Rhubarb 2024

1925

The New Houses In 1925, based on the successful roll out of the new boarding house system at Shrewsbury School, Kendall embarked on his ambitious creation of new Houses at Teddies.With most of the existing Set Tutors well established, most simply carried their names over to the new House as the first Housemaster.

Three weeks into the start of his first term the local Clapperton family decided to place their sizeable Georgian House ‘Apsley Paddox’ and 10-acre estate linking the Banbury and Woodstock Roads up for sale.The new Warden was authorised to bid up to £8,000 (£635,000 today) and with no other bidders, the property became the School’s. At a stroke, Kendall had accommodation for 50 boys and at least one teacher. Also, as it turned out, this was the best piece of real estate business ever conducted by St Edward’s.

Main Buildings

New Buildings

COWELL’S – Tutorial Set A. Named after Wilfrid Cowell. Due to Cowell’s age, he was felt too old to take this House over, but his name was used due to his service to the School. Freddie Yorke was HM. Cowell’s moved into the top floor of the Main Buildings, sharing the bottom floor with Tilly’s. SING’S – Tutorial Set B. Named after John Sing. Sing had been the original Set Tutor, he had since been the Warden (1903-13) and was retired, so the House was named in recognition of him. Philip Whitrow was the HM. This House moved into the New Buildings (Macnamara’s today) with Menzies’ and Macnamara’s in a hotchpotch of dormitory and dayroom arrangements. FIELD HOUSE – Tutorial Set C. John Griffiths was the Tutor. He was already living in Field House (today’s Corfe) and took in his new charges under the same roof and adopted the name of the building. MACNAMARA’S – Tutorial Set D. Named after the Tutor, Arthur Macnamara. Moved with Sing’s and Menzies’ into the New Buildings in the Southern Block (Macnamara’s today) somehow sharing the three floors provided. APSLEY – Tutorial Set E. HM, Bruce Goldie, who left the same term and was replaced by Gerry Segar as HM.The boys were transferred ‘en masse’ to Apsley Paddox and took the name of the newly acquired building. TILLY’S – Tutorial Set F. Arthur Tilly was the set Tutor and new HM.This group occupied the first floor of the Main Buildings and some of the ground floor. MENZIES’ – G. A new entity, under the Rev. Kenneth Menzies.This new grouping moved into the New Buildings (Macnamara’s today) with Sing’s. It was a complex arrangement of dormitory and dayroom sharing. These changes introduced new terminology to the School including ‘Dayroom’,‘House Prefect’, ‘Head of House’.

Apsley Paddox (circa 1930), home of Field House for 34 years.

The War Memorial Buildings, designed by Harold Rogers, (Tilly’s today) had been started in 1923 and were opened in December by General Sir A.J. Godley G.O.C. Southern Command.

The speckled straw hat (‘Basher’) became compulsory wear outside the School grounds. Kendall wanted to both advertise the School and to make sure the boys were not passing themselves

off as undergraduates while in Oxford. A School cap was acceptable for outside trips as an alternative after WW2.

The boarding house system was introduced to St Edward’s, replacing the previous set tutorial scheme in place since Warden Hobson’s day in 1898. Previously the only differentiation of pupils within the School had been by the Set Tutors they reported to, the dormitories they slept in and which side of the Chapel aisle they sat on. Now, with both Apsley Paddox and the War Memorial Buildings available, the new House arrangement was able to be more easily established.

Electric light was connected in the Main Buildings and Lodge.

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