Rhubarb Issue 12: November 2023

ST EDWARD’S

in New Inn Hall Street where she nursed him ‘devotedly’ (Hill). Later she took him to a cottage in Kennington to recuperate, then to the Grand Hotel at Eastbourne, where the sea breezes brought him a gradual recovery. For a while he had even lost the use of his legs. Later, he moved back to Oxford where a bed was made up in the Oratory for him. There was also a case amongst the boys, and all were sent home early at Whitsun. Meantime Simeon attempted to manage his new enterprise from his sickbed, with Felicia Skene taking over as a makeshift secretary and clerk of works, organising everything on site with the Reverend Arthur Cowie, Simeon’s faithful deputy. (Read more about Felicia Skene on page 20). In August, any boys who wanted to, did return, but parents were asked to delay another month as at the new School, nothing was ready.The main builders, Orchard’s of Banbury, had been contracted to complete the Main Buildings and Warden’s House by the beginning of August ‘both inside and out’. But delays caused by bad weather, and ‘strikes of the

FEATURE

The temporary Chapel in Beauchamp Dormitory 1875

‘One boy fell into a well,’ dug for building purposes,‘two others ran away’ and it fell to the Headmaster’s quick wits to find them before they got too far. As his own house was not nearly ready, Simeon lived in the Servants’ Hall for the first term. Luckily throughout this nightmare, the weather remained warm and dry.

One boy fell into a well, ...two others ran away

Quite amazingly, and in the theatrical parlance ‘the show must go on’ the first School official opening (there were several) took place two days afterwards on Sunday 24th August, with a service that carried all the Tractarian trappings which Simeon and his supporters could bring to bear.The Choir, with crucifix and banners, entered via the back gate from South Parade singing psalms, processing through the half-finished kitchen and into the embryonic Dining Hall.They continued on to ascend via the stone staircase to the first floor where they arrived at the Beauchamp Dormitory, which was to serve as the Chapel until 1877. Here there was an altar laid out with ‘six magnificent candlesticks, a beautiful Ammergau Crucifix (from New Inn Hall Street) and six brass vases of flowers’ all on a ‘richly worked super-frontal altar cloth’. In these highly elaborate surroundings, the Holy Eucharist was sung – the opening service of St Edward’s.Two more services followed later that day. While some of the old pupils from New Inn Hall Street lived in the shambolic conditions from the outset, the new boys didn’t officially join them until 5th September when the new term formally began.

Class of 1874

workmen on site’ meant the first pupils (and their parents) were faced everywhere by the sight of workmen, unfitted windows, and doors and ‘the concomitant paraphernalia’ (Hill).The relationship between Simeon and Wilkinson had reached a stage where neither was speaking to the other and they were communicating via third parties. Simeon managed to put the 1873 Winter Term starting date back a month but could do no more, with parents starting to become more restless as the days past. On 22nd August 1873 the preliminaries to the School opening began, with some of the existing boys present and ‘Simeon conducted a blessing’ (Oxley).The first days were chaotic.‘The School Matron,’ a Mrs Rixson, who Simeon described as ‘most inefficient’, ‘forgot to provide food for the servants, meaning that Simeon had to go into the dark gloom of Summertown to buy bread and cheese.’ He also, with the help of his few Common Room members and friends, had to help sweep out the dormitories throwing ‘chips and lime out of the windows’. On the next morning the new (and only) stove would not draw, so there was no hot water available, and the boys had to wait for their first breakfast.

The School issued its first edition of the Chronicle in March 1873.

‘The School issued its first edition of the Chronicle inMarch 1873.’ It was ‘a boys’ project’ (Oxley), very much the idea of pupil Trant Chambers who brought his own printing equipment into the School and got things going, proposing to publish ‘a regular paper’ from one of the cellars. He got nowhere until more senior and practical boys took over and moved his project forward. At the very beginning, therefore, the Chronicle was very much pupil-led with minimal adult intervention until a few years later.

18