The names of the pitches

Bigside is the name given both to the pitch itself and to the senior first team in any sport apart from rowing. It first appears in the 1950s where it was used to name the senior teams, as in Bigside Rugby, and as a sign of excellence in any area of school life, so ‘Academic Bigside’ was used of the top A-Level sets in the 6.2s.

Old Range marks the original site of the CCF shooting range, in use from 1909 until the 1930s. An indoor range, now part of the armoury, was created in the 1930s.

Observatory marks the (probable) site of the school’s earliest astronomical observatory, created in the 1880s. This was most likely a portable, rotating hut with an opening roof. The Round Pavilion has a nod to this history in its shape and location.

Kishon was the name given to the brook which runs through the Golf Course. It is now canalised. The name was given by the boys in the 1850s, when it marked the edge of the school’s grounds and the limits of ‘bounds’. The reference is to the Book of Judges 5:21, where the ‘ancient torrent, the River Kishon’ swept away the enemy.

Smithsons the three Smithsons are named after the Smithson family who worked as successive head groundsmen for more than 50 years from the 1930s until the 1980s.

Sandford, Sugworth & Kennington are geographical names taken from the nearest villages.

CDS May 2026