Flourish Issue One

Ex Pat Recollections of Big Modern and Big Classical The information that Big Modern (the Library) and Big Classical are to be renovated has prompted these recollections of the use and appearance of each hall when I was at the Junior and College. Big Classical or Big Clas as we knew it presented a very different appearance then. I started at the Junior as a small boy in 1942 or 1943. As juniors we had very little experience of Big Clas as our lives were regulated by events at the Junior School. However, on Saturday nights we were allowed to attend film shows in Big Clas and it is these occasions that I recall. There were tiers of fairly uncomfortable wooden benches against each side wall together with other benches and chairs on the floor of the Hall running across the floor of the Hall. In the centre and about half way back was a blue metal film projection box from which the films were projected onto a screen at the stage end. On the walls were Honours Boards which listed the names and dates of the Honours won by OCs. There were many of these and the only ones I can remember were the Board for winners of the Victoria Cross and one solitary name of a winner of the George Cross. I have called these “Boards” but they were not the standard wooden board with gold lettering. The Boards were in black paint and appeared to be painted straight on to parts of the white plaster lining the walls. After Big Clas was re-modelled I never saw those Boards again. Of the films we saw I remember being terrified by the black and white version of Great Expectations, laughing till I was almost ill at the Marx Brothers in A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera and seeing Greta Garbo in Ninotchka. As a very junior boy I wasn’t allowed to see Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty but did see Laughton’s The Private Lives of Henry VIII- all films were black and white. The first colour film I saw was Henry V with Olivier, which was shown at a commercial cinema in Cheltenham. The film projector box caused great excitement one Saturday evening when, while a film was being shown, it caught fire and was burnt out. After this event the Juniors were shown films in the Junior School, on the fairly rare occasions when such entertainment was provided. For some reason I wasn’t present when the fire occurred but heard all about it from other boys who were there. It must have been very exciting. In 1948 I entered College and the appearance of Big Clas was as I have described it. I have a memory of rehearsing part of Handel’s Messiah in Big Clas. At that stage some eccentric music master had the idea that I could sing and put me in the Choir to sing as an alto. I can only say that he made a very great mistake and after a short while I was relieved of my position as a chorister on the universal vote of my fellows; I suspect that they were just as happy to get rid of me as I was to go. I recall rehearsing the chorus of For Unto us a Child is Born as part of a performance of The Messiah. Early on in my time it was announced that dry rot had been discovered in the rooves of both Big Clas and Big Mod. This necessitated the complete removal and replacement of the entire wooden roof structure of both buildings, a major and no doubt very expensive undertaking, particularly at a time when building materials were scarce and in heavy demand as re-building was going on all over the UK to make good the damage suffered during World War II and to provide housing for many rendered homeless as a result of bombing. I well recall the Gloucester Aircraft Company was turned over to manufacturing Pre-Fab homes. These were largely made of metal and were in two sections which were transported by road to the site where they were needed and then erected with the two sections being joined together, to form one house. In transit by road these were a significant nuisance to other road users who had to try and pass the low loaders which moved very slowly and also took up a great deal of room on the narrow major roads of those days. Michael Innes refers to these homes in Operation Pax. The need to re-roof both Halls had other effects on College. First it rendered both buildings totally unusable while this major work was going on and secondly it led to the removal of Speech Day from Big Clas to the Cheltenham Town Hall, a move which the Headmaster, Elliot-Smith, described as being “to decadent plush”. We, that is to say the boys, no girls in those monastic days of course, were accommodated upstairs in the balconies while the parents and those who were in receipt of prizes, never an event effecting myself, were in the body of the Hall. This move had the undoubted advantage of providing considerably more space for parents and friends than could possibly have been available in Big Clas. I remember watching and puzzling over the reasons for work on Big Clas as the roof was first taken off and tarpaulins put in place and then later on the roof was put back in place. I now know that dry rot is a very serious condition which makes the total removal of all effected timber essential if the problem is not to recur. I also know that the expression ‘dry rot’ is odd as the usual cause of the condition is bad drainage leading to damp which in turn causes the spores of the rot to grow and thrive. Eventually, after a year or two, Big Clas re-opened but with what a difference. The Honours Boards had gone, as had the benches along the walls. All seating was in the body of the Hall facing the stage which in turn had been completely renovated. I remember being told by someone involved in theatrical performances that the new switchboard, which was the latest word in equipment, had been donated to College by Strand Electrics after it had been on exhibition at the Festival of Britain in 1951- this may simply be a legend. Not only had the Honours Boards gone but Big Clas glowed with fresh new paint. I recall the colour scheme as being cerise, the College colour, and green, the brain child of an OC architect or interior designer. Big Clas remained like this for the rest of my time at College-I left in 1954- quite understandably as it was still very new. I haven’t seen it since due to my leaving England and coming to Australia in 1961. Big Modern When I went to College Big Modern, or Big Mod as we called it, was brought back into use; this was well before the alterations to Big Clas were started. Someone, probably the Council and the Head, had decided that Big Mod should become the College Library. It was used as a library and was available all the time for Study or Spare Periods. Big Mod on these occasions was always supervised by one of the masters, an essential precaution to ensure discipline; a condition sometimes lacking in other Spare Periods presided over by masters who could not control those present. When it opened the book cases were all grey metal, no doubt as part of the economy drive which so dominated post war Britain, The only really odd thing I remember was a glass case in a corner of Big Mod which contained a stuffed buffalo or bison which had been shot by a Brigadier, (or was he Colonel?), Wingfield-Stratford OC; one of my exact contemporaries was a boy of the same name who was in Hazelwell. I spent many periods in Big Mod allegedly studying but in fact reading books on a variety of subjects which I found interesting, even if they had nothing whatever to do with what I was meant to be studying. Big Mod had the vast advantage of being quiet so that those who were studious were provided the opportunity to enhance their studies and, write their essays, a constant occupation for most of us at the time. Among other books I read Napier’s History of the Peninsula War which started me in my long-time interest in military history. Dr Henry Gordon-Clark; Junior and Christowe 1942-1954.

School fees meet the running costs of College alone but leave little left over for further development. Through regular giving, your support can enhance the College experience of all pupils.

This year, each new regular gift will go even further because of a generous matching fund that will add £50 to the gift. With your support we will be able to fund some projects of immediate need across both Schools and increase our ongoing bursary provision, not only for current pupils but also for generations of Cheltonians to come.

This is a continuing effort and we hope that everyone will participate.

You can find out more information on our Regular Giving pages.

College is delighted to announce a truly fantastic gift of £670,000 from OC John Chatfeild-Roberts (Leconfield 1980).  In recognition of this generosity, College has named Big Modern (the Library) after John's father, Colonel Graham Chatfeild-Roberts (Leconfield 1932). 

Colonel Graham Chatfeild-Roberts was was a keen supporter of College, being an active member of the Cheltonian Society of which he was President in 1971/2, and served on College Council from 1966-1981, a period which covered the financially difficult 1970s.

John says, "My father was a particularly devoted servant of the school and he loved the place.

"I've been very fortunate to be able to give something back to the school and were it not for the education I received here I would not have been in a position to do so.

"For places like this the fees only cover the running costs, but the money for the buildings doesn't just come out of thin air."

Cheltenham College headmaster Dr Alex Peterken said: "This gift is a huge gesture from Mr Chatfeild-Roberts and a significant endorsement of the direction that Cheltenham College is taking.

"With academic results soaring and new facilities being both planned and built, his spirit of giving is already inspiring others to be part of our drive to be one of the very best schools in the West of England."

Big Classical as per 29th July 2011

Computer generated image of completed works to Big Classical

Whilst enjoying canapés and Pimm’s, Alex Peterken thanked them for their support of College through leaving a bequest in their wills. This kind of support helps us plan for the longer term. He also updated them on the vision of College and the progress that has been made in his first year as Headmaster.

Members were able to look at archive displays about Hugh Reeves and the impact he made on College as well as seeing photos from some of their time here.

After lunch, guests were free to mingle and reminisce by walking around the grounds and watch a Cricket Match on College field.

This is the first of what will be an annual lunch for the Hugh Reeves Legacy Society to thank members for the part they play in moving College forward, to update them on what is happening at College and hopefully make them feel part of something truly special; after all, what they are doing is special.

If you would like more information about leaving a bequest to College in your will please contact Andrew Harris, Director of Development on (01242) 706815 or harris.andrew@cheltcoll.gloucs.sch.uk.

We are pleased to publish our first Donor Thank You newsletter. For a sneak preview of the document that will be mailed to all Association Members along with Floreat 2011 please take a look here.

In July, 12 recent College leavers were in touch with over 500 OCs as part of our "Planning Ahead" campaign. We are delighted to announce that over £108,000 has been received in gifts and pledges. All the funds will be put towards the Cheltenham College Scholarship and Bursary endowment fund and towards the development of our facilities.

The Planning Ahead Campaign is open to all those in the College Community and information packs are available. Indeed generous current and past parents have already contributed. If you would like to make a gift or request further information please contact Heather Eggelton, Development Operations Manager on 01242 706812 or at eggelton.heather@cheltcoll.gloucs.sch.uk

We aim to contact around 650 OCs and update them on the developments and news across College, find out about their time at Cheltenham and invite them to make a contribution to the Regular Giving Programme. (Please see the Regular Giving Pages of this site). We are raising funds to create a Scholarship and Bursary Endowment Fund and further develop our facilities to ensure we deliver excellent education standards in the 21st Century.

The 'Tinson Music Fund' has been created and more details will follow shortly.

If you would like to make a gift to the Scholarship and Bursaries Endowment Fund please contact Heather Eggelton, Development Operations Manager.