Martlet Girls House - 30th Anniversary Celebration

Dear Martlet girls, past and present, and their families,

We are delighted to invite you to a special event celebrating 30 years of Martlet as the first Girls’ House — the house that made Hurst fully co‑educational in 1995.

Both the current Housemistress of Martlet, Natalie Coogans, and former Housemistresses Jami Edwards‑Clarke and Jan Leeper are looking forward to welcoming you, catching up on your news, and meeting your families.

Natalie Coogans - Martlet Housemistress 2024 - Present

“It is a privilege and a joy to lead Martlet and to be doing so at such a landmark moment in its history is a true honour.

I am so looking forward to welcoming members of the Martlet family from our current high flyers to those who flew the nest a while ago, it will be wonderful to come together and celebrate your achievements, swap stories, and share in the spirit of this amazing house that continues to shape remarkable young women giving them lifelong memories and friendships. I cannot wait to welcome you back to our House.”

Jami Edwards-Clarke - Martlet Housemistress 2023-2025

"It would mean so much to me, Mrs EC, to welcome the alumnae Mighty Martlet girls to the Martlet garden party. Reconnecting with you all and celebrating the spirit, strength and friendships that made Mighty Martlet so special for me and my family would be truly wonderful. I would love the chance to catch up, share memories, and once again feel the pride and joy of being together."

Jan Leeper - Martlet Housemisstress 1999 - 2008

" It would be wonderful to see Martlet girls returning to the house to celebrate its 30th Anniversary - especially those who were here in the first decade, as your commitment, engagement and spirit during those pioneering years, is the reason why we now have 6 girls houses and a college which is truly coeducational."

Event Details
Date: Sunday, 7th June 2026
Order of Event:
10:30 Family Chapel Service & Welcome Address
11:00 Tours of the College & Campus
12:30-15:00 Marlet House Garden Party & Lunch
You are welcome to join for all or part of the days celebrations

Please email hurstfoundation@hppc.co.uk if you have any questions.

Warm regards,
The Martlet House Team

A Brief Martlet History

The increase in numbers at the College in the 1950’s and 1960’s led to much building between 1956-62 and the eventual opening of both Eagle and Martlet Houses, both housing boy boarders. 

Martlet began in a smaller building Ruckford House, in another part of the campus. The new construction had its Foundation stone laid in July 1958 and finally moved into its own building in 1960. In 1985 Martlet was extended to provide more studies.

The decision to go co-ed was taken by the Governors in February 1992, with girls joining the Junior School in 1993 but by 1995/96 the College was co-educational in all years.

Janet Watson, (later Copland), joined the staff to become the first Housemistress of Martlet and to prepare for the arrival of girls in the Senior School in Sept 1995 with just 25 girls and 6 female teachers. By the following year the number of female staff had risen to 18 and the CCF had its first female NCOs. The first female house tutor was Judith Mosley who later married master Nick Edey. She also taught senior school swimming. 

1995 Girls joined in Shell and LVI.
1996 Girls in Shell, Remove, LVI and UVI
1997 Girls Shell, Remove, V, LVI and UVI

by Mary-Lou Rowland, Hurst Archivist

When promoting Martlet House and Hurst, drawings were needed as there were no girls yet to photograph.

As with all our events, we will be taking photos at this Foundation event. These images will be used by Hurstpierpoint College to share news about the Foundation, and to publicise our future events. Images may be used in press releases, social media, printed publicity, and published on the College’s website. They will be stored securely, and we will delete them after they are no longer needed for publicity purposes. We may also share photos with other OJs for their personal use. If you would prefer for you or your child not to be photographed, please email us at hurstfoundation@hppc.co.uk