16 minute read
Untold Stories
175 years is a lot of history to look back on in our upcoming anniversary book, Untold Stories, and when some didn't quite make the cut, we thought we would share them here!
From Telford of Dublin to Nicholson of Malvern: the story of the organ
‘Telford is utterly amazed at its stupendous power and says there is nothing like it anywhere that he has been. He has heard several organs lately in England, and they all seem to him to be thin and hungry compared with this. In fact ours sounds very glorious.’
Singleton
An essential adjunct for sacred music was a pipe organ. In 1847, there was a growing demand by churches for new or re-furbished organs. Sewell and Singleton were absolutely determined that Radley should not only have an organ but that it should be one of the finest that could be constructed. Singleton commissioned Telford’s of Dublin to build an organ at a cost of £2000, considerably more than the original estimate for the chapel itself. It was installed in 1848 after it had been demonstrated to large crowds in Dublin. Telford regarded it as his best work to date, and he arranged for it to be shipped back to Dublin for the 1853 Exhibition at his own expense.
In essence, this instrument survived until 1938, but it grew and grew, aided and abetted by George Wharton, who began to expand the organ almost by stealth, encouraging donations of individual stops. It quickly expanded to four manuals and sixty stops – a staggering number for the size of the building – and even to five manuals by 1883, making it significantly bigger than most cathedral organs of the time. In 1889, it was converted to run powered by a Crossley gas engine - having previously been operated by a chapel servitor pumping the bellows.
When the new Chapel was built in 1895, the organ was transferred largely unaltered. Sir Thomas Jackson designed a new case, occupying much of the west gallery, but the opportunity was not taken to carry out a full overhaul and the reliability of the organ gave concern almost immediately. In 1939, Rushworth & Dreaper were engaged to build a new instrument. Some of the old stops were retained, including the pedal 32’, although the latter was hugely disadvantaged by being placed underneath the new gallery seating, where the longest pipes had to be reduced in length by a process known as Haskelling. The remainder was placed in two chambers, one cutting into the southwest corner of Chapel Quad, and the other facing towards G Social.
Radley has been graced by many fine musicians over the years, but the appearance behind this organ of Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1953 was one of the highlights. The enormous frame of the 80-year-old composer perched awkwardly on the organ bench and, to the delight of the choir crowding round, tootled at the console. But then, in his earlier days, he had been a church organist.
Left: Telford’s organ in Radley’s original Chapel, 1860s. Right: Nicholson’s organ newly installed in Chapel, 2021.
The Rushworth & Dreaper organ was smaller than its predecessor. It was in two places - neither of which was ideal for playing it – and the console was separate from the organ, with electric action. By the 1970s this organ had, in its turn, become unreliable. A plan was therefore made to build a new organ, which was to be voiced in a completely different style, essentially that of the 18th century, with mechanical action. It was completed by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1980.
It must have been a revelation after the sound of the 1938 instrument – fresh, clean and sparkling – but it immediately became clear it was too quiet: too quiet even if it had been placed back in the centre of the west gallery, able to speak clearly down the length of the chapel; but far too quiet positioned to one side, a fatal compromise between the desire to allow the organ to speak freely in the Chapel and the constant need for space for boys. The decision to extend the Chapel in 2020-21 allowed a completely fresh approach. Nicholson’s of Malvern were commissioned to build a new organ. At last, there was room again in the west gallery, where it can speak freely down the length of the building; and a wholly new instrument allows for more robust voicing – new, apart from one rank of pedal pipes surviving, incredibly, from the 1848 Telford organ.
Singing, writing, recording
The primacy of sacred music was there right at the beginning of the school: Edwin Monk, who became the first Precentor, was one of the four men who met in Turl Street in March 1847. Monk became the highest paid teacher at the school in his time, achieving his Bachelor of Music degree at Oxford in the process. He was given charge of the servitors, a group of boys who worked as servants around the school and sang the daily services in chapel in exchange for board and lodging, a basic education and musical training. The first boy to arrive at Radley College, Henry Searle, was one of the servitors. This early training was designed to equip them for employment in the choirs being re-established by cathedrals, colleges and large parish churches as the High Church Movement gained momentum.
Localised training for choristers was overtaken by the founding of St Michael’s College, Tenbury by Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 specifically to educate church musicians. Ouseley visited Radley to see the choir training and the newly installed organ in 1849 and had invited one of the Fellows to become the first principal of St Michael’s. In recognition of these links, Radley’s earliest music prize was the Ouseley Prize instituted in the 1850s. In 1859, Monk became organist at York Minster. There, he collaborated with Robert Singleton on The Anglican Hymn Book, published in 1868, which contains several hymns and melodies by both men. Monk’s own best-known tune, ‘Angel voices ever singing’, is still sung at the school.
The Public Schools Hymnbook, edited by Athelstan Riley and Harold Ferguson, published in 1919, was the most influential of the collections of hymns chosen by schools up and down the country. It focussed on vigorous, ‘manly’ tunes and words for hymns as sung in the boys’ public schools. These were introduced nationally into school assemblies of the twentieth century. Much of the Radley hymn repertoire derives from that original compilation. Harold Ferguson was Head of Music at Lancing College when the Public Schools Hymnbook was first published. Although Radley had attempted to recruit him as Precentor earlier in his career, he actually became Warden in 1925. Ferguson’s hymns such as ‘O Jesus I have promised’ or ‘All hail the power of Jesu’s name’ have found their way into the repertoire of contemporary church music. He returned to music after he resigned as Warden of Radley, becoming Canon and Precentor of Salisbury Cathedral in 1937. Most of Monk’s successors as Precentors, and later Succentors, at Radley have followed in his footsteps, contributing original organ settings to the general repertoire, particularly Donald Paine, Robert Gower and Timothy Morris, as have don Luke Bartlett and chaplain Anthony Stiddolph.
By the 1860s the role of the servitors in choral services had decreased and the schoolboys were formed into a large choir under the direction of Monk’s successor, George Wharton. Wharton was appointed Precentor in 1862 at the age of 24. He remained in post for 52 years, serving under seven Wardens, doubling up as
Edwin Monk, first Precentor of Radley.
Harold Ferguson (right) at the BBC in the early 1940s.
the first tutor of A Social for 35 years. After retirement in 1914 he remained living in his flat in the Mansion until his death at the age of 87 in 1925. The piano prize is named in his memory. His meticulously kept day books record the music he played.
The chapel choir continued relatively unchanged under Wharton’s successors, adapting to the fashions for sacred music as recordings by famous choirs became available in the twentieth century. The earliest recording of the choir was made by phonograph in 1896, but sadly, this has not survived. The Centenary service for the visit of HRH Princess Elizabeth in 1947 was recorded and gives a flavour of the sound of the chapel under Precentor Ronald Dussek.
In 1956, Anthony Caesar’s choir and the school can be heard in the evensong service for Whitsunday which was broadcast on BBC radio, featuring responsive plainsong. Donald Paine and a small group also contributed to films made by the Film Society in the 1960s, most notably The 139th Psalm which won international acclaim, followed by a setting of The Lord’s Prayer. Recordings by the choir and anthologies of hymns sung by the whole school along with music performances to accompany films made by the Video Unit have become regular events from the 1990s onwards.
During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021, the choir recorded anthems and parts of the liturgy in Chapel before lockdown was imposed, enabling Chapel services to continue whilst the school was scattered around the globe. These were also then able to help local primary schools provide music for assemblies. Violet Blofeld is remembered here by Anthony Robinson (1962):
Below: The earliest surviving photo of the choir, taken by William Wood in 1863.
Violet Blofeld, music teacher
‘Music was an integral part of my schooldays at Radley in the 1960s - violin and guitar - alongside rowing, rugby, shooting and being involved in as much as possible. I was blessed with a gifted and patient violin teacher, Mrs Blofeld (EVB) who, realising I rarely had the motivation or time to practice much, abandoned grades after Grade V and concentrated on making sure I knew how to play the orchestra pieces. She was a kindly, softly-spoken, self-effacing lady but I must have been a considerable frustration to her. To say she was long-suffering in my case is an understatement.
I started writing songs with my guitar at the age of fifteen and, by the time I had reached the Sixth Form, it was an important hobby. During my weekly lesson with Mrs Blofeld, she would often ask: ‘Have you written any new songs lately?’ Whenever I said ‘Yes’, she would ask me to bring my guitar to the next lesson and play her my composition; she would then show me on the piano how I might vary the chords or modify the arrangement, thus expanding my options, before asking me to write out the melody line on manuscript paper. I would then play my tune on the violin to her piano accompaniment and listen intently as she stretched the harmonies in all sorts of delicious directions. I would leave each lesson with fresh enthusiasm for both violin and guitar. She was well ahead of her time and the broad musical education she gave me was invaluable. When, a few years later, I was a volunteer on VSO in the Pacific Islands, I used to mail her my manuscripts for checking and correction and she always returned them with helpful suggestions. Truly extraordinary. I just wish, with hindsight, I had told her more often how much I appreciated the way she went ‘off-piste’ for my benefit. It certainly wasn’t in the teaching manual.’
Untold Stories - A Look Inside
Due to be published in Spring 2022, Untold Stories is packed with more stories from Radley College's 175 years so far. The sample proof pages shown here give a flavour of the book and its features. ‘It became commonplace to meet a boy in Covered Passage festooned in a live boa constrictor or to walk into a Biology class of Shells each with his live snake, lizard or skink.’
For more details and to preorder your copy with a £10 discount, visit: www.profileeditions.com/radley-college-hb
Untold Story
Social, and by consensus of the Natural History Society was named Sir Galahad. There was no falconry school in Britain in the 1930s so Robinson sought out falconers to train himself and his hawks. Thus began a lifetime of falconry which culminated in a history of the subject published in 2003.
And don’t forget Charlie Mackesy’s ferrets in E Social: ‘He used to keep them for catching rabbits, whose skins he dried out on the study radiators until the smell got so bad I had to tell him to stop,’ as recalled by Hamish Aird. Or the story of the boy who strode into the library, broken shotgun on his arm to ask, ‘Ma’am, would you like a brace of mallard?’ The visiting book rep turned a worrying shade of pale.
Animals – both local and exotic
The arrival of Michael Noone as Head of Biology in 2011 heralded a new era for the animals of Radley. The Biology Department had had aquaria for many years with tropical fish, small turtles, and a case of giant African land snails donated in the 2000s. The On College Pond hatching of chicks and tadpoles was among the first events to be live-streamed across the computer network in 2010. But with Noone’s arrival, it became commonplace to meet a boy in Covered Passage festooned in a live boa constrictor during the Societies Fair or to walk into a Biology class full of Shells each with his live snake, lizard or skink. Boys in the Animals Society were taught how to care for these creatures but their purpose was more serious than to be exotic pets. Through them, boys learned the complexities of evolution and the delicate balance of ecosystems around the world. Examples from the menagerie attended talks in Social Prayers, while many children from local schools were invited to learn about them. This outreach element became a key part of the Partnerships Programme in 2021. The most recent addition was Titus the turtle, living happily in his own large tank – after the floor was strengthened to take it.
Top right Charles Henderson with one of the hawks he trained at Radley in the 1900s. Right New Shells meet the College snakes, 2019. In the margin of an estate accounts book of Sir John Stonhouse in 1750, there is a list of carp caught in the 84 Privacy lake at Radley Hall. Sir John kept careful account of the fish by weight and clearly had the lake stocked for fishing. In 2021, prefect Will Stubbs sent an email to the school inviting membership of the revived Fishing Club: College Pond had been restocked with trout for the first time in 25 years. Members of the school community had probably always quietly fished College Pond. There was certainly some poaching, recorded both by the Bowyers’ gamekeepers who had charge of the lake until the school bought it in the 1890s, and by the school’s groundsman in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1949, the Natural History Society reported devastation – the lake had been drained and the mud bulldozed to deepen it. The bodies of carp and pike were left on Pups’ Field, and a family of swans with their cygnets were attempting to cross the mud from the island, heading for a new home. College Pond was being prepared for a new society – Trout Fishing. Like the beagles, this was a project promoted by the bursar, Charles Jenner, and from this time the lake was kept stocked with fishing strictly controlled. The Trout Fishing Society limited membership to 20, which included the Secretary of the Natural History Society ex officio to ensure the future care of the wildlife. Members had to prove their interest and commitment, maintained meticulous records of fish caught and released, wrote reports about the state of College Pond, and kept the lake stocked first with rainbow then with brown trout. They flourished until the 1990s.
Left Trout Fishing Society records for stocking College Pond. Centre In 1968, College Pond once again had to be drained because it was silting up.
In 1986 one member hoped that an amicable agreement Above: The engaging and informative text on the impact of the could be achieved with the Golf Club, as society members were assailed by attempted water shots – ‘after College's founding principles is further enlivened with images from all, the main point about being at College Pond is the quiet’. Quiet was to be celebrated and jealously Radley's archive. guarded in boarding school life, a point repeated in 2021 by a member of the new Fishing Club: ‘I was there fishing at 6am. A mist was rising from the water. Two deer wandered out of the woodland. I looked Left: Recently uncovered stories from Radley's history punctuate the around and thought – I can’t believe I live here.’ narrative and highlight unusual tales and unheard voices. 85From Brock the dog to Titus the turtle Left: Large timeline features give an overview of specific parts of Radley's history, including Sport, Dining, and Drama.
Sport at Radley
1847
Radley Hall meets the requirements to be ‘close to the river for aquatic excursions and with a level sward of grass in front of the house for cricket’.
The earliest photo of games at Radley: fives players in 1855.
1855 1848
Junior boys club together to buy a football.
1851
Walter Woodgate comes to Radley. A celebrated oarsman and later founder of Vincent’s Club at Oxford, the club for all Oxford blues.
1857
Buttresses built around Clock Tower become fives courts.
1858
The first Radley crew to challenge Eton over the Henley course and the first crew to wear the Maltese Cross.
1860–62
The Old Gym is built. Archibald McLaren, the gym and fencing instructor, became the first professional sports coach at Radley.
Interior of the Old Gym, 1860.
1867
Radley football is played to its own rules with teams of 12.
1876
An indoor Winchester Fives court is built by subscription from current and past Radleians.
1858
William Collins, the first international Radleian cricketer, comes to Radley.
William Collins is still the only man to take three wickets with one ball – the original delivery cut the batsman’s hand, the non-striker fainted at the sight of blood, and the next man refused to come in.
1860s
The school adopts the terms ‘Wet Bobs’ and ‘Dry Bobs’ from Eton.
1863
The earliest recorded cricket match against another school – Radley vs Bradfield.
1875
Golf course opened – later used for agriculture in the First World War.
134 Beauty
1879–80
Social Colours introduced to identify crews in Social Fours Bumps.
1882
Radley joins the Football Association and soccer becomes the school’s official winter sport.
1885
Rackets court built, paid for by subscription from current and Old Radleians.
Social Fours bumps races showing the crews’ progress via their colours, 1880.
1900
Century Clump inaugurated – an oak tree to be planted for every boy who scored a century for the First XI. The last tree was planted in 1948.
1908
London Olympics. John Robinson (1899) wins Gold with the England hockey team.
1887
Hockey introduced at Radley, but there is no record of fixtures.
1906
Theo Cook (1881) captains the England fencing team at the Athens Olympics, alongside Cosmo Duff-Gordon (1877).
1911
The Evans Memorial Boathouse opened in memory of ‘Buffy’ Evans, who had been coach to the eight since the 1880s.
1914
‘Rugby will be played.’ The warden announces that rugby union would replace soccer as the school’s main winter sport. The change was not well received by all.
1928
Percy Mills, formerly of Gloucestershire CCC, appointed as the professional cricket coach.
Cricket XI with Percy Mills, 1946.
