Delve into the Archives
Written by John Weitzel (LGS Archivist) and Ellie Leeson (LHS 2018, LHS Archivist)
LGS Archives
1923 – 100 years ago
In every respect 1923 was a ‘vintage’ year for the School! Electricity was fitted throughout the School with a wireless set being purchased, and Mr Stamper fitting an aerial over the science buildings.
In Sport, the first rugby matches were played with much difficulty. Cricket didn’t do much better – winning just 3 of the record 21 fixtures, but it seems it was a miracle so many games were played as by the time the Spring frosts and snows had finally taken their departure there was not much of June left, and the Oxford examinations began in July.
It is interesting to reflect on how important Sports Day was in the life of the School then. The day was accompanied by an excellent programme of music played by the band of the 5th Leicestershire Regiment and prizes were distributed to the winning boys by the Mayoress of Loughborough. The most interesting event was the Band Race, which was won by Bandsman Brewin. ‘This was in the nature of a mystery race, and the prize awarded to the man nearest a selected spot at a given signal to halt’.
In July the Carillon Tower, the idea of Loughburian Wilfred Moss, was opened and one of the bells was purchased by the School to commemorate the 57 alumni who died in the Great War. Raising the money needed was not as simple as you might imagine, only reaching its target thanks to a “whip round” being made at the Old Boys’ Dinner in June, resulting in £12 being donated in as many minutes, bringing the fund beyond the level of the £195 required to pay for the bell.
In October one of the most significant events in the School’s history occurred. The Loughburians details – ‘We publish in this edition a copy of “The School Hymn” by Canon G.W.Briggs, the Rector of Loughborough, who is himself an Old Loughburian.’ Clearly, it took time for the School to learn the hymn, as it was not sung publically until June 1924 – but over the last 100 years every boy who has entered the School has sung the Hymn, and many know it off by heart.
By now the effects of the 1918 education act, raising the School leaving age from 12 to 14 and introducing 2 form entry at 11, were apparent as the School had more than doubled in size from 151 in 1918 to 309 in 1923. No new buildings had been built in this time, but The Loughbburian of Winter 1923 reported: ‘Rumours are abroad that new school buildings are quite likely to be erected. When this is so, it will no longer be necessary to try (or try not!) to traverse the space between the main school and the Victoria Room (in Victoria Street) in the allotted time of five minutes, or is it fifteen minutes for forms V and VI?’ – some things don’t change in 100 years!
1973 – 50 years ago
During 1973 it was all change at the School as after 14 years, Norman Walter retired at the end of the Summer Term to be replaced by John Millward. He was described as a ‘Headmaster of Distinction’ and the Chairman of Governors reflected that ‘From the day of his appointment he set out to make LGS one of the best known and most highly reputed direct grant schools in the country, and we are proud to believe, that to a great extent, he has succeeded in doing so.’
There was no finer example of what he achieved than the growth of Drama in its widest sense. In the space of a few months the School’s Opera Group, containing Leon Berger (LGS 1975) and Bill Brookman (LGS 1973), performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Patience’ to critical acclaim under John Moore’s baton. The Schools’ Drama Group gave a workshop performance of ‘Algoa’ written by Chris Penter. The piece chronicled the framework knitters of the East Midlands who emigrated to Algoa in South Africa because of the miserable social situation in the early 19th century. Chris was also responsible for the second staff production, ‘Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street’.
Away from the Hodson Hall, Stephen Smith (LGS 1966) had recently returned to his former School as a member of teaching staff and decided to produced the second film ‘Beowulf’. It is clear that very little went according to plan. The Loughburian of 1973 reports: ‘Having arrived at Swithland Woods and scared off harmless bystanders, the production team and cast wait for the promised four horses. Groans from all as only two horses appear and a hasty conference follows. Abandon shooting? Have two walking? Have them two to a horse? No. They decide to try to get away with it by trick photography. There now followed the most amusing part of the whole film, punctuated with diabolical regularity with cries of “How do you get on?” and “It won’t stop”’.
On the rugby field the U14 rugby team completed a remarkable unbeaten season, scoring 948 and only conceding 58 points in their 22 matches. The 1st XI hockey team only lost 4 of their 26 fixtures and a basketball team played for the first time, having to play all its matches away from home because of the poor Gym facilities. However, it was still cycling that was the School’s most successful sport with Chris Wreghitt (LGS 1977) winning the Boys’ National Open Cyclo-Cross Championships in Grimsby, aged just 15 – the youngest winner ever.
Just before Christmas the First Year Evening, now Year 7 Evening, was properly established for the first time. ‘Last year Thomas Burton’s Flying Christmas Menagerie invaded the Hodson Hall. This year it was the Burton Boys – the entire First Form – who presented an evening’s entertainment to an appreciative audience of families and friends.’ Five different productions occurred and the format for the evening was established.
After an interval of four years, the School regained the ‘Leicester Mercury Debating Cup.’ Where the motion in the final was ‘that modern methods of entertainment are debasing our culture.’ It is fitting that their report in The Loughburian ends ‘Change and decay in all around I see. Well, change in LGS, as we move from a Norman Castle to a Tudor Grange. Let us keep one thing unchanged: the Cup. And remember our new Head’s last School has just carried off the Observer Mace! We should set our sights higher’ – John Millward, former Head of Tudor Grange, had arrived.
1998 – 25 years ago
Just like 25 years earlier, 1998 was dominated by the retirement of a Headmaster but in a more spectacular fashion – it is easy to know which of the events Neville Ireland appreciated most. In his final week he received a phone call from his wife to say she was at the Great Central Railway and had fallen and broken her ankle. He set off to the rescue, but was greeted by the whole First Form singing ‘Three Cheers for the Head’ when he got there. He was then presented with overalls and a ‘Greasy top hat’ and was told he was about to fulfil a childhood ambition and drive a steam train…with all of the First Form aboard. Surprisingly, he drove the train without incident! He was equally surprised earlier in the Term at the CCF Inspection, where he was the inspecting officer. He made a ceremonial exit, being pulled in a ‘modern chariot’ (a land rover) down the Quad. More conventional was ‘A GranD NIght Out’ – a gala concert to mark his retirement at Stanford Hall Theatre which featured every musical aspect of the School performing memorable pieces from his 14 years as Headmaster.
Five days later the bands left for a tour of Germany and Austria. The rugby players went further afield in 1998 touring Chile, Brazil and Argentina. Closer to home the annual Year 8 trip to Hadrian’s Wall celebrated its 25th year.
The sporting front continued to be dominated by the Go-Karters, becoming National Champions for the 3rd year running. At a slightly smaller level the Model Car Club continued to flourish with 98 boys driving at the Friday evening race meetings, with about 50 being regular participants, making it easily the most popular club for juniors.
In September the School welcomed Paul Fisher as its 34th Headmaster and he bravely answered questions for The Loughburian. The most interesting of these was ‘As headmaster, what exactly do you do?’ – I was fascinated by his reply, as being his deputy for 13 years I often wondered! His reply was – ‘As I said to the third year, being Headmaster is like an orchestra conductor. There are many different people to co-ordinate, and you need to make sure that everybody does things at the right time.’
As one might expect, staff were out to impress the new Head, none more so than in Drama. Julian White’s production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for the middle school was described as being one of the best performances ever put on at the School. That was then followed by the Junior School’s production of ‘Godspell’. All three performances had full houses with the audience treated to a colourful spectacle of singing, dancing and acting. The Term ended with the traditional First Year Evening, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, performed in Hodson Hall, which the new Head was determined to change. Paul Fisher, formerly Head of Mount St Mary’s, had arrived.
LHS Archive – Sport and P.E at LHS
This summer, athletes and sports-people from around the world will go head to head in a variety of sports and disciplines at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. So, what better reason to delve into the High School archives looking at the history of sport and PE at LHS from 1850, when it opened its classroom doors, to the 1950s.
To understand the evolution of sport and PE at LHS we first need to look at society in the Victorian era – specifically the two sphere ideology: the idea that men belonged in the public world of work and women in the private domestic sphere. The expectation of girls and women at the time was they would marry and be dependent on their husband. Their education therefore reflected this with girls expected to cultivate lady-like traits and accomplishments that would attract a suitable partner and make them good wives and mothers. It was a very different education to the one boys received.
It was only in the 1870s, after the realisation that many women, including middle-class women, had to earn their own living, that a girls education was seen as vital. The taking part in physical exercise and sport in Girls’ schools follows a similar pattern. LHS was founded under the principles of creating a Grammar school education for girls and was therefore rather revolutionary in its provision to create an education that was similar to the one boys received in the 1850s.
Due to this revolutionary approach to a girls education, the Trustees were conscious that girls were also taught subjects that would allay any parental worries that their girls would not become ‘proper young ladies’. One part of this was the teaching of female accomplishments, housewifery and domestic skills such as household management, singing and needlework. Another part was the introduction of gymnastics and dancing, and whilst they did not have the same physical education as boys, these exercises were more physical movement than most women took part in.
Chesterton House period
During the early days of the High School’s founding, when it was situated in Chesterton House on Rectory Place, the School didn’t have much space for physical movement. In the 1929 magazine, the Headmistress at the time, Miss Bristol, describes the Chesterton House school room as being full of ‘long desks and backless benches’ to get as many girls into the room as possible and only having a ‘narrow back passage by which the girls entered’. There was therefore not much space for any physical movement, meaning that girls began doing ‘unauthorised gymnastics’ on the long desks.
The move to Burton Walks
It may be a surprise to know that when the School moved to Burton Walks in 1879, the newly built school building didn’t have a hall or room for any sort of physical activity. In 1892, Miss Dugdale, the Headmistress at the time, requested a room for physical training. The response to this was the building of the studio, which is now the Barbara Hepworth Art Room, used by the senior students. This section was built in 1895 and is commemorated by a plaque on the side of the building which reads ‘This building erected by voluntary subscription to commemorate the fourth centenary of Thomas Burton.’
PE is also referred to at this time in the School information booklet from Miss Walmsley’s time as headmistress (1897-1919), and is listed on the regular school course list of subjects, although it is not clear as to what this means. It seems likely however, given the history of P.E in girls’ schools, that the pupils would have been instructed in gymnastics. Incidentally, the first school trophy, the ‘Handley Cup’ was given by Mrs Allcock (née Handley) in 1921 for ‘gymnastic work’. We can also see that dancing was a subject that could be taken as an extra-curricular for an extra cost of or 21 shillings per term along with elocution and painting. This amounts to about £1.05 in today’s money.
Gym then moved to the Main Hall which was built in 1911, along with several other classrooms. Ropes hung from the ceiling in anticipation for P.E classes along with equipment such as a pommel horse. At the time the stage was also at the other end from the hall you would recognise today – the stage was moved in 1936.
Whilst, since 1892, spaces had been made available in the main school for P.E, these were never designated spaces used primarily for sport. It wasn’t until 1959 that LHS got its own designated Gym with changing rooms and showers. The gym has remained much the same even after the recent remodelling and building of the new Parkin Sports Centre. Indeed, Miss Potts, Head of PE from 1947-62, recalls that LHS had very few facilities for sport and despite her first request for a hard hockey pitch in 1955, it was only 45 years later that LHS got its own AstroTurf.
A seeming stalwart of P.E is the game, pirates. Alumni from the 1920s, all the way to today, often remember playing pirates in the hall or gym.
Games
Not until they moved to Burton walks, did the girls have a space to run and play for games. The playing field was where Fairfield currently is and the main school buildings were surrounded with far more grass and land than we have today.
Traditionally, games differed from PE and were centred on well-defined team games, particularly those played outdoors. Games, such as cricket, rugby and football blossomed in boys’ public schools, but were still seen as unsuitable for girls despite the aim of recreating a curriculum that was similar to that of a boys. However, from the 1880s, early girls’ schools began to introduce games such as hockey and netball in the winter, and tennis, rounders and swimming in the summer, to their pupils.
Miss Woodward, School Secretary from 1937-69, remembered the early days of Women’s International Hockey when 300-400 pupils and staff would take the train down to Wembley to watch matches. Whilst we’re not sure when hockey was first played at LHS, we know it must have been played fairly early on. Miss Biddy Clements, who attended LHS between 1897-1900, mentions that she didn’t play hockey when being interviewed for the 150th school anniversary. Nonetheless, it’s likely that by the early 20th century LHS girls were running round hockey pitches, as the 1920-21 hockey report in the school magazine suggests that it was well established at the School.
Netball and tennis seem to have been played not long after the school moved to Burton Walks. In fact, LHS girls were playing netball close to its introduction to the UK in 1897. Both games were played in the main school area with tennis courts situated on the Quad and netball courts where Charles and Chesterton now sit.
Sporting events were mostly competed within forms but the number of girls in the School grew from the first 30 girls in 1850, to 400 girls in 1929. In these first few years however, for the most part, there was only one or two forms per year group. The introduction of the School Houses in 1925 by Miss Bristol changed the way sports were competed within the School, with the girls now going head-to-head in houses. The Hockey teams did compete against teams outside of the School from the 1920s, though it doesn’t appear to be other schools, but rather ladies’ teams from places local to Loughborough.
Sports Day
Sports Day is one of the sporting highlights of the year, with the four school houses competing against each other. We’re not entirely sure when Sports Day started, however the 1921 school magazine mentions how the event was held that year for the first time in five years. In these early years, given that the houses were not introduced until 1925, Sports Day was competed in forms. Not every girl competed in this sports day, with only six girls from each form being chosen. There have been many changes in events over the years, including both serious and ‘not-so-serious’ athletics events including egg and spoon races, sack races and teachers’ races.
Swimming
A constant in the P.E curriculum for girls in the earlier 20th century was swimming. The first swimming pool was opened at LGS in 1930, with no roof and was shared with the boys, although never at the same time! One alum who attended LHS in the 1930s remembered that the first pool wasn’t filtered and often the girls swimming was accompanied by various ‘beasties’. It wasn’t long however until a filtration plant was put in. Girls were taught how to swim, earning badges for lengths as well as lifesaving. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the swimming pool was covered and had heating installed!