FLOREAT BRUTONIA – THE NORTON YEARS The 1860s was a difficult decade for King’s School, with the dramatic fall in pupil numbers during the final years of the Rev Hoskyns-Abrahall’s headship, and disagreements between the Headmaster and the Governors over the broadening of the School’s curriculum and the expansion of the School. The future looked precarious. The Rev. Sholto Middleton (Headmaster 1864 to 1869) accepted the need to widen the curriculum, but he resigned when the Governors refused to increase the School’s accommodation. He was succeeded by the Rev. Arthur Gill (Headmaster 1869 to 1872) who, sadly, soon resigned through ill-health. Meanwhile, the Governors had at last accepted the need for expansion, and in 1872 a new Headmaster’s House was built, and this included a new Dining Room as well as space for 12 boarders. The Rev David Evans Norton, snr, became Headmaster in 1873, and he proved ideal for the task of securing the School’s future. He had great moral strength – ‘(his) daily example which his life embodied, of sense, sobriety, and truth, enforced the high standard of conduct upon which he always insisted’. His commitment to the boys’ development and welfare soon earned him their deep respect. Two fives courts were built at the lower end of the school playground in 1875, and an extension was added to the Headmaster’s House in 1878. However, he found The Rev David Evans Norton, snr it hard to increase pupil numbers; he was not helped by the economic depression of the 1880s, and towards the end of that decade numbers fell away. He resigned in 1890, realising that the School needed a younger Headmaster, one with greater energy and fresh ideas. After a careful selection process the Governors chose D.E. Norton’s son, who shared the same Christian names, to succeed him.
New developments The extent of the School’s progress in so many areas during the years from 1890 to 1916 is shown by the list of some of the developments and changes set out below. Many of the photographs are taken from a pamphlet published by the School in 1914.
David Evans Norton, jnr, a fine Classical scholar and accomplished cricketer, served as Headmaster with great distinction for 26 years, during which he transformed the School in every aspect. He had a ‘presence’ – he was tall and stronglybuilt, with a natural dignity – and by insisting that his staff and boys work hard, while he worked even harder, he quickly won their respect and loyalty. The masters appreciated his accessibility, consideration and generosity; the boys admired his fairness, understanding and sympathy. No-one ever doubted his word, or his religious faith.
1902 New classrooms (now called the Wyndham Building) built alongside Old House, including first purpose-built Chemical Laboratory
Message from Queen Victoria Transcription of the letter:
There is no evidence that the boys were granted this extra holiday.
Mr and Mrs David Evans Norton, jnr
1910 The School’s OTC or Officers’ Training Corps (now known as the Combined Cadet Force) established, with an OTC Band launched the following year
George D’Oyly Lyon
1894 Pavilion on the cricket ground (now known as Abbey). Fully restored in 2014
1900 Field Society established by Mr Powys. Hugely popular; three-quarters of the School join. Field trips to Stourhead and Lulworth Cove for the collection of birds’ eggs, butterflies and wild flowers
c 1880 This postcard from the very early years of the 20thC shows a view of Old House and its Playground. The photographer was standing in the shade of the great chestnut tree which had to be felled when the Swimming Bath was constructed in 1906/1907.
1893 Formation of the Old Brutonian Association
1899 Hockey introduced in Easter Term, replacing Paper Chases. Immediately popular
The three photographs below illustrate the increase in number of pupils during the Norton Era:
General Sir Henry Ponsonby presents his compliments to Mr Thomas, and is commanded by The Queen to thank him for the kind and loyal expressions conveyed in his letter of the 6th June on behalf of the Boys of King’s School, Bruton, and he is to express a hope that they may have an extra week’s holiday, in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the Throne, if this does not interfere with the interests of the School. 10 June 1887
1892 First issue of the School magazine, The Dolphin, and first Old Brutonians’ Dinner, held at Limmer’s Hotel, Hanover Square, attended by 35 OBs. Most of those present were at King’s under the Headmastership of the Rev Hoskyns-Abrahall
1898 Formation of a Literary Society which the Headmaster hoped ‘would be useful especially in these days of cheap sensationalism’
A GROWING SCHOOL
1913 Major extension to the Headmaster’s House (now New House) opened. Includes new Dining Hall and Dormitories
1903 School Song – ‘Carmen Brutoniense’ - first performed just before the National Anthem, at the end of Prize Giving and Speeches on Corpus Christi Day. The Dolphin reported that the song ‘has a capital swing, and is a fine example of a school song’. It ends with ‘FLOREAT BRUTONIA’ – Bruton flourish – a phrase that fitted the optimistic mood of the School.
King’s gradually made more of a mark in sport during this period, and occasionally outstanding players emerged. One such was George D’Oyly Lyon (KSB 1892 to 1897) who featured in the School football, cricket and hockey teams, and is also credited with introducing rugby to the School. On leaving King’s he joined the Royal Navy, serving in both World Wars and reaching the rank of Admiral, and being knighted in 1940. He continued with his sport after King’s, playing cricket for Hampshire and rugby for Surrey and England. In 1909 he captained the England XV against Australia.
Admiral Sir George Hamilton D’Oyly Lyon 1895
1906 Rifle Club formed, with a range opened in Jubilee Park in 1907 1907 Swimming Bath in Old House Playground 1896 football team, with George Lyon circled
1902 Plox House leased from the Hobhouse family to allow the establishment of a new Junior School under the direction of Miss Win Norton, the Headmaster’s sister. The School was given the house in 1905
In his speech at Prize Giving on Corpus Christi Day, 1908, the Headmaster felt confident enough to claim that the School ‘was now thoroughly equipped with all the accessories necessary for the life of a Public School’.
1914 School given ‘Hyde Field’ between the railway embankment and Durslade Farm for the creation of a cricket ground. Ready for use in 1916 1909 England rugby team, with George Lyon seated, centre
1916
SACRIFICE AND COMMEMORATION – 1914 - 1924 leading up to 1914
The years before 1914 were good ones for King’s School, despite the almost-termly epidemics – of measles, mumps, scarlet fever or typhoid. At Speech Day on Corpus Christi Day, 1909, the Headmaster, Mr D.E. Norton, was in a confident mood. He spoke of ‘honest work in School and giant deeds out of doors’, and ‘in its general life the School was full of vigour’. There had never been so many pupils in the School, the sports’ teams were enjoying an outstanding run of success which continued for several more years, and other areas of School life – such as music, debating and the Field Society – were thriving. A poem entitled ‘Pre-War’, written by E.E. Trotman who was at the School in 1908, appeared in The Dolphin twenty years later. It evokes the spirit of that time while also pointing to future tragedy:
THE HEAVY COST OF WAR
THE WAR YEARS
Nearly 300 Old Brutonians served in His Majesty’s or Allied Forces during the Great War, and 56 of these were killed and another 50 seriously injured. The School mourned these losses, but great pride was taken in the contribution this small school made to the conflict. Photographs of 50 of those who died are shown here.
Past four, by Cogley, and school four-thirty; A hound spoke on the far side of the wood. Three of us, out since lunch and blown and dirty, Eyed the crowding field at the gate, and stood. Lionel, clutching the Colonel’s stirrup-leather, Pounded on, and vanished into the ride; Wace, whose form we were in – we had run together – Bared his head to the effort and stretched his stride. ‘Away to Stourton,’ said Sutton. ‘And mighty handy, What!’ said Charles, with his Charles-the-Second grin’ ‘See that trap on the road? B’Jove, it’s Candy! Time for a bath and tea before he gets in.’ Three of us sat demure and clean in our places When Wace limped in, some fifty minutes late, Caught the look on the form’s expectant faces And laughed till he cried. This was in nineteen-eight. Sutton was killed at Tillebeke – June ‘sixteen – A far cry from Cogley in mid-November – And Wace on the Somme, and Charles before Messines; And Lionel’s back in Egypt . . and I remember. Soon, of course, the School, like the country as a whole, was to experience dramatic changes brought about by war.
Boys of Plox House in their Eton collars in 1916
1914 School photograph
1918 School photograph, the first with the new Headmaster, Mr C.H. Tremlett
1914 had begun promisingly. There were no epidemics during the Easter and Summer Terms – a remarkable change from 1913 when frequent epidemics had temporarily given the School a ‘sinister reputation’. The major extension to the Headmaster’s House – made possible by the generosity of Old Boys and by the sale of one of the School’s farms was in full use, allowing School numbers to increase to a record 92, and the new shooting range was being built in the Paddock close to the river. At Speech Day, the Senior Warden spoke of the Governors’ satisfaction with the condition of the School and, looking ahead to 1919 (the 400th Anniversary of the School’s foundation), he said it was hoped to build a new School Hall. Inevitably, the beginning of the Great War in August had a huge impact on School life. In December, The Dolphin reported that ‘The War has thrown all other interests into the background. H.E. Hippisley and E. Barnes have been the first to fall’. Normal life went ‘on hold’. The School began to take on a different character. Experienced schoolmasters left to join up, leaving temporary replacements to cope as best they could. This was especially felt in sport, where coaching declined, and the School teams, so feared by their rivals in pre-war years, struggled to compete. Added to this, difficulties over transport meant that fewer matches were arranged. The great annual festivities on Corpus Christi Day – Commemoration Service, Governors’ meeting, lunch for visitors, Prize Giving, Entertainments, tea and Concert were greatly reduced, and the activities of the O.T.C. gained greater prominence. Food rationing presented particular difficulties.
memorial BuildingS
The boys were soon carrying out ‘war work’ – working in the hayfields during the summer, and forming gangs employed clearing debris from roads. Towards the end of the War several members of the School were cultivating a potato patch. 1917 was a difficult year. Owing to awful, freezing weather and a chicken pox epidemic in the Easter Term, there were no hockey matches at all, no Athletic Sports, and no Gym Competition. A small compensation was a fortnight’s skating on Redlynch Lake. The Summer Term saw the Great Flood of June 28th, when over 22 cms of rain fell on the School – this extraordinary downpour broke the record for the most amount of rain to fall in 24 hours anywhere in the country. Part of the wall between the Plox playground and the river collapsed, and the ground floor of Plox House was flooded. The Junior School had to close for a week.
Only three cricket matches were played that season, and only three football matches, all lost, were played in the Christmas Term. One of the cricket matches played that year – against the 3rd Dorset Regiment on June 9th – is memorable for being the first match to be played on Hyde. James Lyon had bought part of Hyde Field, next to Durslade Farm, in 1914, and proceeded to turn it into a cricket ground. This important new facility for King’s meant that the boys no longer had to trudge out to Marksdanes which had served as a playing field for the previous 25 years.
To An Old Friend Marksdanes, a miracle of mud, Like the Earth, after Noah’s flood, Upon thy surface – wherefore mock ye? It was our fate to play at hockey. To thee no more our steps shall wend (Thanks to some lion-hearted friend), And we shall urge the unwilling pill No more up thy colossal hill. Nor worry if on March 1st The springs beneath thy surface burst. And so, farewell. Whate’er betide, In future we shall play on Hyde.
One of the telegrams sent to parents on June 29th 1917
The autumn of 1918 saw another ‘flu epidemic which affected most of the boys, but the Armistice in November ‘cheered us all up, giving prospects of a permanent staff once more, and better coaching of teams.’
Although the Foundation Stone was now in place, there were insufficient funds to start building, and it took several years before the project went ahead. The School had to show patience, as this poem, which appeared in The Dolphin, indicates:
Corpus Christi Day, June 19th, 1919, saw the laying of the Foundation Stone of the new School Hall, referred to by the Senior Warden in 1914. As the War had progressed it was decided that the new building should act as a memorial to the Old Brutonians killed in the conflict as well as a commemoration of the School’s 400th Anniversary. And so, on that memorable day, just nine days before peace was signed between the Allies and Germany, the School both celebrated its long history and remembered those members of the School who had sacrificed their lives in the Great War.
The Rt. Rev. Lord Bishop of London blessing the Foundation Stone
Oft from my bedside window I gaze with reverend awe At where we hope to find you, Right at our very door. But though through many seasons Our fond hope still remains, For many divers reasons You never, never change.
John Percival Arthur Alexander Robert Nigel Gerald Henry Curtis Ashworth Russell Baily Oldfield Bartlett Hinuber Blake
Eric Barnes
Hugo Campbell Bazett
Francis Thomas Burrough
Sydney William Bell
Edward Bannister Barker
Gilbert Knowles Bazett
Arthur Birch
Ralph George Barnes
Edward Jerome Burdett
Denys Brinckman
Thomas Tanner Castle
John Ramsay Cox
Henry Creswell Delamain
Henry Waite Dickinson
John Gatehouse
Norman George Manning Case
Arthur Gardner Clayton
Evelyn Claude Culling
Stanley Benskin Henson
Charles William Eastgate Smith
Thomas Jocelyn Alfred Frederick Stewart James Gale Flemming
Geoffrey James Gardner Mervyn Clayton Underhill Wilson
Humphrey St John Hewitt
Edward Philip Matthews
Walter Franey Matthews
Cecil Ivan Nokes
Somerset John Victor Arthur Sherston Jones
Paul Edward Hobhouse
John Francis Martyr
Arthur Gardiner Muller
Frederick William Norton
The Rev Oliver Wakefield
Otto Henry Meyer
Arthur Reginald Heard
Charles Ellicombe Lancelot Guy Williams Verner
HOC MONUMENTO PIETATIS FUNDATORUM PRISCAE RECENTIS ALUMNORUM QUI A D MCMXIV – MCMXVIII MILITIÆ CECIDERUNT SCHOLA REGIA NOSTRA CCCC ANNOS ABHINC CONDITA AUCTA EST The Memorial Buildings rising at last By the following year, the building was complete, with its Memorial Hall, classrooms, and new School Library. The last of these was funded by James Lyon, who asked that it should be named after his old Headmaster, the Rev. D.E. Norton, and his great friend, D.E. Norton, jun.
The Headmaster speaking at the ceremony
Guests enjoying luncheon on Abbey Field
Harold Edwin Hippisley
Archibald Douglas Mcrae
Leonard Cecil Thomas Hodges Leicester Sutton Stockwell
Robert Cecil Richardson
Those not pictured above are: Hugh Glynn Baker, Charles James Burke, Percival Vincent French, John Hughes Lemon, Alfred Hugh Philip Witcomb and Percival Beckwith Wace.
Corpus Christi Day, 1920 The ‘normal’ arrangements for Corpus, suspended since 1915, were revived except in one respect. Given that there were now 123 boys in the School and the number of guests could no longer be accommodated in the School Room, many of the events, including Prize Giving, took place in the open air.
Processing out of church after the Commemoration Service
The translation is: ‘By this monument of the dutiful love of its founders of old time and of its sons of our own days who in the years 1914 to 1918 fell in war, our Royal School was increased four hundred years from its foundation’. At Corpus Christi, on June 19th, 1924 the Provost of Eton, Dr M.R. James, officially opened the new buildings, and the long wait was over.
Officers’ Training Corps Established in 1910, the Corps attracted much enthusiasm amongst the boys at King’s. Activities included twiceweekly drills and musketry instruction as well as termly Field Days and Annual Camps. The Camps usually lasted nearly two weeks and involved a great deal of drill, attack formations, military manoeuvres, and night operations. An incident towards the end of the Camp on Salisbury Plain in 1911 caused quite a stir: ‘Further excitement was caused in the evening by the appearance of an aeroplane. Immediately the whole camp was deserted, and the hillside was covered with cadets, all racing for the top. The aeroplane sailed over the camp and alighted on the far side of a neighbouring wood, where it was immediately surrounded by an eager crowd, striving to catch a glimpse of the aeronaut. After a short stay the aeroplane charged furiously up the hill and sailed into the air, scattering the onlookers, who fled right and left for their lives’. The 1914 Camp at Mytchett Farm, Frimley, came to a premature and abrupt end on Monday 3rd August when ‘we were informed that we had to leave at the earliest possible moment, owing to the European Crisis’. War was imminent.
Prize Giving in the Orchard beside the river
The O.T.C. in 1919
Weary Waiter Building eventually began in 1923 and progressed without any further delay.
William Cecil Rowell
Above the main entrance an inscription reads:
Ode To ‘The Proposed New Buildings’ We’ve heard so much about you, But you never seem to rise, Though to your stone foundation We oftimes bend our eyes. Your plans are laid before us, Your praises loudly sung As yet they only bore us For you’ve hardly yet begun.
The Rev Henry Somerset Allan
The Norton Library
Interior of Memorial Hall Outdoor production of ‘Julius Caesar’
On July 7th, 1919 the O.T.C. was inspected by MajorGeneral Sir W.S. Delamain, ‘the most distinguished of Old Brutonian soldiers’. In his closing speech he said that it was a very great pleasure to come back to his old school and to find everything ‘humming’.
Between the wars – with Charles TREMLETT Charles Tremlett arrived at King’s in 1916 to take over from D.E. Norton as Headmaster. Educated at Harrow, he won a Classical Scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, and then spent fourteen years teaching at Fettes College, Edinburgh before coming to Bruton. It was a difficult time to begin at a new School – the 1st World War was exacting a heavy toll, with the School’s losses on the Western Front about to reach a peak in the Battle of the Somme; the teaching staff were largely temporary; and food rationing was soon to be introduced. However, after the end of the War, the School began to return to normality and, indeed, to grow; it increased in size from about 100 boys in 1916 to a record of 138 in 1926, and there was building activity, too, and improved equipment in many areas. In the early 1930s the number of pupils temporarily declined, the result, as the Headmaster explained, of a low birth rate between 1915 and 1919, together with the establishment in the area of several new private schools, and the Economic Depression. He stepped down as Headmaster in 1937.
SCHOOL LIFE
In the 1920s and 1930s, the School was by and large a happy, friendly place with a camaraderie hard to find in a larger school, despite the the poor food and generally Spartan conditions under which the boys lived. An Old Boy at the School in the 1930s described the school food: Breakfast at 8 consisted of porridge, weak tea, bread and a pat of butter (boys had to provide their own jam). Occasionally there were sausages or bacon on Sunday. Lunch consisted of meat (liver was frequent) and a veg, then tart with a little jam. Tea at 6 consisted of tea, bread, butter and an egg. Supper at 8.30 was dry bread and ‘cocoa’. The Headmaster was well-liked as a fair man who fostered a culture of tolerance that ran through the whole life of the School. Most of the boys appreciated being in an environment where life moved along at a gentle pace, and where there was a feeling of freedom and less pressure to learn than there might have been. He saw his task as preparing boys to go out into the world as gentlemen, as widely educated as possible, but as individuals. He encouraged the boys to read widely, to write poetry and even a novel; he himself had written a good historical romance – ‘Civil Dudgeon’. Many societies flourished in the School under his encouragement - play reading, lectures, field studies, history, music, science, and debating. The School orchestra rehearsed every Sunday afternoon, and the Dance Band was very popular. Mr Tremlett was always prepared to offer advice, especially to leavers. For example, ‘Now remember, if you cannot afford to keep a good Champagne, keep a good claret, never a bad Champagne’, and, ‘Goodbye, Jones, and remember, never, never appear at breakfast unshaven’. Left to right: After a swim; Mr Hume and Mr Vasey; New House Study; Senior boys; Two prize winners at Corpus Christi, 1920
COUNTRY PURSUITS
To many Charles Tremlett seemed a character from the past – perhaps a 19th century country squire - with his interest in rural activities. He loved hunting, and his wife, Katherine, or ‘Kitty’ as she was known, loved it even more. She would go hunting several times a week in the winter, taking her husband with her as often as possible. She would mount her steed, side saddle, at the front of the Headmaster’s House (now New House), dressed in full hunting kit including top hat and face veil. The horses were kept in the area down by the river and still known as ‘Paddock’, today occupied in part by the Design Centre. It was not unusual, on a sunny winter’s morning, for the Headmaster to announce at breakfast to the cheers of the boys that ‘Today will be a whole holiday and the School will follow the hounds on foot!’ The Headmaster also kept pigs behind the Memorial Hall where the Hobhouse Science Centre now stands, as well as bees in the garden behind his house.
The Tremletts were pleased when hunts met outside the Headmaster’s House
JAMES LYON, Friend and BENEFACTOR FOR COUNTY and country Charles Tremlett and his wife with their son, Tom, in 1918
The successful 1927 cricket XI, H.D. Burrough, capt. (centre) The School in 1920
THE ‘OLD ROMAN BRIDGE’
Behind the Abbey pavilion it is still possible to see where a bridge once crossed the road to Wincanton, linking Abbey Field and land, now occupied by the Railway Station, on the other side of the road. Known as the ‘Old Roman Bridge’ because of the shape of its arches, it was built in the 17th century, replacing an earlier bridge. The bridge – a well-known feature of Bruton for 300 years - had not been used for many years when a report in 1925 highlighted its state of disrepair. The prohibitive cost of repair and the increasing volume of traffic using the road below led to the bridge being demolished in 1932 and a widening of the roadway.
Both C.C.C. Case (KSB 1908 – 14) and H.D. Burrough (KSB 1921 – 27) were outstanding cricketers while at King’s and both went on to play regularly for Somerset. Case scored 8574 runs, including 9 centuries, during 257 games for the County between 1925 and 1935, while Burrough played 171 matches, scoring 5316 runs, including 4 centuries, between 1927 and 1947. Burrough was also a fine hockey player and both he and R.J Dickinson (KSB 1924 - 28) played hockey for England in the 1930s
R.J. Dickinson
C.C.C. Case
PATRIC DICKINSON The renowned poet, translator from the Greek and Latin classics, and playwright, Patric Dickinson came to Bruton in 1928 and a year later, when still only 14, he was promoted to the 6th Form. From King’s, he went on to St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and he worked for the BBC from 1942 before turning to full-time writing in 1948, publishing several collections of poems. He was also a passionate golfer, writing ‘A Round of Golf Courses in 1951’, and his autobiography, ‘The Good Minute’, was published in 1965. Patric Dickinson and Dylan Thomas working together at the BBC
It is difficult to exaggerate the impact on King’s School of the remarkable generosity of James Lyon. A boy at King’s in the 1870s – where his uncle, the Revd. D.E. Norton, was Headmaster – he spent his last year as Senior Prefect (i.e. Head Boy) and Captain of the Cricket XI. From Bruton he went into shipping insurance at Lloyds in London and when war broke out in 1914, he took the lead in maintaining shipping rates at a reasonable level, for which he earned the thanks of the Prime Minister, Lloyd George. ‘When the underwriters were all losing their heads, he was responsible for restoring a sense of sanity.’ James Lyon always retained a great affection for his old school, and he was elected a Governor in 1893, a position he held for the next fifty years. Shortly after the 1st World War, he came to live in Bruton, building ‘Park Wall’ on the outskirts of Bruton, opposite Hyde, and taking an active part in the everyday life of the School. He felt that the School lacked many ordinary amenities and he set about supplying these, either through personal, anonymous (at the time) gifts or by encouraging others to join him in realising one project or another. He was largely responsible for: • The renovation of the open fives courts (1890s) - see below • The Abbey pavilion (1894) • The swimming bath at the lower end of the School Playground (1907) • The major extension to the Headmaster’s House (1913) • The purchase of Abbey Field from the Church (1914), and its subsequent enlargement and levelling • The purchase of Hyde Field (1914), and its conversion into a cricket ground - see below • A new gymnasium where the Fitzjames Sports Hall and Theatre now stand (1921) • The Memorial Buildings with its new School Library which James Lyon asked to be named ‘Norton’ after his old Headmaster (1924) • A new pavilion and groundsman’s house on Hyde (1924) • Tennis courts – both hard and grass – on land next to Abbey Field (1925) on land James Lyon bought in 1918 • A sanatorium, which subsequently formed the basis of Lyon House, on Hyde (1928) In addition, he privately supported many boys at King’s by contributing part or all of their school fees. We shall never know the extent of this aspect of his charity. James Lyon died early in 1945. Park Wall became the Headmaster’s House (until it was replaced in 1974 by the present Headmaster’s House), and a few years later, when a new boarding house was built on Hyde, the Governors chose to name it ‘Lyon House’.
The bridge was 30ft wide with a span of only 15ft. There was a second, smaller arch which passed over a stream below
PLOX HOUSE OVERFLOWs
The 21 boys of Plox House in 1927, with Mr and Mrs Dover and Mrs Nash. The house was too small to accommodate this number of boys comfortably, and several had to sleep elsewhere. An offer to build a new Junior School on East Park, put forward by James Lyon in 1923, was never taken up, and it was not until the pressure on boarding space became even more severe in the 1940s that the Governors looked beyond Bruton, to Hazlegrove House, to overcome the problem.
1937-1946 - RUPERT MARTIN AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR In 1937 Rupert Claude Martin, M.A., was appointed, at the age of 33, to succeed Charles Tremlett as Headmaster. Educated at Shrewsbury School and Queen’s College, Oxford, he taught Classics and English at St. Paul’s School in London, before coming to King’s. The School was not in a secure position in 1937. There were barely 100 pupils, facilities were limited, living conditions were Spartan, and organisation of the School was almost non-existent. As the new Headmaster was to reminisce years later, he arrived at Bruton to find a school where there was no Bursar, no Secretary, no typewriter, no pupil records, and just one telephone! Academic ambition was limited, with most pupils prepared for School Certificate (roughly the equivalent of GCSE) and only a few going on to Higher Certificate and then University. The School was also heavily in debt. The new Headmaster quickly set about tackling the various problems he faced. Gradually the number of boys in the School increased, and this process was greatly helped by the outbreak of the Second World War. Many families decided to move away from the South-East to the relative safety of the West Country, and even whole schools joined this movement. The size of King’s went from about 100 in 1938 to over 240 in 1946. Rupert Martin also oversaw a steady raising of academic standards. By giving constant encouragement and support to both boys and staff he was able to gain their trust and confidence, and on this basis the School flourished. School sport was also greatly encouraged, and standards rose. The Headmaster was, himself, a fine sportsman - as a footballer he had no opportunity to show his skill at Bruton, and as a cricketer his refusal to go in early prevented him from making many big scores. But everyone knew that had he chosen, he could have been a successful batsman in first class cricket. Three Headmasters - R.C. Martin, His departure – brought on partly through ill-health – was deeply regretted by all. C. Tremlett and D.E. Norton
1939 school photograph
GROWTH OF THE SCHOOL
In 1938, with war looming, refugees began arriving in Bruton. By September 1939, King’s was receiving a record entry of new pupils as well as a complete prep school – 30 pupils and their Headmaster from Herne Bay in Kent. Eddington House stayed throughout the war years, initially lodging in the Sanatorium and then moving into part of Sexey’s Hospital. As the School grew, pressure on accommodation became a very real problem. The empty beds of Old and New soon became a thing of the past and many boys were billeted amongst local residents. By 1942/3 Old House and New House had grown to 70-80 boys each – far more than could be accommodated – and it was expected that by September 1943 there would be over 200 boys in the School. The situation whereby various properties around Bruton were used as overflows could not continue. The Governors decided to purchase Priory House, a fine house dating from the 15th century and believed to have been the Court House for Bruton’s Augustinian Priory, and an adjacent property – Berkeley House - was soon added. When Priory opened in September 1943, the new Head of House, Prefects and other seniors all came from New House, the middle years from Old House, and a share of another very large September entry of juniors completed the new House. The addition of a third House made a significant difference, but it was not the complete answer to the shortage of accommodation in the School, and after the war ended, the Governors began to look for a longterm solution for the over-crowded Junior School in Plox House.
THE IMPACT OF WAR
The outbreak of war in 1939 inevitably led to many difficulties and shortages, but the School adapted quickly. Black-outs were fitted, except in the Memorial Hall where the windows were too large, so evening prayers moved to the Houses, and lectures and concerts were held in Norton Library. Corpus Christi celebrations in 1940 and 1941 were subdued, with no speeches or prize-giving. The following extracts from an article that appeared in The Dolphin in the summer of 1940, written by the Headmaster, illustrate how life in the School was affected by the War: ‘All our seventeen-year-olds and most of the Staff have been engaged on Local Defence Volunteers activities. Dusk and dawn patrols on Creech in the long days of June gave to many of us glimpses of Somerset which we had been too idle to take in the better days of peace. Station guards at nights offered less beauty to the watchers but gave a strong feeling of security to those who slept. The playground rang with the noise of axe and wedge and saw, as we heaped up logs for winter fuel. Parties of foresters from the School went
John Gadd, who arrived at King’s as a 9-yearold in September 1939, has vivid memories of the war, including these two events: ‘In 1940 the Battle of Britain occurred mainly over the south-east of England, but I remember seeing German Bf.109 fighters and ME110 fast bombers tearing across the skies above Bruton, all very noisy and gone in a flash, pursued by Spitfires from Warmwell and Tangmere. On one occasion a plane of ours came down vertically at a tremendous speed into a field near Stourton Tower and on Saturday we hurried over from School to view the wreck, expecting debris to be scattered over a wide area. All that was visible was a deep hole in the ground with a small lump of black about the size of a dustbin lid way down in the bottom and a strong, acrid smell of oil. For the first time in the war this brought home to me the horror rather than the excitement of it all, especially when a friendly soldier, with a nod from his sergeant, took us across to look in the crater. ‘There’s a man down there, sonny’ he said. We stood dumbfounded. It certainly shook me to the core. Little Jones (not his real name) should never have come with us; he left, weeping. His father was a pilot.’ In 1944, in the days before D-Day, the main railway line was full of trains carrying tanks, lorries and military equipment. Quite a few of these trains carried American troops. Once, one was held up overlooking the School by a red signal. We were out of school on that occasion and I remember the Americans crowding to the windows and asking ‘Where is this goddam place?’ The next question was whether we had any goddam sisters – everything seemed to be ‘goddam’ – and ‘How old?’ accompanied by a shower of chewing gum packets. We responded enthusiastically in the affirmative shouting ‘She’s eighteen’ and with both hands scribing voluptuous figures of eight in the air which got vociferous cheers and a flurry of ribald remarks. At least two doors opened and a couple of GI’s fell out and had to be dissuaded from coming down the embankment and were hauled back in again. Huge fun, but sad to think that some of those fresh-faced, close-cropped, boisterous boys, barely older than we were, whose faces I can remember so clearly even now, all cheerfully crowded at those train windows, would be cut down on Omaha Beach in only a few days’ time’.
out to the Tower at Stourton to provide this cannonfodder for the (Old House) playground. Other parties have toiled and striven in the sandpits to bring back the munitions for sandbagging. Others have filled these sandbags and dug earth for ramps at unprotected windows, whilst others have gone out to help the farmers to defeat the ragwort, and to bring in the hay: some of these latter have returned triumphantly in the long shades of the evening after showing their hosts that they can milk a cow. ‘Despite these many activities we have not abandoned much of our summer routine, and cricket has still flourished. It is well-known that in war-time Schools may become restless places, with the hopes and cares of masters and senior boys wandering too much beyond School interests, in causes which they cannot affect. No-one at Bruton has failed to realise how serious this war is, and how much must be done to help: yet, with that, the atmosphere has been extremely calm, and people have gone on steadily with their ordinary tasks, looking upon it as an impudence for this man in Berlin to try to divert them from the job.’
1941 hockey XI
This was one of the more successful School teams during the War, winning 6 of their 9 matches including victories over Downside and Bryanston.
Back row: G.W. Wilson, J.S. Porter, R.J. Kakula, G.F. Cooper, B.P. Wright, D.S. Burnett Seated: H.D. Frampton, R.N. Hilsden, J.G. Tremlett (captain), J.V. Fiori, J.P. Boning
LOCAL DEFENCE VOLUNTEERS
The fall of France in 1940 led to a real threat of invasion, and Local Defence Volunteers, later to be renamed the Home Guard, were recruited. The School was the centre for the Bruton and District LDV. This photograph shows the Home Guard, including King’s boys near the front, parading on Abbey Field. In the background is the saw mill chimney which dominated Bruton’s skyline for many years.
FORESTRY CAMPS
These camps provided another opportunity for King’s pupils to contribute to the war effort. They took place over several weeks during August from 1940 to 1946. The first involved a group of boys under the care of Mr Richardson and Mr Venters, camping in Dorset and working hard felling trees and sawing wood. One of the boys wrote: ‘After arrival, we were given a lesson by the Forester in charge, on how to use axes or two-man cross-cut saws to cut the pit props. It was extremely hard work Relaxing after a day cutting pit props – Bere Regis, 1940 (L to R) J.A.V. Gibson, R.N. Hilsden, J.C. Hall, J.G. Tremlett and we were all very stiff for a few days after we and Mr P. Venters started but gradually we got used to the work and by the end of a fortnight we were all extremely fit. Throughout our stay, the weather was perfect. Long days with clear skies and lovely sunshine. On many days the skies would be full of aircraft vapour trails as the Battle of Britain was taking place overhead. At the weekends we would go down to the seaside at Durdle Door and swim and sunbathe and completely relax. It was wonderful’. In 1943, the camp was held in the grounds of Milton Abbey, clearing undergrowth, and building a road to a saw mill. ‘We have happy memories of Jersey milk, local cider, garden produce and rabbits’ wrote one of the boys.
WAR-TIME STAFF
The War caused significant changes in the academic staff, with a number of the younger teachers, such as John Tyndall and John Venters, leaving to join the Forces and several retired men, for example J.H. Alderson, returning to replace them. In March 1946, when this photograph was taken, some of the war-time staff were still helping out.
FURTHER FURTHER SACRIFICE SACRIFICE
Nearly Nearly 400 400 Old Old Brutonians Brutonians fought fought in in the the 2nd 2nd World World War War and, and, as as in in the the 1st 1st World World War, War, many many lost lost their their lives lives in in the the service service of of their their country. country. 59 59 Old Old Boys Boys –– including including Hilsden Hilsden and and Boning Boning from from the the 1941 1941 Hockey Hockey side side -- and and 11 Master Master were were killed. killed. Those Those who who fell fell are are remembered remembered on on the the Memorial Memorial Hall Hall panels. panels. Another Another Old Old Boy Boy –– J.R.G. J.R.G. Harris Harris (KSB (KSB 1923 1923 to to 1928), 1928), aa senior senior anaesthetist anaesthetist at at the the London London Hospital Hospital -- was was killed killed in in an an air air raid raid on on the the south south coast coast in in 1942. 1942. AA talented talented musician, musician, he he isis remembered remembered on on aa plaque plaque in in the the Music Music School. School.
Standing: P.M. Moyes, M.H. Davis, R.H.S. South (Music), L. Kennaway (Music), H.P. Nangle, P.G. Scott, D. Walsh, D. Hickley, H.L. Pullinger. Seated: Rev. M.B. Bazell (Vicar of Ansford), J.J. Ely, J.H. Alderson, D.D. Richardson (New Hsm), P.W. Vasey (Old Hsm), R.C. Martin (Headmaster), G.C. Dover (2nd Master), T.D. Tremlett (Plox Hsm), A.G. Yeats-Brown, M. Johnson (Priory Hsm), Rev. K. Ashcroft (Chaplain)
1946 SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH
These three photographs are taken from an album put together by a boy, who was a keen photographer, at King’s in the 1940’s. The first shows a view looking towards the Church with the Glebe in the foreground. In those days the Glebe was rented by a farmer who used it for grazing livestock. The fence separating the Glebe from Abbey Field can be seen.
This view from East Park, across the old Monastic fish ponds and the Wincanton Road to Hyde, shows the Hyde Pavilion with Head Groundsman’s House attached to the rear, built in 1924, and the School Sanatorium built in 1928, both through the generosity of James Lyon. The Sanatorium formed the basis of Lyon House, built in the early 1950s.
The School Swimming Pool was filled with water taken from the River Brue, led down by gravity in a cast-iron pipe through the saw mill (where it was used in steam engines) and finally under Plox, across Plox Garden and into the Pool. By the time it arrived, it was very dirty, contaminated with sediment and oil, and of course there was no heating.
This photograph, taken in March 1946, shows just how much the School had grown during the War. It was the last School photograph to feature Mr. Martin who shortly afterwards left to take up his post for the British Council in Switzerland. He left behind an impressive legacy – a school that had more than doubled in size, a third boarding house, and greatly improved academic standards.
1946-1957 – SURVIVING AUSTERITY AND MOVING FORWARD F
Mr Geoffrey Sale
Mrs Sale with her four children
ollowing the departure of Rupert Martin in 1946, the Governors appointed Geoffrey Sale as Headmaster. Born in 1907 and educated at Berkhamsted School and Lincoln College, Oxford, he went on to Fettes College, where he became a Housemaster, before coming to Bruton. Geoffrey Sale oversaw remarkable developments during his 11 years at King’s, despite the difficult years of restrictions and austerity that followed the War, and these transformed the physical appearance of the School. He also worked hard to improve the academic standing of the School, not least by appointing first-rate staff, and he encouraged wider interests among the boys. He was a kind, welcoming and courteous man, who had a strong Christian faith. His wife, Olivia, tragically died in January 1950, just as the School was preparing for its important anniversary. In 1957 Geoffrey Sale left to become Headmaster of Rossall School.
MAGNA CARTA
400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCHOOL’S REFOUNDATION
REORGANISATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Following the end of the 2nd World War, the School faced formidable problems. The rapid growth in the number of pupils during the War had put great strain on the School’s boarding resources despite the opening of Priory House in 1943, and there were limited funds available to build more. The top priority was to provide the Junior School, which had long outgrown Plox House, with a new home. Hazlegrove House, in Sparkford, was leased and in 1947 the boys moved in. Initially, conditions were primitive but thanks to the practical skills of David Hickley – a young OB who was now on the staff at King’s and who went to Hazlegrove to sort out the many problems – the School soon became firmly established. In 1953 King’s bought Hazlegrove, and since then the Junior School has never looked back. In Bruton, the need for a fourth boarding house was overwhelming, and thanks to the generosity of Old Boys who contributed to a War Memorial Fund and to the sale of the School’s Magna Carta, this was built onto the Sanatorium on Hyde in 1954 and was called Lyon House in memory of James Lyon who had died in 1945. There were other important developments. In 1946 the Headmaster moved out of New House and into Park Wall House, thereby releasing more space for boys. Extra classrooms were provided by the purchase in 1953 of the Old Church Schools (now the History Department) and the building of the Paddock Block in 1957. An Art School was created behind Plox (now the 6th Form Club) and a Music School opened. In 1955 an obsolete Army hut on Salisbury Plain was purchased, and erected to become a new Dining Hall. An extension of Hyde playing field was bought in 1950, and hard tennis courts were added in 1956.
An early view of Hazlegrove through the ‘dog’ gates
Lunch in the new Dining Hall in 1955
A present day view from the small white pavilion on Hyde, showing Lyon House next to the main Hyde pavilion, and the Dovecote in the distance. Drawn by Roger Gallannaugh OB who was at King’s from 1954 to 1957
How this important document came to be in the School’s possession is still uncertain. All we know is that Tom Tremlett, Head of History, discovered it amongst the many documents in the School’s archives in 1936. He had it verified by the Public Record Office, and the British Museum offered to buy it for £2500, but this offer was rejected. It is said that Tom Tremlett stored the manuscript under his bed in Plox House for safe-keeping during the War. The Magna Carta featured in a display of School archives in 1950 as part of the School’s 400th anniversary celebrations, and the Governors, who needed funds to develop the School, sold it in 1952 to the Australian National Library in Canberra for £12500. (In 2007 a similar Inspeximus copy was sold in the USA for $22.1 million). After commission was deducted, the School received the sum of £11000, and this enabled work to start on various projects, in particular the building of Lyon House.
Gymnastic display
Early 1950s Fencing Team
A 1950s classroom
Living conditions for the boys were not easy or always comfortable during this post-war period – in the Houses, dormitories were bare and cold, and other facilities, such as studies and dayrooms, were cramped - and there was a general air of ‘making do’. School food continued to be a cause for complaint. However, despite everything, morale was generally high. The boys could see that progress was gradually being made in improving their lot, and great efforts were made to give them good tuition as well as wide opportunities outside the classroom. The School teams struggled against their larger opponents during these years, but there were some shining lights, and none more so than the fencers. From 1948 when fencing was first mentioned in The Dolphin through to the mid 1950s, the School 1st VI, coached by the inspiring Mr Arnold, was rarely beaten in matches against schools such as Marlborough, Clifton, Kingswood, Millfield, Sherborne, Downside and Eton. The dramatic arts also thrived, partly perhaps because the Headmaster was a keen director of plays. Music became a feature of most boys’ lives. Several ambitious musicals were performed and a Madrigal Society was established.
New House study in the 1950s
A press report of the day’s proceedings
Lord Alanbrooke presenting the prizes
Visitors packed into the Memorial Hall for the Prize-Giving
OLD BOYS KILLED IN KOREA
LIFE AT KING’S DURING THESE YEARS
the FRIENDS OF BRUTON
One of Geoffrey Sale’s lasting achievements was his establishment of the Association of Friends of King’s School, Bruton – now known more simply as The Friends of Bruton - in 1954. The aim was to provide a focus for the enthusiasm and ideas of all those interested in the welfare and progress of the School. Open to past and present pupils and parents, to Governors and staff, and to any others interested in the School’s well-being, it quickly made an impact by providing funds from subscriptions and donations to support hobbies and other activities. Some of the grants to groups – such as astronomers, archers, canoeists, fencers, photographers, musicians, motor mechanics, and sailors - were modest in size but no less important for that. Annual travel scholarships were established, and grants made to improve the facilities and furnishings in the boarding houses. The first major undertaking financed by The Friends was the building of two new hard tennis courts in 1956. The Friends, and their influence, have grown since those early days, and there is hardly an area of school life which they have not hugely benefited.
On Corpus Christi Day, June 8th 1950, the School celebrated its ‘unbroken continuity of 400 years’ since Edward VI restored the School’s endowments by Royal Charter. The celebration and festivities that, according to The Dolphin, were ‘free from ostentation and pageantry’ but ‘fitting, impressive and enjoyable’, began earlier in the week with three performances of ‘Henry IV Part 1’ set in the Elizabethan courtyard of Sexey’s Hospital, and, the evening before Corpus, a performance of ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ in the Memorial Hall. The Commemoration Service on the morning of the 8th was attended by many dignitaries. An Old Boy of the School, the Bishop of North Queensland, delivered the sermon, and three other Bishops – of Bath and Wells, Taunton and Trinidad were present. At Prize-Giving after lunch the Headmaster gave a short history of the School and, referring to the present generation of pupils, he said: ‘There is a deeper sincerity, a greater kindliness, a more true The cast of Henry IV Pt I in the courtyard of Sexey’s Hospital and deep Christian feeling than I think, perhaps, there has ever been before’. Lord Alanbrooke, who had been invited to give out the prizes, then spoke to the School. He concluded by saying that ‘for a school to have a background of 400 years’ history and tradition was something that could not be made or created, something which they could not buy, but which was worth untold gold’. The remainder of the day was The Archdeacon of Wells, Lord Blackford, Viscount Alangiven over to displays, exhibitions brooke and Col. Howell-Evans pass Old House on their way and, finally, the School concert. to the Church for the Commemoration Service
CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY (KSB 1919 to 1924) was a distinguished journalist who died of wounds in Korea in 1950 after the jeep in which he was travelling hit a mine. He had been The Daily Telegraph’s war correspondent from 1940, and his brilliant reports during the 2nd World War and later from Korea were well-known. ‘He combined,’ said one of his fellow journalists, ‘the qualities of scholar and journalist to an unusual degree, and aimed in his writing at achieving the clarity and elegance of the eighteenth century prose which he so admired.’ With his ‘engagingly absent-minded manner he was’, as another fellow reporter said, ‘as unlike the traditional war reporter as he was like an Oxford don’. Christopher Buckley gained international repute and, in recognition of his services as a war correspondent, he was awarded the OBE in 1946.
The Madrigal Society in 1959
The Norton Library
HENRY CABRAL (KSB 1944 to 1947) was, according to The Dolphin report following his death, ‘a somewhat turbulent junior who became an excellent prefect, individual in his ideas and opinions, but loyal to his fellows, ever ready to get fun out of life but very serious when duty required it; in all, a gifted and charming companion’. From Bruton, Cabral passed into Sandhurst in 1947, joined the Gloucesters in the West Indies, and then on to Korea. There he was involved in the famous last stand on a hilltop overlooking the Imjin River in April 1951. According to an article which appeared in The Friends of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum Newsletter in 2009, ‘Just before their position was overrun, Lt. Cabral, Pte. Tony Eagles and others were instructed by the Adjutant, Captain Farrar Hockley, to create a diversion to give the impression to the advancing enemy that the position was better manned than it actually was. They achieved this by firing all the weapons they could find. As many as possible of these weapons were then destroyed to prevent them falling into enemy hands’. Cabral was captured and later tortured in a Prisoner of War Camp, and died in captivity.
1957-1972 – CHALLENGING TIMES FOR ROY DAVEY MAKING THE BEST OF IT
THE NEW HEADMASTER
R
oy Davey, educated at Christ’s Hospital and Brasenose College, Oxford, where he read History, taught at Weymouth College before enlisting at the start of the 2nd World War. He served in Northern France, was captured, and became a Prisoner of War. On returning to England in 1945 he took up a position at Impington Village College, outside Cambridge, where eventually he became the Warden (or Headmaster). In 1957 he succeeded Geoffrey Sale as Headmaster at King’s, a post he retained for 15 years. Roy Davey’s years at King’s included one the most difficult periods in the 20th Century for all independent schools. The mid to late 1960s, with their social and political pressures, greatly tested the leadership of such schools, and Roy Davey faced these challenges in a quiet, patient and resolute fashion. By the time he left King’s, he had led the School into calmer waters. Roy Davey is remembered for many things. He was a kind, generous and unostentatious man who cared deeply about every individual in the School community – pupils, teachers and support staff. He worked hard to raise academic standards and improve A and O Level results; he encouraged music, literature and art; he led a quiet revolution that altered so much in the School – from changes in the School uniform to the establishment of half-term holidays, and the licencing of alcohol consumption for the 6th Form; and he oversaw a transformation of the physical appearance of the School as a result of an extensive building programme. He influenced attitudes in the School so that friendliness and courtesy became characteristic of Brutonians. But perhaps above all he is remembered for introducing girls into the 6th Form in 1969, a move that began the process of co-education after 450 years of boys only at King’s. His kindness, encouragement and support for these girls made their introduction seamless. Roy Davey’s wife, Jo, also entered fully into the life of the School. She was an accomplished musician and artist, and became an energetic organiser of balls and other fund-raising events.
STATE OF THE SCHOOL IN 1957
BUILDING AGAINST THE ODDS
The academic, sporting and cultural life of the School thrived despite the lack of many facilities and amenities. There were many well-supported groups, such as Young Farmers Club, Field Club, Debating Society and Car Maintenance. Music played a large part in the lives of many, and drama was especially popular, with all five boarding houses producing a play each year in addition to the annual School plays. Sport, of course, occupied the minds and time of many pupils
as it does today, and the School, now nearly 300 strong, was able to compete successfully against the larger schools in the region. Even the rugby teams, which had long suffered from a lack of depth in the pool of players, began to enjoy seasons where more matches were won than lost. In 1957, the 1stXV lost every match; by 1965, the team won 8 out of 12. The cricketers, too, became increasingly successful.
The 1964 Cricket XI, captained skilfully and enthusiastically by Paris, lost only two matches in an outstanding season. Highlights included a captain’s century against Monkton Combe, the fast, aggressive and accurate bowling of Buck and Eshelby, the off-spin of Kyle, and some brilliant fielding.
The 1966 Rugby XV, captained by George O’Grady, won seven matches despite several injuries to key players. There were particularly fine victories against Bryanston, Canford, the Old Brutonians, and Dauntsey’s. (O’Grady, incidentally, went on to play a leading role in the development of the European Golf Tour.)
It was clear that the School had to generate surpluses, however modest, by reining in expenditure wherever possible. At the same time, the School started to turn to its friends, Old Boys and benefactors to provide funds for new buildings. The result was a remarkable programme of building from the late 1950s to
In 1958, a new Science Block (now the home of the Geography, Economics and Business Studies Departments), paid partly by the Industrial Fund, led to the creation of a broader 6th Form.
T.D. Gregg P.R. Tucker A.P. Slay F.N. Myatt J.C. Mbanefo R.W. Watkins T.J. Sand A.C.C. Buck D.J.O. Graham T.T.B. Paris M.O. Kyle J.H. Eshelby
the mid1960s. Some of these new buildings and developments, featured here, were far from luxurious or spacious, often requiring enlargement, improvement or replacement in later years, but they were, nevertheless, a huge advance.
In 1960, a stage with dressing room was built on the end of the gymnasium, with much help from The Friends of Bruton. Although the proximity of the railway line meant that plays were frequently interrupted by the noise of trains rushing past, the stage was a great improvement over the stage in the Memorial Hall.
Thanks to the generosity of Lord Blackford and others, Blackford House (shown here in a present-day drawing by Roger Gallannaugh OB) was built and opened in 1960, with John and Mary Tyndall moving across from Old House to take charge.
R.I. Coates T.P. McNeill J.J. Waterman J.P. Carnegie H. Bennett J.F. Blenkinsop P.H. Gadenne B.T. Beddow W.D. Hole A.R. Nichols G.C. O’Grady, P.J. Colley A.R.M. Warren M.W. Wakeling
A KIND AND GENEROUS FRIEND
A typical dormitory, in New House
The Gymnasium
The Carpentry Shop
The Schoolroom in Old House
The photographs here give some indication of the state of the School’s buildings and facilities in the late 1950s. Numbers of boys at King’s had grown very rapidly during and after the 2nd World War, and the School’s facilities had struggled to keep pace. There were few endowments to fund improvements, fees had been kept low in the belief that this would enable the
School’s numbers to be maintained, and Hazlegrove, where the Junior School had relocated, was a great drain on resources. This state of affairs was becoming unacceptable. The staff and boys had been prepared to put up with squalid conditions during the War and the years of austerity that followed, but now they looked for improvements.
1960 School Photo
Lord Blackford, son of the first Baron Blackford was educated at Eton and RMC Sandhurst, and he then enjoyed a successful career in the Army, being awarded a DSO and Bar during the 1st World War. He retired from the Army in 1919 to enter politics, and was MP for North Croydon from 1922 to 1940. In 1947 he succeeded to the baronetcy and barony on the death of his father, and he entered the House of Lords where he became Deputy Speaker. He was also successful in business; he had joined the Guardian Assurance group in 1929, becoming its Chairman in 1950, and he was Deputy Chairman of the Midland Bank from 1960 to 1967. Lord Blackford was a Governor of King’s School from 1940 until his death, being Junior Warden in 1945 and Senior Warden from 1945 to 1948. With his close contacts in the centres of power in London, he handled the negotiations when it was decided to sell our copy of the Magna Carta in 1952. Throughout his time as a Governor his private generosity
Lord Blackford at the opening of the McCreery Building at Hazlegrove
In 1963, the new Orchard Block of nine classrooms (and a tuck-shop) meant that House dayrooms no longer needed to double up as make-shift classrooms, and various wooden huts around the School could be demolished or found other uses. to the School became proverbial. His considerable contribution towards the cost of the boarding house named after him was only one of many gifts. At Hazlegrove, in which he took a particular interest, he provided accommodation for both pupils and staff. He also founded scholarships for boys passing from the Junior to the Senior School. A man of outstanding character, he was not only a great benefactor but also a wise and loving friend of King’s School. Both he and James Lyon are, appropriately, remembered by the School during the annual Commemoration Service. He died in December 1972, at the age of 85, and his wife died later the same day.
The playing fields, sufficient when there were only 100 boys in the School, were greatly enlarged following the purchase, in 1961, of farmland to the east of Hyde. Once levelled and drained - carried out by a parent, Mr Farr, who undertook the work with his own heavy machinery for no payment - it was given the name Farr Field, and came into full use in 1966.
THE LATE 1960s Despite the building programme between 1957 and 1966, the School was facing very difficult circumstances by the late 1960s. The focus on building new facilities at both King’s and Hazlegrove had certainly made a dramatic impact, but routine maintenance of existing buildings had necessarily been neglected, just as parental expectations were increasing. This partly explains the decline in the number of pupils at King’s, from 300 in the middle of the decade to about 235 in 1968/9. Steps had to be taken to see the School through this troubled time. Friends of King’s, most notably Lord Blackford, gave financial help. A development campaign was then launched to raise funds for a much needed new Dining Hall. At the same time, the decision to allow girls into the Sixth Form – with the first group, from the Hall School at Bratton Seymour, arriving in September 1969 as day girls – helped boost the number of pupils. The worst was over. Pictured right are nine girls from the 1969 intake, photographed after completing their two-year A Level courses in the Summer of 1971. Standing (left to right): Christine Clothier, Kirsten Hamilton Fairley, Miranda Tweedale Sitting (middle row): Inas Loufty, Joanna Hazleton, Josephine Thomas, Elizabeth Yateman Sitting on ground: Anna Hancock, Sophia Robinson
1972-1985 OPTIMISM AND PROGRESS WITH HUBERT DOGGART THE HEADMASTER
IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
ubert Doggart, who succeeded Roy Davey in September 1972, had been in his younger days a noted sportsman, gaining five Blues at Cambridge, in cricket, football, squash, fives and racquets, and captaining four of these. In his first University match in 1948, against Lancashire, he scored an unbeaten 215 runs, a record for a first class debut innings that survives to this day. He went on to play twice for England against the West Indies, and over 200 matches for Sussex, captaining the side in 1954. He scored over 10 000 runs in first class matches during his career. He joined the staff at Winchester College in 1950, and was a Housemaster there when he was appointed Headmaster at King’s. A man of prodigious energy and clear vision, it was hoped that he would be able to drive King’s forward to a more secure future, and many who were at the centre of affairs at this time believe that he did just this.
Although improvements to the fabric of the School and creation of new facilities were high priorities, there was equal concern to raise academic standards – tackling the HMC’s seemingly all-important ‘two A Level’ score*, for instance, which rose from a weak 2.5% to 12.2% in just four years – and to encourage the involvement of all pupils in as wide a range of activities outside the classroom as possible. Musical activity flourished during this period, and events such as the stirring performances of Carmina Burana in 1981 and Belshazzar’s Feast in 1982 are still remembered today.
H
Hubert and Sue in front of their new house in which they dispensed morale-boosting hospitality, and often revealed their extraordinary sense of fun. Sue, Hubert’s wisest and staunchest supporter, immersed herself fully in the life of the School – as a warm and generous hostess, stand-in Matron, baby-sitter, flower arranger, confidant for many, and much more. Practical and talented, level-headed and concerned for others, her impact on the School was profound.
*the number of pupils gaining 2 or more passes at A Level expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils in the School
75TH Anniversary of the COMBINED CADET FORCE – A memorable day in 1985 when the C.C.F. was inspected by Field Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall, GCB, OBE, MC, Chief of the Defence Staff, who presented a Standard to mark the occasion. Hitching a lift (right) from the Chief of the Defence Staff
AN AMBITIOUS BUILDING PROGRAMME In 1972 it was clear that, despite recent progress, the amenities of the School still needed urgent attention. A major new building, comprising a self-service canteen, with Geography Department and Art School above, the result of an appeal for funds launched in 1971, was opened in 1975. (Part of the old wooden dining hall continued for some years afterwards as a useful activities centre). At the same time, a fine new Headmaster’s House was built, bringing the Headmaster and his family down from Park Wall and into the heart of the School. A programme to overhaul the boarding houses began in 1976 with an extension to Lyon House, and this was followed by major refurbishments of, and
Dining Hall, with Art and Geography Departments above
additions to, Blackford (1980), Old (1982) and New (1983). Plans were also put in place to develop the facilities for sport, drama and music both at King’s and at Hazlegrove. In 1976 a new Development Campaign was launched and run by the Assistant Bursar, Col. Peter Fisher. In due course this funded the building of the Fitzjames Hall, with its muchneeded theatre and an impressive sports hall, and with John Robinson’s sculpture of two of the School’s founders – Richard Fitzjames and Sir John Fitzjames – above the main entrance. The Hall was opened on 20th November 1979 by the Rt. Revd. Gerald Ellison, Bishop of London. On the same day he also opened a new Music School, built onto the northern end of the Memorial Buildings. Two years earlier, in 1977, a large hard play area had been developed on Farr Field – for hockey, athletics and tennis. These were breathtaking developments for a school that had previously been modest in its ambitions. Two of the most significant events in terms of the School’s future came in the final years of Hubert Doggart’s headship. In 1983, King’s acquired Hillcrest, a PNEU school in Castle Cary, thus creating ‘Tria Juncta in Uno’ – King’s, Hazlegrove and Hillcrest - and a few years later Hillcrest was to move into a new building at Hazlegrove House. Then, in 1984, Wellesley House was bought to provide a 6th Form girls’ house. Since 1979, when the Hall School closed, the girls had lodged in various homes in Bruton, an arrangement that severely restricted the number of girls at King’s.
Headmaster’s House, alongside the old Abbey Wall
1975 Hockey 1st XI P. Rigiani, G. Weavind, H. Mogwe, P. Breakwell, R. Yateman, A. Gibbs, J. Dobbs, C. Coutts; F.T. Bird, A. Wood, N. Cooper (capt.), R. McCann, M. Hodgkiss By the mid1970s the senior sports teams were beginning to enjoy more consistent success. As an example, this hockey side lost only two of their 14 matches, scoring more goals than any previous School 1st XI. Alan Wood (U19 level), and Robert Yateman and Peter Rigiani (U16 level) also played for Somerset
1975 Rugby 1st XV D.Wood (touch judge), G. Farmiloe, A. Gibbs, D. Sage, N. Barton, N. Bentham-Green, S. Selby, N. Cooper, A. Brooker; N. Tabatabai, R. Bullen-Smith, A. Wood, G. Cavill (capt.), M. Hodgkiss, P. Breakwell, T. Meyrick Later in 1975, the 1st XV proved to be very difficult to beat. Indeed, it was not until their ninth match, in November, that they were defeated
1984 Cricket 1st XI C. Cowell, C. Campbell-Stanway, G. Winterbourne, R. Gough, P. Lee, S. Griffin, M. Walton; J. Enderby, R. Gainher (v. capt.), I. Stuart (capt.), J. Cassell, D. Bruce A strong team, with a balance of youth and experience, and maturely led by Ian Stuart, lost only two matches. The Captain was the outstanding player, scoring nearly 500 runs and taking 45 wickets in the season, but he was well supported by excellent performances from others in the team Old House extension from the top of Abrahall’s Tower
THE HEADMASTER honourED
Hubert Doggart was invited by Peter May to succeed him as President of the M.C.C. for 1981-1982, the only serving Headmaster to have this honour since the founding of the Club in 1787, and this was just one of a number of high-profile positions that he occupied in cricket administration. This photograph, taken from the 1981 issue of The Dolphin, shows Hubert in his element, as an engaging, informative and always amusing after dinner speaker.
The Fitzjames Hall
Fitzjames Sports Hall
FIRE AND FLOOD
The Maintenance Department goes up in flames. The boy responsible for this photograph helpfully records that he took it during a Maths lesson in Period 2 on Wednesday, 21st November 1979. The emergency services arrived on the scene remarkably quickly, fearing that gas cylinders in the workshop presented a real danger to the centre of Bruton. The following year a new Maintenance Department and covered Shooting Range were built behind the Memorial Buildings. Just three years later, a second disaster struck, this time, thankfully, after the end of the Summer Term. The Great Flood of 12th July 1982 caused much damage and disruption in the town as well as the School, with cars, caravans and garden sheds swept down the valley. The photograph, on the right, taken after the water receded, shows the destruction of the Packhorse Bridge parapet. As a result of this flood – by no means the first to hit the town – the Government agreed to fund a flood alleviation dam across the Brue valley above Bruton. There have been no floods since.
A. Ball, A. Mason, E. Venner, J. Hammond, J. Miles, and M. Hanson as The Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the final production of the Doggart era, in March 1985. David Hickley, Bursar for 26 years, played a key role in the careful management of the School’s finances through the difficult years of the 1950s and 1960s, when the fees were kept low and there was little money to spend, and then the 1970s and early 1980s when so many major projects were undertaken. Before all this he had accompanied the Junior School when it moved from Plox House to Hazlegrove House in 1946, where his many practical skills proved invaluable in establishing the School there. He retired in 1984.
Postscript
The new Music School
Mr. Hector Munro, Minister of Sport, permits himself a smile as The Headmaster expresses thanks for a cheque presented by him to the English Schools Cricket Association on behalf of the Lord’s Taverners
The first School Play in the new Theatre was a lavish version of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, with J. Emberson as Pisarro and A. Clements as Atahuallpa
There is no doubt that these years saw a marked change for the better in the School’s fortunes. The dramatic expansion and improvement of facilities made a huge difference to the lives and morale of the pupils, and the School grew from 261 pupils in 1972 to 311 ten years later – and all this during a period of high inflation and political uncertainty when many other independent schools in a similar position were struggling. Much that was achieved was down to the Headmaster’s boundless enthusiasm and optimism which infected everyone in the School community, making the seeminglyimpossible possible. He believed in the importance of all in the community working as a team, supporting each other, and aiming for the ‘greater happiness of the greatest number’. In this endeavour he included not only pupils, staff (both teaching and support) and Governors, but also the Friends, the O.B.A. and parents. He also worked hard to encourage and support all those connected with Hazlegrove, the Hall School and, towards the end, Hillcrest. He took immense delight in the efforts and achievements of pupils, and there are many, whether they were pupils, staff or Governors at the time, who still speak warmly of his generosity of spirit, his interest in them and their lives, and the many kindnesses that he, and Sue, showed them. It is telling that many of the friendships that blossomed during these years continue three decades later.
1985-2009 in brief – EMBRACING A FAST-CHANGING WORLD Introduction
T
he years following Hubert Doggart’s retirement as Headmaster saw a myriad of changes in education, as well as in society at large. For example, in 1981, Hubert Doggart announced that the School would be acquiring its first computer later that year, and would also be hiring a video machine! Today, digital technology is all pervasive, dominating the way we teach and learn and, indeed, the way we all lead our lives. Managing this change has not always been straightforward, but the rewards have been immeasurable.
Growing parental expectations and market competition, as well as a wish to provide the very best for the pupils, have also meant that investment in new and improved facilities has been an important priority, and one only needs to look around to see just how much the physical appearance of the School has changed. Much, then, happened during these years, but it is only possible here to include a few of the highlights – notably the introduction of full coeducation, the provision of new amenities and buildings, and some sporting achievements.
co-education FINALLY arrives
Mary Tyndall, alongside the Headmaster, opens Arion House in 1997
Tony Beadles, Headmaster 1985 to 1992, a man of huge energy, achieved much for the School in many areas. Academic expectations were raised, leading to improved results and an increasing number of pupils winning places at Oxford and Cambridge, and the opening of the Design Centre in 1989 raised the status of Art and Design to match other academic departments. There was a steady increase in the number of girls in the School during these years, helped by the construction of a new wing at Wellesley House, and accommodation in the boys’ boarding Houses was greatly improved through refurbishment and extensions. During these years, efforts were made to support Hazlegrove and encourage a closer relationship between King’s and the Junior School, where a fine indoor swimming pool and the moving of Hillcrest into a new pre-prep building were major developments. At King’s, much focus was given to music, drama and sport, and the Headmaster took particular delight in the performance of some excellent Cricket XIs.
Hobhouse science centre In October, 1999, Professor Richard Gregory officially opened the Centre – named after Henry Hobhouse in recognition of his long, distinguished service as a Governor and Senior Warden of King’s. The building has laboratories for Biology and Chemistry, a Food Science Department, a resources room, and an Observatory. Lying between the Centre and the Memorial Hall, a Millennium Circle commemorates the achievements of many scientists of the past 1000 years, from Adelard of Bath to Marshall Nirenberg.
Richard Smyth, Headmaster 1993 to 2004, is remembered for his strong Christian faith and his encouragement of all pupils to reach the highest possible standards in every area of school life, but undoubtedly his greatest achievement was to instigate and then oversee the introduction of full co-education at King’s. This bold move, which involved the establishment of a second Girls’ House, transformed King’s, with every aspect of school life enriched by the presence of girls not just in the Sixth Form but throughout the School.
The start of a new era: The first intake of junior girls in their garden at Arion House
The number of girls joining each year grew rapidly, reaching a record 45 new girls, shown here, in 2000
A steady stream of pupils went on to Oxford or Cambridge Colleges; as an example, six candidates were offered places for 1993. Nick Winther (Maths at Pembroke Coll., Oxford), Alex Tuck (Archaeology and Anthropology at Girton Coll., Camb.), Dylan Higgins (English at Worcester Coll., Oxford), John-Kai Fleming (Geography at Mansfield Coll., Oxford), and Ben Longman (French and Philosophy at Wadham Coll., Oxford) are shown here. In addition Richard Squire won a place at St. Catherine’s Coll., Oxford, to read Geography.
Gemma Kelson and Stephanie Bromage in The Crucible in 2003
The girls of Wellesley House entertained audiences in 2004 with The Chumleigh House Trilogy
Opening of tyndalls
The Military Band, seen here marching up Plox past the main School entrance, has, for many years, played an important part in Bruton’s Remembrance Day Parade, leading the procession along the High Street to the town’s War Memorial The 2003 Girls’ Hockey XI, captained by Helen Smyth, enjoyed some thrilling victories against larger schools Back row: Miss E. Stead (Coach), G. Hewitt-Stubbs, H. Weber, K. Flavell, L. Hodder, Mr S Cuzen (Coach). Front row: C. Smith, J. Stevenson, H. Smyth (Capt.), K. Pentecost, S. Hockey
The Princess Royal, being welcomed to King’s by the Senior Warden, Henry Hobhouse, stands ready to open the Design Centre in November, 1989
The 1990 and 1992 1st XI Cricket teams were particularly successful. The 1990 1st XI (shown below) played 12 matches and lost only once (against the Old Brutonians)
Back row: F. Stewart, S. Cook, J. Hayes, J. Moldon, B. Newman, P. Harding. Front row: A. Macewen, D. Stewart, C. Squire (Capt.), N. Gammon, N. Paul
The 1992 cricket team, under the outstanding leadership of Fraser Stewart, played attacking, positive cricket in winning 11 of their 16 matches, and also losing just one, against a strong MCC side.
Back row: J. Weir, O. Fowlston, T. Vine, J. Thomas, A. Hughes, J.K. Fleming. Front row: M. Cooper, R. Squire, F. Stewart (Capt.), T. Fowlston, C. Upton
By 2004 there were five Netball teams competing strongly in interschool matches, with the junior sides especially successful
Nigel Lashbrook, Headmaster 2004 to 2009, welcomed the Countess of Wessex to open the New Norton Library during his first term at King’s. The Library, above the Dining Hall, provides a calm environment for study right in the heart of the School. Later on that memorable day in November, 2004, the Countess visited Hazlegrove to open their restored 18th Century gardens.
The 1985 1st XV, captained by Simon Griffin, played exhilarating rugby and lost just two matches in the season. Back row: M. Stock, S. Jeffery, E. Parham, T. Pitt, A. Vugts, A. Mayson, E. Venner, T. Glover, M. Walton, D. Waddell. Front row: R. Wilson, A. Gent, S. Canning, S. Griffin (Capt.), P. Wilkinson, M. Pirie, S. Malfin
The development of IT in the School proceeded rapidly from that first computer in 1981 to a network of PCs throughout the School with internet and e-mailing facilities by 1997, and the introduction of wireless technology in 2002.
The 1993 1st XI Hockey side (shown above), captained by Alex Hughes, lost only one of their 18 matches. There were particularly fine victories over Prior Park, Bristol Grammar School and Canford.
John and Mary Tyndall with School and Old Brutonian hockey players at the official opening, in 1996, of Tyndalls, the School’s first, much-needed artificial pitch for both hockey and tennis.
The 1995 1st XV, beaten only twice, played arguably the most exciting rugby ever seen at King’s. Attacking at every opportunity, running and passing rather than kicking the ball, they were rewarded with 76 tries in their 13 matches, and a total of 447 points over the season, with only 3 of these coming from a penalty which was scored in their first match.
Back row: Mr G.J. Evans (Coach), N. Price, G. Ferrari, G. McBride, J. Packer, R. Bavister, S. Pollok, E. Moss, J. Bedford, W. Aspinall, Mr W.B. Ashton (Coach). Front row: K. Pike, L. Lloyd-Davies, J. McKenzie, D. Lemon (Capt.), P. Rudorf, B. Casey, A. Aitken, J. Thompson
The Tickner brothers dominated Cross-country (XC) running at King’s for several years. Ben (right) went on to be the 2004 British Universities 3000m indoor champion and to represent the UK at the World XC Championships in 2005. Younger brother, Frank, was the U17 English Schools XC Champion in 2000, and he ran for English Schools at XC and as an U20 international for GB in the steeplechase. Later, he was the British XC Champion (twice), and the GB XC Captain. He was the British Universities Sportsman of the Year in 2007 (across all sports)
The other major new development during the Lashbrook years was the Basil Wright Building, completed in 2008. This landmark building, named after the long-serving and highly-regarded schoolmaster, Housemaster and Second Master, Basil Wright, houses Reception, Headmaster’s study and offices, and the Bursary, and it has transformed the School’s administration.
Basil Wright Building