School was originally the Monks’ Dormitory prior to the dissolution of the monasteries, but it gets its often confusing name from its use as the schoolroom for the entire school between 1599 and 1884. It is now mostly used for assemblies, lectures, examinations and other large gatherings.
The building was badly damaged during the Blitz and it was during the reconstruction that the present armorial cartouches and coats of arms were added, to replace carved names that had been destroyed. These represent the coats of arms of former Head Masters and significant Old Westminsters. Also damaged in the Blitz, but thankfully not destroyed, was the Greaze Bar. This began life as a curtain rail to separate groups of pupils for teaching, but now is used annually for the Greaze, a tradition that occurs every Shrove Tuesday. A pancake is launched over the bar by the school cook and pupils fight for the biggest piece, with the winner awarded a gold guinea by the Dean of Westminster. Also of note are the two large canvasses displayed on the walls, designed by Sir Charles Cockerell in 1858. These were used as backdrops for the scholars’ annual Latin Play, then performed in College Dormitory.
