Salopian Terminology
Shrewsbury has a rich history since its foundation in 1552. Through the years particular words and phrases have been adopted, a selection of which is given below:
| Alington Hall | Our main school hall, named after the Revd Cyril Alington, Headmaster 1908-1916. Known to many Old Salopians as the Alleybin. |
| Ashton Auditorium in the Barnes Theatre | Named after Thomas Ashton, Headmaster 1561-71. One of his chief interests was drama and the production of plays was part of the curriculum - even arousing the interest of Queen Elizabeth I, although she never came to Shrewbury. |
| Benjy | An historic timed 1.5-mile cross-country running route around the School Site, usually undertaken on a Monday afternoon. Named after Benjamin Kennedy, Headmaster 1836-66. |
| Blue Book | Published at the start of each academic year and given to every pupil and member of staff, the Blue Book is a directory of information about the School. It includes staff lists, contact details and responsibilities; lists of school officers and captains of societies; school rules and policies; and much more. It has a blue cover. It is known to many Old Salopians as 'the Brown Book', because it used to have a brown cover. |
| Bumps/Bumpers | Inter-House rowing races held in the final week of the Summer Term. |
| Callover | Registration. At the end of Speech Day on the last day of the Summer Term, a Whole School Callover takes place, when all the pupils process in single file past the Headmaster in front of the Main School Building. |
| Dix | Registration and notices in House. This called Dix because it was traditionally held at 10.00pm but is now held at 7.00pm before top schools |
| Fasti | The School calendar of events, published each term. |
| Fives | A ball game played in Fives courts. We play Eton Fives as opposed to Rugby Fives or Winchester Fives. |
| Floreat Salopia! | May Shrewsbury School flourish! |
| Grot | Sweets - available to buy in the 'Grot Shop' (the School Shop). |
| The Hunt | Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt (RSSH), our cross-country running club and the oldest cross-country club in the world, founded in the early 1800s. |
| MSB | The Main School Building. Originally the Foundling Hospital for the town, opened in 1763. In 1784 it became a workhouse, known as the House of Industry. It was bought by Shrewsbury School in 1878 and architectural embellishments were later added, including the clock turret. The School moved to the Kingsland site in 1882. |
| Moss Gates | The blue gates at the main entrance to the School on Aston Road, named after Revd Henry Moss, Headmaster 1866-1908, who suggested and led the removal of the School to its present site. They were opened by his widow in 1923. |
| Old Salopian | A former pupil of Shrewsbury School. |
| Oliver's Egg | The egg-shaped pond in the Moser Quad. It commemorates E. Oliver, who combined the roles of caretaker and groundsman, including the care of the school horse, between 1882 and 1932. In this area he had at one time created an egg-shaped lawn, always known as Oliver's Egg. |
| Pentagon | Not the HQ of the US Department of Defense, but the Headmaster's Office. |
| Philomathes and Polymathes | Statues depicting a Philomath and a Polymath are built into our library. A philomath is a lover of learning and studying. The term is from Greek philos and manthanein, math. A polymath is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. |
| Praepostor | School prefect (Often abbreviated to 'Postor). |
| Quod | The Sixth Form Centre, originally the School swimming pool. |
| RSSBC | The Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club, which was founded in 1866, although rowing actually started at Shrewsbury in the early 1830s. |
| RSSH | The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt (see 'The Hunt' above). |
| Salopian | Technically someone from the county of Salop (Shropshire), also referring to a member of the Shrewsbury School community. Also the name of the School magazine. |
| Sidney Oak | Grown from a seedling from the Sidney oak at Penshurst Place and planted in front of the Main School Building to commemorate the Fourth Centenary of the birth of Sir Philip Sidney on 30th November 1954. |
| School Wall | The wall running between School House and Rigg's. It was brought up, stone by stone, from the Old Schools (now the town library) and situated along the then boundary of the School Site, running through the present Biology Building in the direction of the river. It was moved to its present position in 1932 and an additional stone was laid by the visiting Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). On the School Wall are carved the names of boys who distinguished themselves in sport. |
| Top Schools | Homework/Prep and the time allocated on a weekday evening in House to do this work. Named after the room at the top of the original school building (now the town's main library) where pupils used to do their prep. |
| The Tucks | The 3.5-mile whole school cross-country race around Farmer Tucks' fields in the Meole Brace area of Shrewsbury. It is believed to be the oldest cross-country running race in the world, dating back to the early 1830s. Although the route has changed somewhat over the years - and moved to Attingham Park in 2018 - The Tucks has been run by the whole school every year since it first began. |
