C R E AT I V I T Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O M S A N D B E YO N D
‘No Music Ever Moved Me So Deeply In My Whole Life’ Creativity was simply not an aspiration for the very first pupils of LEH, back in the eighteenth century. But even so, their sweet singing stole the hearts of all of those who heard it, paving the way for the freedom to express themselves and the rich imagination enjoyed by pupils today, reveals LEH archivist Elizabeth Hossain.
Anyone, who visits LEH today or reads about it through Holles Connect, will know that creativity thrives at LEH in the twentieth-first century. There are wonderful displays of artwork from students along the corridors, exciting and impressive music making in concerts and carol services and who, of those present, for the performances of ‘Chicago’ which inaugurated the opening of the Jane Ross theatre will ever forget the exuberance and professionalism of all who contributed to that production. Girls today have a myriad of opportunities to display imagination and originality. They do so at school, and many choose careers in creative areas or enjoy choirs, amateur dramatics or art in their leisure time. The early days The situation was quite different when the school was first established in Redcross Street, Cripplegate. Creativity was not an aspiration the patrons and trustees of the ‘Lady Holles’ Charity School’ had for its pupils. In 1710 the emphasis was on girls learning their catechism, followed by
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learning to read. Once the girls could read ‘competently well’, they were to be taught to knit stockings and gloves, to sew and mend, to spin and, finally, perhaps to write. Learning to write was at the discretion of the Trustees and, in the eighteenth century, only a few were chosen to be taught writing. The aim of the school was that the 50 poor girls who attended would know their place in society, be good members of the Church of England and earn their living as domestic servants. A far cry from the plethora of opportunities and resources students at LEH have today to use their imagination and ideas to express themselves in writing, art, design, drama and music! However, even in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries charity schools in the London area became known for their singing. On June 1st, 1710, just after the Lady Holles’ Charity school
opened, the first 50 girls took part in the annual procession of charity children to St. Sepulchre’s Church in Giltspur Street to celebrate the setting up of charity schools. The girls were part of almost 3,000 charity school children attending the service which ended with a specially written hymn sung by all the children in unison. The Lady Holles’ girls then returned to school for a celebratory dinner.
