Hackney Downs School

History

Grocers' Company's School

Grammar school

Comprehensive

Decline and closure

Later use of the building

Old boys

History of the school

Headmasters

• 1974–89

  Notable alumni

Hackney Downs School (1974–95)

• Dalton Grant, high jumper
• Geoffrey Hanks, professor of palliative care medicine
• Metin Hüseyin, film and television director

  Boys' grammar school (1906–74)

• Lazarus Aaronson, poet
• Geoffrey Alderman, historian
• Arnold Allen CBE, chief executive 1982–84 of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
• Sir Edward Bairstow, organist of York Minster 1913–46, composer
• Alexander Baron, writer
• Morris Beckman
• Steven Berkoff, actor, playwright, director
• Gerald Bernbaum, Vice-Chancellor 1993–2001 of London South Bank University, and Professor of Education 1974–93 at the University of Leicester
• Mike Berry, singer and actor
• John Bloom, 1960s tycoon
• Eric Bristow, world champion darts player
• Air Vice-Marshal Reggie Bullen CB GM
• Sir Stanley Burnton, Lord Justice of Appeal and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford
• Sir Michael Caine, CBE, actor
• Roland Camberton, writer
• Frank Cass, publisher.
• Stanley Clinton Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, Labour MP 1970–83 for Hackney Central
• Paul Dean CB, Director National Physical Laboratory 1977-90
• Prof ,OC, FRS, Chemist, Inventor of Visudyne, winner of Canada's Hertzberg Medal
• Prof Cyril Domb, physicist, Professor of Theoretical Physics 1954–81 at King's College London
• Maurice Evans
• Basil Feldman, Baron Feldman
• Frederic Sutherland Ferguson, bibliographer
• Abram Games OBE, graphic designer
• Arthur Gold CBE, chairman 1988–92 of the British Olympic Association
• Michael Goldstein CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University 1992–2004, Director of Coventry Polytechnic 1987–92
• Arnold Goodman, Baron Goodman, Master 1976–86 of University College, Oxford
• Douglas Gough, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics since 1993 at the University of Cambridge, and Director 1999–2004 of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
• Efraim Halevy, former head of Mossad
• William Harold Hutt, economist, and Professor of Commerce and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce 1931–64 at the University of Cape Town
• Frank Cyril James, Principal and Vice-Chancellor 1939–62 of McGill University, Canada
• Brigadier Sam Janikoun OBE.
• Stanley Joslin, Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations 1959–64 at the Ministry of Power
• Leon Kossoff, painter
• Stephen Latner, Managing Director 1998–99 of Warburg Dillon Read
• Michael Levy, Baron Levy
• John Lewis, Labour MP 1945–50 for Bolton and 1950–51 for Bolton West
• Ben Lockspeiser, first President of CERN
• Dennis Lyons CB, director 1965–71 of the Road Research Laboratory
• Leonard Millis CBE, director 1939–74 of the British Waterworks Association
• Cyril Offord, Professor of Mathematics 1966–73 at the London School of Economics
• Stanley Orman, Director of Missiles 1978–81 at the AWRE, and Chief Weapon System Engineer of Polaris 1981–82
• Fuller Osborn, Chief Executive 1965–78 of Northern Rock Building Society
• Jerry Pam, Hollywood agent and member of the Finance Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; publicist of Sir Michael Caine
• Keith Pavitt, of the Science and Technology Policy Research
• Maurice Peston, Baron Peston of Mile End, English economist, Professor of Economics 1965–88 at Queen Mary College, and father of Robert Peston
• Harold Pinter
• Prof Derek S. Pugh, British psychologist, business theorist and Emeritus Professor of International Management at the Open University Business School
• Henry Richardson, film editor
• Lt Col F. J. Roberts, editor of the 'Wipers Times'
• Philip Robinson, executive director, Financial Services Authority 1998–2009
• Norman Rose, biographer of Sir Winston Churchill
• Ralph Shackman, professor of urology 1961–75 at Hammersmith Hospital
• Alfred Sherman, journalist
• Barrie Sherman, trade unionist
• Colin Shindler, first professor of Israeli Studies in the UK, SOAS
• Aubrey Silberston CBE, professor of economics 1978–87 at Imperial College London, and father of Jeremy Silberston
• Albert Stitcher retailer
• Barry Supple CBE, professor of economic history 1981–93 University of Cambridge, and a former Director of the Leverhulme Trust, and father of Tim Supple
• Maurice Vile, Professor Emeritus and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the University of Kent.
• William Warbey, Labour MP 1945–50 for Luton, and 1953–55 for Broxtowe, and 1955–66 for Ashfield
• Maurice Wohl CBE, businessman
• Henry Woolf, theatre director
• John Yudkin, Professor of Nutrition 1954–71 at Queen Elizabeth College, known for finding links between sugar and coronary heart disease

  Grocers' Company's School (1876–1906)

• F. Britten Austin, playwright whose book The Drum would be made into The Last Outpost
• Sir Robert Barlow, businessman, former Chairman of the Metal Box Company
• Prof Raymond Wilson Chambers, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature 1922–41 at University College London
• Cecil Vandepeer Clarke engineer, inventor and soldier.
• Prof Millais Culpin, Professor 1931–39 of Medical-Industrial Psychology at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• H. Whittingham,