Hazelwell, with its Dragon emblem, was built by its first Housemaster Mr Green in 1866 and bought by College in 1902.There have, of course been many changes and improvements since then, including our huge Common Room, snooker room, TV room, gym, music practising room, computer room as well as high quality accommodation.

Buildings only count for so much though and what Hazelwell is best known for is its sense of community and the respect that the boys have for each other. In this environment all the boys do their best in a whole range of disciplines. For example just last year the Upper Sixth had the hooker of the unbeaten XV, the lead actor of the College play, one of the top College artists as well as a boy gaining a place at Cambridge. The strength of the feeling amongst Greenites (named after our Founder) shows that life in Hazelwell remains firmly in the memory by many an ex pupil. It’s no coincidence that there is great support for Greenite functions and that over 10% of the boys have fathers or uncles who are Old Boys of the House.

I took over as Housemaster in 2008, having been Resident Tutor for several years and therefore a strong connection with the House. I am supported by my wife Christina and our daughter, Autumn and son, Ludo – together we ensure that our door is never closed so that the boys feel part of the family. We also have a strong staff team, consisting of our Matron, Tracey Hopsen, Assistant Matron, Di Bailey, Resident Tutors, Tom Richardson and Jo Smith. There are 7 other tutors, who have a dedication to Hazelwell and regularly visit their tutees in the House.

We run lots of activities, especially on Sundays and the 6th form regularly organise their own black tie events To give a small flavour of activities, the past year has seen us enjoy House Superstars, paintballing and matches at Gloucester Rugby to name just a few. In addition we recently produced an excellent House performance of ‘The Clouds’.

Crucially though, the boys learn self-discipline, are encouraged to develop their leadership skills and gain an initiative that gives them the ability to cope with any situation when they leave Hazelwell and the College.

Simon Conner, Hazelwell Housemaster