer who played a significant role in the suppression of the slave trade – read more about him here.
In recognition of his gift, William, 8th Duke of Bedford donated land from his Tavistock estate for the new school. Mount Kelly opened its doors in October 1877 as ‘Kelly College’ under Head Master Robert West Taylor, a fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge and former teacher at Rugby School, with just twelve boys on the roll.
Since then, the School has flourished in both size and reputation. It was one of the earliest Victorian public schools to become co-educational in the 1970s and has since continued to grow through significant mergers, first with Newton College in 1940 and more recently with Mount House School in 2014 from which point the school has been known as Mount Kelly.
Mount House, originally founded in Plymouth in 1881, relocated to Tavistock during the Second World War and quickly became the South West’s leading boarding Prep School. Since 1996, it has educated both boys and girls, with a focus on the outdoors, sport and of course academic excellence.
Today, Mount Kelly educates around 600 pupils and, while proud of its heritage, is firmly focused on the future. As outlined in our Strategic Plan, we continue to evolve with ambition and purpose.
A recent symbol of this ambition is our 50m Olympic legacy swimming pool, opened in 2016. It has enabled our world-renowned Swim Programme, led by Emma Collings-Barnes, to flourish. Over the past 30 years, Mount Kelly swimmers have won 37 Olympic and Commonwealth medals, including Sharron Davies, double Commonwealth Silver Medallist Cameron Brodie, IPC World Champion Claire Cashmore, and current World Para Triathlon Champion Lauren Steadman.
Notable alumni include:
Dawn Airey, CEO at Getty Images and former Chair of Channel 5
Lord Owen, former Foreign Secretary and SDP Leader
Gerald Seymour, novelist and former ITN correspondent
Peter and Christopher Hitchens, authors and journalists
Adrian Lukis, actor
Philip de Glanville, former England Rugby Captain
Adedayo Adebayo, England rugby international
Lewis Pugh, endurance swimmer and ocean advocate
Open Days & Visits
Discover how a Mount Kelly education might benefit your child. Private tours of the School are available throughout the year.
