Wynyard School
A month after the Lewis family moves into Little Lea in May 1905, Warren goes to Wynyard School, a boarding school in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. After the death of Mother Flora, Father Albert sends Clive to Wynyard School in September 1908 so that he could be with his brother Warren. Wynyard is terrible. The boys write to their father and complain about the school, and ask if they could go to Campbell College near home. In September 1909, Warren goes to Malvern College, but Clive returns to Wynyard for two more terms. The school closes permanently in 1910 and its building is demolished in 1992.
Campbell College
In September 1910, Clive goes to Campbell College, which is located about a mile from his home, Little Lea. He is a boarding student. Campbell College is an improvement over Wynyard School, but Clive spends little time at Campbell as he falls ill in November 1910.
Cherbourg School
In January 1911, Clive goes to Cherbourg House Preparatory School in Malvern, England. His father believes that the air and water of Malvern shall aid in Clive’s recovery from the illness that forced him to leave Campbell College. In addition to being a good school, Cherbourg is located a short distance from Malvern College, where Warren is in attendance. At Cherbourg, Clive develops intellectually. He gets a good grounding in Latin and English, studies the classical authors, and begins writing stories and essays on a wide variety of subjects. He also rejects Christianity because he feels his prayers are not being heard. During his time at Cherbourg, Clive discovers the music of Richard Wagner (1813–1883) and Norse mythology, which match his world of imagination and longing for Joy. Clive leaves Cherbourg in July 1913 having successfully passed the Malvern College entrance exam.
Malvern College
From September 1913 to July 1914, Clive attends Malvern College, a university preparation school. He likes the school library, with a wide range of books, and the lessons of his form master Harry Wakelyn Smith (1860-1919), who teaches him English and Latin. Disliking the rest, Clive begs his father to take him out of the school. Eventually, Father Albert caves into Clive’s complaints and withdraws him from Malvern. He sends him to his old headmaster from Lurgan College, William Kirkpatrick (1848–1921), in Great Bookham, to be tutored in preparation for the university.
Kirkpatrick
Between 19 September 1914 and 26 April 1917, Clive studies privately with Kirkpatrick, called ‘The Great Knock’. These years allow Clive to discover something about himself, without the pressure and expectations of an institution and peers. Under Kirkpatrick, Clive improves his Greek and Latin, and learns French, Italian, and German. But he leads a double life. On the one hand, he masters and employs the logical, rationalistic methods of Kirkpatrick in his studies. But he is at the same time intensely romantic and imaginative. Kirkpatrick’s atheism influences Clive and his own begins to take shape, although he carefully keeps it hidden from his father. Remarkably, in March 1916, Clive experiences the reading of the book Phantastes by poet, preacher, lecturer, and novelist George MacDonald (1824–1905) as a great literary experience. He appreciates the beauty of MacDonald’s writing, his symbolism, and the way MacDonald sees divinity in ordinary things. Later, C.S. Lewis calls this ‘holiness’. From MacDonald, he learns many major themes that become central to his own thinking and writing. In 1946, Lewis edits George MacDonald. An Anthology, a book with 365 brief quotations gleaned from the religious writings of MacDonald.