🐚 Why Shell?

As we kick off another exciting academic year, we’re thrilled to welcome our newest cohort of Shell pupils to Hurst. And they often ask, "Why are we called Shell?"

We wonder how many of our OJs know the origin of "Shell" name, isn’t just a quirky Hurst tradition—it actually dates back to Westminster School in Central London, founded in 1179 AD within the grounds of Westminster Abbey. Their schoolroom featured a shell-shaped alcove at the far end of the Cloisters (as depicted above). New boys who sat in that alcove were naturally referred to as the "Shell form", and the name stuck.

When Dr Edward Lowe, Hurst’s first Headmaster, came to establish our College, he brought the tradition with him. Today, “Shell” is still used at Westminster, Hurst, and a handful of other schools to refer to pupils in their first year of senior school.

Welcome to Hurst, Shells—you’re not just starting a new school year, you’re stepping into a legacy. 

Mary-Louise Rowland
School Archivist