THE
QUINTIN
SCHOOL
1886 - 1956
A BRIEF HISTORY
L. C. B. SEAMAN
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Children in whom was no
blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in
all wisdom, and cunning in
knowledge, and understanding science. - Daniel, I,
iv. |
THE QUINTIN SCHOOL
LONDON N.W.8
1957
ORIGINAL PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY CHARLES BURRELL AND
SON, CHERTSEY, SURREY
THIS EDITION OCRd, RE-FORMATTED &
PRODUCED IN 2005 BY A.E. BECK (1939-46) & H.V. BECK
(1935-42)
(pdf versions on request)
CONTENTS
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| II. | ||
| III. | ||
| IV. | ||
| V. | ||
| VI. | ||
ILLUSTRATIONS
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In 1910 & After the Rebuilding of 1911 | ||
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From Peter Street, Soho - The Playground (S & N) | ||
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Work Begins on the New Building December1956 - Geography Room |
FOREWORD
By Dr. B. L. WORSNOP, B.Sc., Ph.D.,
F.Inst.P.,
HEAD
MASTER
We are most fortunate in having as author of our history one of Mr.
Seaman's calibre. To the present
boys he is 'senior History Master' or perhaps 'Editor of the Quintinian' but to
some of us he is known also as an historian of some distinction. In compiling the present most readable
story he has had access to records which have been undisturbed for years and
thus ensured the accuracy of his accounts of the early days. He has interspersed fact with anecdote
and has made the whole story live.
When he discusses what I call the 'Abbott era' he is able to supply
inside information because he was a boy in the school for some seven years until
1930 when, as a Scholar of Downing College, he went up to Cambridge. After the war he joined the staff and so
once more from 1947 has been an actual observer within the walls. As he was not with the school in
evacuation he has been able to reduce the account of the school's activities in
that period to a balanced length.
Actually the doings of the school in Somerset, both serious and amusing,
were to have formed the basis of a whole book in the early days after our
return-but unfortunately at that time we did not have a Mr. Seaman to write
it!
As the school has progressed through the years there has been a
significant change in the method of its government. In the early days our Founder was the
sole director of its affairs, had a first hand knowledge of all that went on in
it and saw that his advanced ideas were put into practice. It was a benevolent one-man control and
a period when ideals were set up and the beginnings of a real tradition were
established. On his death, Sir
Kynaston Studd, who knew his plans and his methods, took over the Presidency of
the Polytechnic and with it, of course, the School. At that time the departments of the Poly
were growing fast and the direction of the educational side was largely invested
in the hands of a Director of Education, and a Governing Body was established to
be responsible for the control of all Poly affairs, always under the
Chairmanship and guidance of the President, affectionately known in the Poly as
J.E.K.
When I was appointed Head of the School in 1938 the Director of Education was Mr. D. Humphrey who was very keen on all sides of Poly life and spent his energy in furthering it in a quiet, unobtrusive and very knowledgeable way. In the absence of a School Governing body all normal school problems such as the appointment of staff etc., were dealt with by the Director and the Head Master, with the guidance of Sir Kynaston, who was ready at all times to discuss any matter concerning our welfare. I found his ever-courteous attention and generous encouragement one of the factors which made my early days at the Poly worth while. His death was a second great loss to the School and a personal one to me.
The next phase in government
resulted from the 1944 Education Act, and our need for a new building. In order to obtain from public funds the
large sum envisaged for the new premises we changed our status from 'Aided' to
'Voluntary Control'. The fee-paying
boy could no longer be admitted and a separate Governing Body for the School had
to be set up. The name of the
school was changed from 'The Polytechnic Secondary School for Boys' to the
'Quintin School' so that in our old surroundings the new name could become
associated with the Poly, in the years of waiting for the New
Building.
The Governing Body was made up of Foundation Members and L.C.C.
representatives. In this period,
Sir Henry Pelham, an educationist of great standing as former Permanent
Secretary at the Board of Education, was a great help and among other things,
established the principle of having representatives of the Old Boys on the
Governors.
The early Foundation members included Mrs. E. M. Wood, the daughter of
the Founder, and his grandson, now Lord Hailsham, also Sir Eric Studd and Mr.
Bernard Studd, sons of Sir Kynaston.
This ensured the continued interest in our affairs of the two families
who had done so much in the past.
The constitution of the Board has changed a little even in the short time
since then, but we still have an Old Boy and other friends from the Poly joining
with the L.C.C. and University representatives. As one who will soon retire as Head, I
can freely say that we have a Governing Body, under the kindly chairmanship of
Mr. Bernard Studd, of which any school could be justly
proud.
May the School long continue to enhance its reputation as one of the
foremost London Grammar Schools, producing leaders in science, medicine,
commerce and the arts, who will be none the worse if they remember the real
meaning of the prayer I have so often used at Assembly:
"Almighty God, we humbly implore Thee to bestow Thy spiritual blessing on
this School, and grant that we may ever remember to have as our object, service
to our fellow creatures, but above all the honour and glory of Thy most Holy
name."
B.L.W.
L. B. S.
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SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE most reliable
guide to the salient events to be looked for by a would-be historian of the
school is the brief outline history contributed by Mr. J. W. Andrews to "The,
London Teacher" in 1938. For the life of Quintin Hogg and the early days of the
Polytechnic one turns naturally to Mrs. Wood's biography of her father, the
edition made use of by the author of these pages being the second (Quintin Hogg,
by Ethel M. Hogg, Constable, 1904). Wherever possible, however, the writer has
made use of contemporary accounts both of the foundation of the school and
Quintin Hogg's ideas about it which are to found in the Polytechnic Magazine and its forerunner
Home Tidings. Until Q.H. died in
1903, this magazine was published weekly and is of great interest, not merely
for its lively and intimate glimpses into the life of the Polytechnic and the
mind of Q.H., but also as an illuminating social document reflecting a great
deal of the historv ofthe last two decades of the 19th century. In the monthly
form it assumed after the death of Quintin Hogg in 1903, the Polytechnic Magazine is of considerably
less value to the historian of the school, and the period 1903-1919 is very
meagrely documented. From 1919 onwards the school magazine, The Quintinian has proved invaluable;
and the period 1921-25 during which The
Quintinian was not published has been rescued from documentary obscurity by
various Speech Day reports, etc., kindly lent by Mr. B. J. Knifton. Dr. Worsnop
was also able to provide various records relevant to the Minehead period and the
writer would fail in his duty if he did not put on record the fact that without
the Head Master's own firm determination that the idea of writing the school's
story should at long last be given practical effect this book could not have
been published.
For the rest, the writer has relied on the willing assistance of many old
boys and present and former members of the staff. In addition to those whose
help is acknowledged in the text, Mr. A. Bangert, Mr. H. Checkley, Mr. A. E.
Holbrow, Mr. J. B. Lambert, Mr. F. R. Moser and Mr. W. J. Russell, have also
provided various very useful reminiscences. Mr. L. J. Westwood has given most
valuable assistance in the tedious but essential tasks of proofreading. To
these, and to all others, who have assisted, the writer would record his
grateful thanks, at the same time exonerating them from any responsibility for
the mistakes he has made.
L. B. S.
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