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Murray

‘In Murray, House members are encouraged to take pride in both personal achievement and their contribution as members of a vibrant community.’

Pupils are expected to harness their individuality for the good of the community, to embrace the opportunities on offer and face up to the challenges provided by the Mill Hill community. We ask them to involve themselves in the range of House and whole school activities and, in time and as appropriate, to take Leadership roles and to show pride in being a member of the school’s oldest Day House.

Murray House is the oldest Day House at Mill Hill and it began life in 1933. Before this time, day pupils were allocated to the boarding Houses. It is named after the most prominent former member of staff of the school, James Murray, who taught at the school from 1873-1884 and was the editor of the new English Dictionary, effectively the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

He built a corrugated-iron shed in the grounds of the school, called the Scriptorium, to house the many slips he received from the public on which were written quotations illustrating the use of words. Murray died in 1915 before the final results of his painstaking work were published. The Dictionary ran to twelve volumes, defining 414,825 words and referencing 1,827,306 citations.

Murray House relocated in 1994 to underneath the old Sixth Form Centre in rooms, formerly used by the History Department. More recently in 2016, it moved to the first floor of the main school building and has received an exciting facelift, resulting in brand new furnishings and décor.

The House has a committed team of tutors, who help to ensure the highest of standards are maintained and the ever increasing trophy cabinet is evidence of the House’s victories in the various inter-house competitions.