This is Tonbridge: From 1985 To 2000 by Tonbridge School

Tonbridge School Archives presents:

THIS IS TONBRIDGE

FROM 1985 TO 2000

Tonbridge School

THIS IS TONBRIDGE

FROM 1985 TO 2000

or almost 500 years, commonplace materials have provided essential clues to interpreting Tonbridge School’s rich and substantial past. Through letters, diaries and unpublished writings of many types, as well as through the audio, visual and electronic records of recent times, researchers and historians have been able to trace this School’s proud heritage and preserve it for future generations of Tonbridgians. Our archivist Beverley Matthews has gathered a few photos and stories which we hope will evoke some memories of your time at School. In addition to this we thought you would like to read these beautifully written valetes of some of the icons from your time here – Jonathan Smith, and our recently departed friends David Kemp and Mike Bushby. All valetes appeared in The Tonbridgian at the time of their retirements. Your personal stories, scribbles and souvenirs are of enormous historic and cultural value, and when shared, become a part of this fantastic community’s collective memory. If you wish to share any photos or memories with us for future generations to enjoy, please do forward them to Beverley at beverley.matthews@tonbridge-school.org. Finally, we have dedicated several pages to pictures of John Gibbs who has given over fifty years dedicated service to Tonbridge in many different areas. The Tonbridge Society Team and I hope you have a very enjoyable OT reunion today.

James Priory Headmaster

Common Room of 1990

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

Common Room of 1996-7

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

ne cannot leave Tonbridge, or remember Tonbridge without finding oneself standing on the ‘Head’, on a sunny evening, looking across toward the School. This was the view I had of Tonbridge on that first September evening I arrived. The Chapel and Library stand there as covers to a book; the chapel, of imperious Victorian architecture, the only place where the School daily unites, symbol of venerated tradition and Christian heritage; the Library, the modern building with its academic and structural roots in the past, the illuminator filled with thousands of many coloured lights. Between them lie the pages filled by classrooms, notice boards, and assembly halls; the proving grounds, the reality between the ideals. The serenity, the grandeur, and dignity of the scene symbolises what is best in Tonbridge.

Prologue by an American Exchange Student Tonbridge, a progress report written by the boys

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 School House - Pre 1990

New School House 1990

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Whitworth House 1974

Ross Bowman (WW 94-99)

Cowdrey House 1995

Alex Dean (CH 16-21)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

John Gibbs’ remarkable contribution of over 50 years to Tonbridge School

Ferox Hall Farewell. Head of House, at end of Summer 1961

1st XV 1960 Captained Rugby 10

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

OT Reunion class of 1955 on 17 November 2019

Winner of ‘Most Inspiring Teacher’ at Tatler’s Schools Awards 2004

John Gibbs and Graham Cowdrey (PH 77-82)

Going to Chapel 2022

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Henry, the School cat

Henry the cat adopted the School for over a decade and made his presence felt with boys, staff and parents. He belonged to a couple living in Lansdowne Road but spent most of his time wandering the corridors and offices at School. A favourite home was an in-tray in Reception although he could be spotted turning up to recitals or sun bathing on a car roof.

Henry was even on the School roll to cover costs of food and veterinary bills and often had his Novi picture taken. He passed away in November 2002 and is buried in the Library garden, together with his feeding bowl and his favourite toy.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 The School Hymn

For him who dreamed of founding A school were English youth, In knowledge more abounding, Might learn the love of truth: For him, whose dreams were granted The grace of coming true, And where in faith he planted, Great harvests yet accrue: Thanks be to God, inspiring The height of man’s desiring. For those, to whom confided The fortunes of the school Through centuries were guided By just and kindly rule: For all those glad oblations of bounty well bestowed Empowered the old foundations To bear time’s heavier load: Thank we our God confessing The source of every blessing.

For leaders who engendered New life in old routine, All humble parts well rendered Upon the common scene: For those who unrecorded To better Tonbridge strove And felt themselves rewarded So long as Tonbridge throve: Thanks be to God, that beauty Springs from the soil of duty For all who here first heeded The message from above: For all whose hearts were speeded From lethargy to love: Who, to the school repaying The sacred debt they owed, Served God and man, displaying The flame that in them glowed: Raise we our voices, Who in his sons rejoices.

An early school song “Hail and Farewell” was written by Clemence Dane and set to music by Dr. Thomas Wood in 1921. However, the hymn now used was written by H.S. Vere Hodge, again set to music by Dr. Thomas Wood and adopted in 1947.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Chapel Fire 1988

Saturday 17 September could have been any morning in the history of our 86-year-old Chapel as boys filed out of it to lessons. None of them could have realised that this would be the last time the School would ever use the Chapel which has stood unharmed through a hurricane and two World Wars. Soon after the end of the service the first wisps of smoke were noticed by Jeremy Easter (MH 86-91) during his Latin lesson. The fire brigade were notified by Mr Smalman-Smith at 9.26am and the first two engines arrived in just over three minutes. At first the fire seems to be a relatively minor one – giving out clouds of smoke but confined to part of the roof and so hopes that there would be only minor damage were high. Sadly, this was not to be. The first firemen to reach the roof cavity were beaten back by searing heat and smoke that reduced their visibility to nil. By 9.44am full details of the blaze had been sent to Fire Brigade Headquarters in Maidstone

and emergency services from all over the country were on their way to help tackle a blaze which was now realised to be uncontrollable. The School was soon evacuated and boys could only watch helplessly from the Head as the flames gradually spread to engulf the Chapel.

They first appeared as a red glow behind the stained glass windows then, as these burst in the heat, they licked round the outsides of the window frames. All the attempts of the firemen to control the blaze were obviously not going to save the Chapel from being gutted despite the huge amount of men and pumps assembled.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Chapel Fire 1988 Water pressure has been boosted as far away as Orpington so that more hoses could be played on the inferno. Eventually, at 11.22am the fire was considered to be under control. The total of eleven pumping appliances, two sky lift vehicles, one hose relay, an Incident Support Unit and an Incident Command and Control Unit, and 80 men had battled to halt the fire. By 2pm a pipeline was laid to the Medway and the main concern became damping down the remaining hot spots. Many firemen were stood down and relief crews arrived to finish off this lengthy process – work which went on through the night and on into Sunday. A thermal imaging camera was used to locate any hot areas which were doused with water and finally the flooded Chapel basement was pumped out. The last fire engine left the School at 6pm on Sunday. This might have been the end of any drama, but there was no question of it being the end of the story. The task of assessing the cause of the fire and the amount of damage remained. It is a token of the mysterious and devastating nature of the blaze that as yet neither has been established and they probably never will be. It is likely that the cause was an

electrical fault, setting light to the horsehair insulations packed between the slate and pine boards of the roof, and it is certain the damages will run to six figures. The School will have a new Chapel as soon as possible, the lost memorials (although names on the Gate of Remembrance are still legible) will be replaced in some way, and the new Chapel will bear all the glory of its predecessor. Perhaps, in time, the old Chapel will be forgotten and its destruction removed from the memories of those who witnessed it. Somehow, I doubt it. R A M Chalmers (Sc 86-91)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Orchard Centre

The Orchard Centre sits at the very heart of Tonbridge, providing house lunches, match teas, snacks of all kinds and much else, but you need to be an OT of at least fifty years old to remember the person after whom the building was named. Barry Orchard was in Judde House from 1944-49, and Head of School in his final year, succeeded in this post by Colin Cowdrey. After Cambridge and National Service, he returned to Tonbridge to teach in 1958 and remained at the school until he died in 1992. It is very unusual in Tonbridge nomenclature to have buildings, houses or other facilities named after anyone other than significant benefactors, headmasters or those OTs who have earned fame on the world stage such as EM Forster. Barry was none of these, so it is a mark of the huge esteem and affection in which he was held by boys,

OTs, colleagues and governors that such a prominent Tonbridge landmark was named after him.

Barry Orchard 1930 - 1992

He was essentially just a much-loved Tonbridge institution - teacher of French, Housemaster of Knox (then a house not only for senior students but a ‘waiting house’ for Novi) and founding Housemaster of Whitworth in 1974, which reaches its fiftieth birthday in 2024.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Vere Hodge Centre

On Skinners’ Day, 1996, The Master of Skinners’ Company opened the Vere Hodge Arts and Technology Centre. It included an extension to the Music School, new accommodation for art, technology, electronics, computing and reprographics. It was named in memory of Hugh Sydenham Vere Hodge, M.A. who was a member of staff from 1903 until 1947. He was also Housemaster of Hill Side, 1905-32.

H. S. Vere Hodge, staff photograph 1945

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 E M Forster E M Forster Day boy 1893-97

A letter written to Headmaster at the time Michael McCrum

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 E M Forster Theatre

The EM Forster Theatre was built in the year 2000, it offers a flexible, professional space for a diverse range of artistic events including theatre, comedy, dance, cinema and music productions as well as being a flexible venue for conferences and seminars. This modern theatre seats up to 368 patrons split between the stalls and circle level. The stage is over 8m by 7m enabling the accommodation of large scale productions.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 The Bakery

As many may have noticed, a major omission occurred on the cover of the Summer issue of the Tonbridgian ‘tubemap’. The Bakery – at the heart of every Tonbridgian with some change in his pocket, and even those without, who always find a way to raise the necessary funds. With School cuisine still a concern to the masses, the ‘Danish’ has become a mandatory constituent of the Tonbridgian diet, providing high-energy, high-fibre nutrition. Such are the demands of the education at this School, that by eleven o’clock in the morning the Bakery can be seen bulging with enough boys to challenge a small European militia. There can be no doubt that without the presence of the copious public school consumers, the modern kitchen of commerce would be too hot for the Bakery to survive. “While we enjoy a great deal of local custom, at break-times during the term we are rushed off our feet to produce our Danishes and Iced Buns”. Established in 1867, the Dry Hill Bakery has stood as a monument ot the endurance of small businesses amidst a century of capitalism and industrialism.

In contrast to the brash images of the ‘chain-bakeries’, the Bakery stands alone, run by an elderly couple, producing the highest quality at competitive prices. Almost two years ago, however, the threat of a by-pass rocked its foundations, and the boys were shocked. “We can’t lose out bakery” one pupil said. “What will we do for food?”. Having appealed to the council, and in the light of considerable protest the plans were altered and the Bakery celebrated its 130th anniversary. The issue of a ‘Local Shop’ is an everpresent one. Traditional values are being uprooted, and being replaced by unnecessary short-cuts and modernisations. The business on which many of our towns and villages were based are under threat of extinction. Without appropriate awareness we stand to lose a vital shore of our heritage. The support that Labour’s Third Way gives to small business is just what the Bakery needs. “Hungry Tonbridgians vote Labour, for therein the quality Danish lies”. Dan Stevens (MH 96-01)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Stone Picking

The School bought the land next to the railway line in 1983 and drainage contractors were used to reclaim and drain this. It resulted in a very stony surface. On several occasions boys were used to “stone pick” and it appears that this was a very unpopular task! To quote from The Tonbridgian in 1984: Teachers notes 1. Teachers’ pick the coldest day of the year. This is essential so that the stone pickers, known as ‘pickers’, have suitably numb fingers within 5 minutes of the start. 2. Issue each picker with a strong plastic bag, capable of holding at least half a ton of stones. This encourages them to collect a large amount, and, more importantly, to suffocate each other. 3. Ask the tractor into which the pickers will empty their bags to arrive quarter of an hour before you wish to finish. This will raise their hopes, then dash them. With skill, a mutiny can result. Stonepickers notes 1. When ready to start, kneel down on a particularly uncomfortable stone. If you cannot feel the stone, your trousers are too thick; your knees act as a vital check, for as you progress, you should only be able to feel only earth. If you can feel stones, you have not properly picked. 2. “All the world is a stage” (Shakespeare). Remember this when identifying stones. 3. Arm your self with a large pointed stone for digging out others. Once loose, the stone should be removed gently with the fingers; take care not to bruise it. Place it gently in your bag.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Parascending

The Parascending Club was started in the summer term of 1972 with Revd. Paul Cox as Master-in-Charge. The club had three outings a week - using West Malling airfields during the week and the Hadlow Road baths site at weekends. The School took part in several National Parascending Championships - 1974, 1975, 1977 and 1978. Parascending was eventually merged with the RAF section of the CCF in 1983.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Blue Plaques Michael Colin Cowdrey (Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge) was born in India and a pupil at Tonbridge School from 1946-51. He was a boarder in Ferox Hall. He was one of the finest of cricketers produced by Tonbridge School: a stylish batsman, he was a blue at Oxford and captained both Kent and England. Between 1950 and 1976 he scored 42,719 runs, including 7624 in Test matches. He became President of the MCC and became a peer in 1997. He died in 2000. Edward Morgan Forster was born in London in 1879 and then moved to 38 Dry Hill Park Road in the 1890s. He became a Day Boy at Tonbridge School (1893-97). After Cambridge, he wrote many novels including Where Angels Fear to Tread, The Longest Journey, Howards End and A Passage to India. Many of his titles have been made into films and television series.

Revd. George Austen, the father of the novelist Jane Austen, was born in Tonbridge in 1731. The Austens, originally from Horsmonden, settled in Tonbridge and George became a pupil at Tonbridge School from 1741-47. He subsequently became Second Master from 1754-57, moving on to being Rector of Steventon where Jane was born in 1775. George died in 1805.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Valete from the Tonbridgian David Kemp (PS 1942-1947, CR 1969-1990) dashing figure in his open sports car, to activities nearer the centre of the school stage such as running the hockey and the rackets clubs, and spending many years with the Colts cricket and rugger.

s we sang Mr. Vere Hodge’s school hymn on Skinners’ Day, phrase after phrase seemed to speak of David Kemp ‘s Tonbridge career. David was a friend of ‘Vera’ and was Head of School in 1947 when he retired. ‘Vera’ knew from experience that a school like ours depends on humble parts well-rendered upon the common scene. David spent 30 years upon that common scene as a master and he certainly repaid to the school the “sacred debt he owed”. It had given him a scholarship in 1942 and from it he had won a Smythe exhibition to Brasenose in 1947. There was no job that David did not take on if it benefitted boys: from founding a riding club, though I do not think he had ever sat on a horse, or running of the MT Section in the corps where he cut a more

John Knott once told me that if you did not enjoy the classroom, you should not be teaching. David enjoyed the classroom. He believed in the value of classics, his law option was always oversubscribed, and in his early days he enjoyed nothing more than being a firstyear form master. In those days the role was more important, and many lasting friendships were made. In all these areas of school life: as teacher, house tutor, housemaster, second master and finally as Headmaster, he won the confidence and trust of boys. Members of the Common Room were grateful to seek shelter in the sanctuary of his common sense and kindly wisdom, but above all David was a boys’ beak. In Park House, he and Marion created a happy home and house. Masters liked visiting for lunch because the boys were open and friendly. Senior Park House boys enjoyed the sort of quiet intimacy that David had enjoyed in John Knott’s study in Parkside. The sporting achievements of the house were legion: they dominated the scene for many years. Yet, though they were not so prominent on the stage or concert platform, they could be relied upon to give their best in the classroom. David spent hours reviewing their

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

progress. No Park House boy could complain that he did not get the best of advice in planning his studies here, or for the future. David would scuttle back from Devon every August to be reassuringly at hand for any post-exam crisis, and I doubt if any housemaster has travelled as far as David to see “his” boys performing in holiday activities. Such total dedication is easily taken for granted at the time, but David and Marion have been rewarded by many friendships, born out of gratitude, respect and affection, with Park House boys and parents. John Knott rarely spoke in public. I heard him on four occasions and each was memorable. The first was when John said goodbye to James McNeill in 1961. He was thanking James on behalf of the Common Room for the term he had just completed as Headmaster before going into retirement. James, he said, had in this term simply confirmed what we all knew: that he should have been a Headmaster for many years. There is not a member of the present Common Room who would not have said the same at the end of David’s two terms as Headmaster this year. On Skinners’ Day the Master thanked David for being a link between two headmasters, but the school knew that it had experienced a spell of headmastering in its own right. He was decisive, conciliatory, when necessary, approachable and aware of the need to communicate: it all seemed so natural. He and Marion made a home

in the Headmaster’s house where the whole of the Common Room, and many boys, were warmly welcomed. He had time for us all even during these difficult times of transition when debates about the chapel were daily taking hours of his time. I wonder how many headmasters have been found working the scoreboard for the Old Boys on a Sunday in term time. He preached twice in Chapel and on each occasion, he conveyed the quiet certainty of the faith which has had as much to do with his influence here as anything else. Like the Headmasters to whom he gave loyal service as second master, we were all confident of his judgement, and comfortable in his kind and generous company. And so another page is turned. We will move on, not smugly, I hope, but confidently in the way that institutions can which are based on sure foundations, and which are self-critical. If any of us should feel a momentary loss of direction or confidence, whether staff or boys, we can draw reassurance from David’s example and come back to the fray refreshed. There was a warmth in the farewells to David and Marion from boys in Chapel, from the Governors, from Common Room, and no doubt privately from countless parents who instead of which recognised that “beauty springs from the soil of duty”. It has been a career which David has loved, and one which has enriched us all. Mike Bushby (CR 1954-1991)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Valete from the Tonbridgian Mike Bushby (CR 1954-1991) As a schoolmaster he has been suspicious of fashionable trends; and never afraid to appear unpopular with his demands for punctuality or strictures over the top button; yet his restless energy, enthusiasm and encouragement have inspired generations of Tonbridgians. Always his thoughts and concerns have been centred upon others. His capacity for letter writing has been prodigious. He was never too busy to drop a line of thanks, congratulation, or commiseration to many an individual who had considered himself unnoticed.

or the last 17 years Mike Bushby’s life has been devoted to Tonbridge. Apart from one brief sojourn in Australia in 1965, when he pioneered the first of our long succession of teaching exchanges, he has been at the centre of Tonbridge life on the games field and in the form room since 1954. He was master in charge of Cricket from 1956 to 1972 and Housemaster of Ferox Hall 1966-81, as well as teaching English and History and running the Fives Club. Such are the bare facts, but what sort of man are we losing? He is one who has always had a passionate concern for commitment and standards in dress, courtesy, and literacy. He hates arrogance, pretentiousness, and fuss. He has led by example not by precept. He has been a hard man, most of all upon himself.

A most distinguished sportsman himself, he played Rugby for Cambridge and captained the University Cricket XI in 1954 in the days when Blues were in the forefront of first-class cricketers. He was one of the outstanding fielders of his generation, but he made light of his own prowess. He had no time for prima donnas, but always valued genuine triers. Bushby fielding practices were legendary in the 1960s and many members of the Head had permanently grazed forearms from diving and bringing off ‘impossible catches’. Mike brought joy and grace to the game, and his partnership with the late Ray Dovey produced a golden age in schoolboy cricket. In later years he has devoted the same commitment and experience at lower levels, and even after a painful hip operation in 1985 he has never stopped attempting to coach Jonathan Smith in the rudiments of the game on their beloved Junior Head.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

Nor has he ceased from swooping down upon every piece of litter in sight, or attending Senior House League Rugby, which he refereed for so many years, and regards as the essence of Tonbridge sport. And how daunting to his acolytes has been his presence at the Fives Court throughout all weathers sans coat, sans scarf, sans everything. In the classroom he enjoyed the challenge of bottom sets and always set high store on the duties of the old-fashioned form master. Complete with his armyissue haversack and stock of red biros, he would bombard his sets with hand-written notes, and in marking essays he would often scribble comments more extensive than the answer he had been marking. One of the generation of technophobes, he managed to master the Banda, but never came to terms with the Xerox or video-recorder. Immersed in the 18th and 19th centuries, he idolised Burke, Pitt and Lincoln, yet in the rebellious ‘60s he cheerfully embraced the modern age and became an expert on Chairman Mao and his little red book, when required to teach a general studies option on China. In recent years Mike has been instrumental in motivating the School to become more responsive to the needs of the disabled, and the forging

of links with the Delarue School and development of new areas in C.S.G. are a tribute to his driving force. But his selfeffacing concern for others is nothing new. In Ferox Hall he and Judy devoted themselves to creating a happy, caring House which was never complacent or self-centred, but responsive to the needs of others. They would spend a Sunday afternoon entertaining the elderly and blind who were visited by their C.S.G. members, or Mike would be busy arranging a cricket game for Stepney Boys’ Club or the Works Staff instead of starring for the Old Alleynians in the Cricketer Cup. He has always been at the heart of pastoral concern for boys and colleagues, and in his care for the Works and Ground Staff, past and present, as well as retired members of the Common Room, he has been a key figure in ensuring a sense of community at Tonbridge. Lucky Tonbridge to have been enriched by the lifelong career of a man of such calibre. He hates the limelight, and will, I know, be embarrassed by any praise, but it is right that he should for once listen and be on the receiving end, and accept the thanks of his many, many friends for all that he has given us over his long years of service. Geoff Allibone (CR 1961-2000)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Valete from the Tonbridgian Jonathan Smith (CR 1967-2002) He was a quiet neighbour too — no hectoring, no shouting, plenty of close reading, attention to detail, occasional yelps of collective laughter when classes got the gag. ‘Keep the energy levels low,’ he’d intone with self-deprecating irony, ‘safer that way.’ Infinite riches in a little room. He loved it in there, made it his. Seeing his posters disappear last year was just about as wrenching as it gets.

onathan Smith should go down as one of the great teachers of his generation; his scholarship, intellectual generosity and openness inspired colleagues and pupils alike over his 35 years at Tonbridge. 35 years. It doesn’t seem possible. He has the knack of staying young. His teaching style always stressed encouragement, the attempt to infuse self-belief, and, very quietly, to recognise and nurture talent.

He is honest about what he has read and what he knows (a lot) and ready to hear anyone out on their passion, their new reading finds. His reading is wide-ranging and informed by a sensitivity to the duties of a sentence and the workings of the human heart. Preferences are for a line of poetry from Wordsworth through Edward Thomas and Robert Frost to Larkin, drama from Shakespeare via Ibsen and Chekhov to Stoppard, the novel via George Eliot onwards and upwards to Paul Scott, Brian Moore, Frantzen, you name them. He is a modest chap. Many of the generations of boys who learnt from him were unaware of the extent of his achievements; in 2000 he was elected one of the Founder Fellows of the English Association in recognition of them. No surprise there.

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

He practised what he preached, or, in his words, ‘did the business’. Five novels (the first, Wilfred and Eileen, serialised on the BBC in the early 80s and the last to date, Summer in February, short-listed for the Hawthornden Prize in 1996); eight discrete radio plays before the eight-part The Head Man; an edition of King Lear; a book on cricket written with Chris Cowdrey, Good Enough?; and in 2000 his widely-acclaimed The Learning Game, surely the funniest, sanest and most readable book on education written in recent years. From the fragmented WWI love story of his first novel (when I gawped at Judi Bowker back in the 1980s serialisation little did I think that I’d ever meet the writer) to the spare and moving account of the world of the painter Alfred Munnings, and through all the other work (including some stunning productions of school plays) two things are clear: JBS is able to enter into the hearts and minds of his chosen characters in the spirit of Keats’ chameleon poet and to return with, something that rings true; second, he labours all the time for clarity and authenticity of Voice.

In his second novel, The English Lover, an English teacher called James Burnett is having trouble with a tape recorder (we are talking here about a ‘real’ tape recorder, spool to spool, before OHPs and CDs and the dawn of the video teacher). He wants to play a tape of Chekhov’s The Seagull; instead James puts on his ‘own internal tape’ (how often have colleagues, parents and boys activated the JBS ear to press ‘play’) and listens to himself: ‘now do notice the pauses, they’re crucial, and the gaps in the dialogue, it’s as if Chekhov is a composer, it’s all part of the symphony of emotions ... It’s very moving stuff, at least I think so, but I hope you also find it funny, laughing with, not at ... He understands people so well, the fools, the successes, the selfish, the failures — all of us’. The qualities admired here seem to me at the heart of all that Jonathan aims for in his living, writing and teaching. A ‘wise passiveness’, a great ear for the ludicrous. Snaring the bull-shitter or the bigot. Or capturing the hesitations and rhythms of the ‘symphony of emotions’. A Wordsworthian at heart. Still out there, - walking. Peter Carpenter (CR 1992 - 2021)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000 Headmasters Christopher Everett (CR 1975-1989)

Martin Hammond (CR 1990-2005)

Headmasters of Tonbridge School past and present (from L to R): David Kemp (CR 69-90), Christopher Everett (CR 75-89), Tim Haynes (CR 05-18), Martin Hammond (CR 90-05), James Priory (CR 18-present)

TONBRIDGE SCHOOL FROM 1985 TO 2000

Since its foundation by Sir Andrew Judde in 1553, the School has amassed a rich (almost) 500-year history, coloured by some exceptional headmasters, staff members and students. The Tonbridge School Archive exists to collect, catalogue and preserve this tremendous history and maintain records of all kinds from its base in the Nicolson Wing. There are so many ways that you can help us in our efforts to conserve the School’s tremendous heritage. We are always delighted to hear about material donations or deposits to the archives. We collect all types of Tonbridge School memorabilia, from photographs to recordings, printed materials to hand-written letters; as long as it links to the history of the School, we will happily accept your donation. We understand many of these materials carry enormous sentimental value, and are able to digitise and return any materials you wish to keep. You can also support the Tonbridge School Archive by giving a financial donation. Every donation, of every size helps us in our mission to make the School’s historical data more readily available to staff and pupils - past and present - and external researchers. To find out more about how you can support the project, please contact: Archive Enquiries Beverley Matthews School Archivist Tonbridge School Tonbridge TN9 1JP

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E: beverley.matthews@tonbridge-school.org

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Tonbridge School Archives presents:

THIS IS TONBRIDGE

FROM 1985 TO 2000

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