Bishop Wordsworth School

Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Salisbury – Gymnastics Class, circa 1900 Early physical education in Edwardian England

This striking photograph from around 1900 captures a group of boys at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury, Wiltshire, taking part in a physical training session, likely part of the school's early gymnastics or drill programme. With their disciplined stance, gymnastic sticks, and traditional uniforms, they reflect the values of Edwardian-era education: discipline, strength, and character-building.

The instructor, seen on the left, stands watchfully by as the pupils pose proudly on the school’s green lawn, with the historic city walls and cathedral spires of Salisbury rising in the background. Founded in 1889, Bishop Wordsworth’s School has long been a centre of academic excellence, and this image offers a rare glimpse into its formative years.

These early forms of physical training were not merely sport, but part of a broader movement promoting health and moral development in young men—an ethos closely tied to Britain’s public school tradition.

📍 Salisbury, Wiltshire, England 📷 Photograph circa 1900

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