Welcome to Airlie

Airlie is one of four Outhouses situated on the Marlow Hill side of the site. The Victorian building has immense character with a central staircase, communal areas and workspace on the ground floor, with bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. Staff accommodation is located on each floor so pupils can easily call on someone during the day or night when needed. Airlie has around 50 pupils; from age 12 to 17 and all girls up to UV have year group studies and shared dorms. The oldest pupils (LVI) have study bedrooms and their own sitting room.

Airlie shares its name with Blanche, Countess of Airlie who was the daughter of Lady Stanley of Alderley, the most influential of the women who in the mid-nineteenth century were radically overhauling young women’s education. After a prolific life-supporting girls’ education, Lady Airlie became a Council member of Wycombe Abbey on its foundation.

Our motto is ‘Honesty is the best policy’ and pupils are encouraged to be open with staff and one another. In this way, we hope pupils can raise issues at an early stage and get the necessary support needed; especially if boarding school is a new experience.

At the end of their time in Airlie, pupils emerge as balanced individuals who combine competitiveness with compassion, honour with humour, and excellence with effort.

Miss Flynn (Housemistress) and the Airlie House Team 

Meet the Housemistress

Claire Flynn has been a member of the vibrant Wycombe Abbey and Airlie community since September 2018. She is honoured to be a part of the pupils' journeys, supporting them in their wide-ranging endeavours and helping to create an environment that instils not only knowledge, but also a sense of belonging. What makes her role as Airlie Housemistress particularly fulfilling is the opportunity to contribute to the creation of a home away from home for pupils in the House.

Christina joined Wycombe Abbey in 2020 as a Deputy Housemistress and Teacher of Classics, before becoming Head of Classics in September 2023. Before this, she had worked for four years at Brentwood School. She is originally from Athens and moved to the UK for postgraduate studies, eventually completing a PhD on her favourite Classical author, Ovid.

In her spare time, she enjoys taking care of her large plant collection, crocheting baskets and making candles. She loves Airlie because it is a home away from home, not only for the pupils but also for her.

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Senior Houses at Wycombe Abbey