The new headmaster of Shrewsbury School has been selected and will take up the reins in September next year, it was announced today.

Governors of the private school in Kingsland have revealed the appointment of Mark Turner as a replacement for the current headmaster Jeremy Goulding, who is due to retire.

Mr Turner will enter his third headship having previously been headmaster of Kelly College, in Devon, and for the last seven years at Abingdon School near Oxford.

Mr Turner is a graduate of Mansfield College, Oxford, where he read geography and also played hockey for the university team.

He then joined the Royal Artillery on a short service commission and had a brief spell in Northern Ireland with the Welsh Guards.

The 48-year-old and his wife Elizabeth, also an Oxford graduate, have two sons Alexander, 12, and Gideon, 10.

Richard Burbidge, chairman of governors at Shrewsbury School, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Mark Turner.

“The appointment attracted a lot of interest and a very talented shortlist. Given the remarkable range and quality of Shrewsbury’s current successes on the national stage, this is not surprising.”

Mr Burbidge paid special tribute to the current headmaster, praising the way he had guided the school over the last eight years.

In September 2008, the school saw its first intake of sixth form girls, a historic decision for the 450-year-old establishment, wh- ose old boys include Charles Darwin and Michael Palin.