Queen Elizabeth's Hospital boys pictured in the mid-1970s
This school was endowed by a wealthy Bristol merchant, as a bluecoat foundation on the lines of Christ's Hospital, and granted its charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590. Originally solely a boarding school, Queen Elizabeth's Hospital now caters for dayboys as well. A glance at a guide to independent schools published in 1978 tells us that at that time boarders wore traditional bluecoat uniform for normal school activities; nowadays the costume is reserved for special occasions.
Reading bluecoat boys pictured at an episcopal ceremony in 1951
The Reading Bluecoat School in Berkshire is another bluecoat foundation where the traditional dress is worn on special occasions. However, boys no longer wear the Tudor style cap seen on the antique figure of a Reading bluecoat boy (below right).
The Eton Suit..........Military
Foundations
Bluecoat Schools........The Traditional English Schoolboy
School Cadet Detachments.........School Scout Troops
School Uniforms Miscellany.....Uniforms in Close-up.....Main Page
