Inscriptions: City of Oxford High School
The above inscription, dating from the late 1960s, is on the front of the former City of Oxford High School for Boys in George Street. It reads:
THOMAS HILL GREEN (1832–1882). EDUCATIONALIST,
FELLOW OF BALLIOL, WHITE'S PROFESSOR OF MORAL
PHILOSOPHY. ELECTED (1876) FIRST UNIVERSITY
MEMBER OF OXFORD CITY COUNCIL TO HELP FOUND AND
ESTABLISH THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS (1881–1966),
THEREBY COMPLETING THE CITY'S 'LADDER OF LEARNING'
FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY –
A PROJECT DEAREST TO HIS HEART.
THUS WERE UNITED TOWN AND GOWN IN COMMON CAUSE.
The date under the clock (below) reads 1880, the year the foundation stone was laid by Prince Leopold, the youngest son of Queen Victoria.
The school was designed by T.G. Jackson and built in 1878–80 at a cost of £10,000. As stated on the inscription, the main promoter of the school was Thomas Hill Green, White's Professor of Moral Philosophy and the first university member ever to serve on Oxford City Council.