The School was founded as Bridewell Royal Hospital, after Nicholas Ridley preached to Edward VI to give some of his empty palaces over to the City of London to house homeless women and children. The school was commandeered by the Royal Navy during the Second World War to test and develop the use of radar. The school still remembers this with a plaque in the central area, a junction of corridors known as 'Piccadilly'. The President of Bridewell Royal Hospital is now The Duchess of Gloucester, appointed from 1 January 2006. The Queen Mother held the title from 1953 to 2002. The school's creation was sanctioned by the same charter as that of Christ's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital, and uses the same coat of arms as Christ's Hospital. The school maintains strong links with the City of London, and is still supported by it, with some students on bursaries funded by the City. As of the academic year 2018/19 Senior School day fees are £19,200 per year, with Senior School boarding fees £30,810 per year, though a number of bursaries and scholarships are available. In early 2015 Edward Moore, a choirmaster at King Edward's, Witley, was handed a 9-month sentence for inappropriate sexual conduct with a girl student.
Boarding houses
There are ten functioning houses in total, five male and five female. The boarding houses at the school are paired, and, in the case of the senior pupils, conjoined in the centre of the buildings. This central area allows the boys and girls from the paired houses to meet in the evenings and during spare time. The right-hand half of the iconic front building of the school is used as Copeland House, the junior girls' boarding house, while Queen Mary House was formerly a care home for the mentally ill and then the school sanatorium, until later becoming the junior boys' boarding house. The senior houses were built in the 1970s, and the plans can be seen in the School Museum, housed in the History Department. Boarders moved into these new buildings in fall 1976 and the inauguration was commemorated by a visit from HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The houses, in their pairs, are:
Juniors
Queen Mary House - Queen Mary was President of the school from 1940 until 1953. It is known as QMH.
Elizabeth – After Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, President of Bridewell Royal Hospital from 1953 to 2002. She visited the school four times, in 1958, 1965, 1976 and 1991. This is a girls' house.
Edward – After King Edward VI, the founder. This is a boys' house and is paired with Tudor.
Tudor – After The House of Tudor, the current royal family at the time of the school's founding.
Grafton – After Richard Grafton, MP, printer and historian. The first Treasurer of Bridewell Royal Hospital. This is a boys' house and was formerly paired with St Bridget's.
Queens' - After the two queens who have been Presidents. This house is currently unused, being closed as of September 2019
Ridley – Named after Bishop Nicholas Ridley, who preached to King Edward to request Bridewell Palace be given to the City of London for charitable purposes. This house was unused for a number of years, but re-opened September 2013 having undergone extensive refurbishment. This is a boys' house, and is paired with Queens'.
St Bridget's – Saint Brigid of Kildare was a 5th-century Irish saint who is associated with a well which gave its name to the church of St. Bride and then to the palace, Bridewell Palace, built by Henry VIII. Currently not in use pending renovation or reconstruction.
School publications
The school has its own magazine, The Edwardian, which it publishes yearly. There is a short school newsletter, KEStrel, published bi-annually, that incorporates recent school events and news.
Notable Old Witleians
Former pupils of King Edward's are referred to as Old Witleians, or Old Wits.
