Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
Location
Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Coordinates	37°45′34″S 144°54′52″E / 37.75944°S 144.91444°E / -37.75944; 144.91444
Information
Other name	Lowther Hall
Former names	Blinkbonnie's Ladies' College and Winstow Girls' School
Type	private comprehensive single-sex primary and secondary day school
Motto	Latin: Non Nobis Solum (Not for Ourselves Alone All about the girl)
Denomination	Anglican
Established	1920; 104 years ago (1920)[1]
Founder	Archbishop Lowther Clarke
Educational authority	Victorian Department of Education
Principal	Elisabeth Rhodes
Years	K–12
Gender	Girls
Enrolment	900[2] (2007)
Colour(s)	Blue and gold
Affiliations	Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia Junior School Heads Association of Australia Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia Association of Independent Schools of Victoria Girls Sport Victoria
Website	www.lowtherhall.vic.edu.au

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, most often referred to simply as Lowther Hall, is a private, comprehensive single-sex primary and secondary day school for girls, located in Essendon, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Established in 1920, the school has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for 900 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Lowther Hall is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),^[3] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),^[4] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),^[5] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),^[1] and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).^[6]

History

Lowther Hall comprises numerous buildings, varying in age. At the centre of the school is "Earlsbrae Hall", commonly referred to by students, parents and staff as "The Mansion".^[7] It was built over two years by W.K. Noble, to a design by renowned architect, R. A. Lawson, for the brewer, Coiler McCracken.^[8] Finished in 1890, the exterior of the mansion looks like a Graeco-Roman temple with Corinthian columns. Inside the mansion there is an extensive use of carved woodwork and stained glass windows.^{[citation needed]}

In 1911, Earlsbrae Hall was bought by E.W. Cole, owner of Cole's Book Arcade.^[8]

The school started in 1920. It resulted from the amalgamation of Blinkbonnie's Ladies' College and Winstow Girls' School. The name Lowther Hall comes from the Bishop of Melbourne, Lowther Clarke.^[9] In 1928 Elizabeth Kilgour Kirkhope was appointed as head and she guided the school through the depression. She left and joined Lauriston Girls' School in 1933 and in 1935 she bought that school.^[10]

Campus

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar is located on Leslie Road in Essendon, which is situated close to amenities such as Essendon Station. There is also a hall, named the Joan M Garde Cultural Centre, which houses dance and drama classrooms, private music rooms, a lecture theatre, changerooms, a stage, and sports offices. The Noelene Horton Centre focuses on the sciences over three levels, one of which is a rooftop learning area and the basement houses dance and music. Blinkbonnie House was opened in February 2018 and provides new amenities for students who are in Kindergarten, Prep and Year 1. The basement houses performing arts, media and the Mary Thurman Recital Space.

Houses

The Houses at Lowther Hall, all named after Anglican Archbishops, are Booth (orange(was brown)), Clarke (green), Hindley (red), Lees (blue), Moorhouse (yellow) and Perry (purple). Each year, the Houses compete in events such as athletics, swimming and Performing Arts, and each year, the House Cup is awarded to the House with the highest total of points from the year's events.

Co-curriculum

Sport

Lowther Hall is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV). Twenty-four girl's schools participate in GSV alongside Lowther. Lowther has gained a reputation in the hip-hop dance sport area, with teams in state and national finals. The School has also had successful rowing seasons. Lowther Hall has won many titles in sport. Most being in soccer, hip hop, netball, basketball, swimming and athletics.^{[citation needed]}

GSV premierships

Lowther Hall has won the following GSV premiership.^[11]

• Indoor Cricket – 2016

Music

Girls take an active role in Classroom Music, Co-curricular Music, Private Music, and the Instrumental and Choral Program. Students perform regularly at many events such as the Carol Service at St Paul's Cathedral, Eisteddfods, Mt Gambier Generations in Jazz Festival, the annual 'Evening of Song' concert, Winter String Festival, Paris Cat Jazz Gigs, Assemblies, Chapel, Concerts and many public performances.

The curriculum for Classroom Music is based on Kodaly's philosophies. Students participate in practical and classroom music activities and use musical instruments and voice to compose, improvise and acquire aural skills. Classroom Music is taught throughout the school from Kindergarten to Year 12 VCE Music, with an additional compulsory Instrumental Program from Years 3 to 8.

Girls' Voices of the Cathedral

Lowther Hall was chosen to provide the Southern Hemisphere's first female cathedral choir at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne after an 18-month selection process. 18 girls from across Years 4 to 10 comprise the choir. The girls alternate with the traditional choir of boys and men, which has been leading choral services at St Paul's since 1888.

Charity

The school currently supports various charities, as well as a school in Bangladesh. Term Three is designated as a fundraising term where various activities are organised in order to raise money for charities.