Old Princethorpians

Do you remember going on a residential to Derbyshire with Crescent School? We know that this trip was a rite of passage for many Old Crescentians; the first record of it in the Foundation Archive is from May 1979, with further references throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

One wonderful, and very detailed, record of the trip can be found in the ‘Derbyshire Diary’ created by talented Crescent pupil Charlotte R in 1989. The folder which houses it is beautifully decorated to reflect the Derbyshire countryside, with blue skies, rolling green hills and even fluffy cotton wool sheep enjoying the sunshine!

As well as a fascinating first-hand account of the trip, the folder contains the daily itinerary, photographs, worksheets and souvenirs – and most importantly for any school residential, details of what was for breakfast each day! Visits to Eyam, Treak Cliff Cavern, Peveril Castle and Mam Tor were just some of the highlights mentioned. The diary ends with Charlotte’s reflection that ‘I enjoyed every bit of it and would love to do it again’ – we’re sure that this was a sentiment shared by many who went on this trip over the years.

The Derbyshire Field Trips are also mentioned in A History Of Crescent School that was updated for our 75th anniversary at the start of last year. You can order a copy of it on Princethorpe Connect here.

Do you have memories of your Derbyshire trip that you’d like to share? Do get in touch with us at archives@princethorpe.co.uk – we’d be delighted to hear from you!

Images:

1. Derbyshire Diary cover
2. Souvenirs purchased on the Derbyshire trip
3. Final thoughts on the Derbyshire residential

Earlier this year, The Princethorpe Foundation was delighted to receive a very special and significant gift from a family with strong Princethorpe connections.

Former Foundation Assistant Head, Alex Darkes, was contacted in the spring by Marie Wheildon, whose late husband John had been a pupil (1966-1972) and deputy head boy at the College. Marie wished to donate to the Foundation Archive two beautifully embroidered altar fronts, which she had made in 1995 for St Joseph’s Church in Avon Dassett. Since the altar fronts were seeing less use at St Joseph’s due to a reduced number of services being held there, Marie was keen for them to be passed to the College in memory of John, and used in the Chapel at masses involving alumni from Princethorpe College and St Mary’s Priory.

The Wheildons’ links with Princethorpe have been strong through the generations, with Marie and John’s three children having followed in their father’s footsteps at the College. Marie’s brother Stephen Calnan is also a Princethorpe alumnus, while John’s sister Mary Wheildon – a familiar face to many of our Old Princethorpians community – is a past pupil of St Mary’s Priory.

The altar fronts are beautifully appliquéd with fine gold kid and intricately embroidered with religious symbolism including Alpha-Omega representing the beginning and the end, and the Chi-Ro and IHS symbols representing Christ. The designs were originally developed by Marie through discussions with the late Fr David Condron of St Francis of Assisi Church in Kineton.

We were delighted that Marie was able to join us as our special guest at our VSOPs reunion on 7 September, when the altar fronts saw their first use in the Chapel of Our Lady of Angels. Before the Mass was held by Fr Teddy O’Brien MSC, Alex Darkes shared the story of the altar fronts with the VSOPs, who greatly admired Marie’s beautiful handiwork and were fascinated to hear about the significance of these glorious items. Our thanks again to Marie for this wonderful donation, and we look forward to seeing the altar fronts in use at many Old Princethorpians’ masses in the future.

With thanks to Alex Darkes for information used in this article.

Photographs:

1)    Marie Wheildon with the altar front in the Chapel of Our Lady of Angels, VSOPs reunion, 7 September 2024

2)    Marie Wheildon with the altar front in St Joseph’s Church, c. 1995

This year’s VSOPs reunion was a particularly special event, as 2024 marks the centenary of the St Mary’s Priory Old Girls’ Association.

According to Peeps of Princethorpe, the Priory’s school magazine, the idea of an Old Girls’ Association first came about in December 1923, when St Mary’s Priory alumnae were allowed to return to the school site for the very first time. In true St Mary’s style, this momentous occasion was celebrated by means of a hockey match against the current pupils.

Not deterred by coming a close second in the match, the alumnae were inspired to take the first steps towards starting an Old Girls’ Association in the new year. The 1924 edition of Peeps of Princethorpe lists the aims of the nascent Association as ‘(1) to strengthen the bond between all old Princethorpians, and (2) to keep all former pupils in touch with their old School’: objectives which are still firmly at the heart of our Old Princethorpians community today.

In 1925, the growing Association reported in Peeps that ‘We are now becoming ambitious. We should like to devote a large part of our space to a new feature – “Notes and News of Old Princethorpians”’. This new section of the magazine, to which ‘All are invited to send details, even if to them they seem trivial and worthless’, proved a lasting success, and continues to provide us with fascinating insights into the life and times of the Old Girls who were featured over the years.

Peeps of Princethorpe can be viewed online at https://archives.princethorpe.co.uk/galleries/peeps
We hope you enjoy discovering some of the wonderful stories within its pages.

Images:

1. Peeps of Princethorpe cover, 1924
2. Alumnae return to St Mary’s Priory, December 1923 (Peeps of Princethorpe 1924)
3. The Old Girls’ Association is formed, 1924 (Peeps of Princethorpe 1924)
4. The Old Girls’ Association reports on progress, 1925 (Peeps of Princethorpe 1925)

Were you a prefect during your time at Princethorpe? If so, you may remember the excitement being mixed with just a little bit of trepidation about the extra responsibilities of this important role. A recent addition to the Foundation Archives shows how some of our former prefects aimed to help their successors through the initial nerves by sharing their own first-hand experiences.

The ‘Prefect Bible’, which was passed to the Archives at the end of the summer term by, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Cyprian Vella, was created by the prefects of 2017/18 for the incoming 2018/19 prefect body, and was subsequently added to by the prefects of 2018/19 and 2019/20. With a beautifully detailed cover, designed and decorated by a very talented prefect, it is a wonderful ‘how-to’ manual full of hints and tips. Specific sections included cover each of the prefect roles, as well as some helpful general pointers on meetings, duties and the prefect uniform.

Top tips include getting organised early on, celebrating each other’s successes, not being afraid to ask for help, and most of all enjoying the role – all of which have no doubt also been useful life skills for our prefects in their years beyond school. The Prefect Bible also contains some lovely photos of the contributing prefects enjoying life in their roles, and is a fantastic snapshot of the duties involved in each of the prefect positions. Above all, it is a wonderful example of the famous Princethorpe generosity of spirit, as students took time out of their busy schedules to encourage and support others for the benefit of the whole school community.

Were you a member of the prefect body who created or continued the Prefect Bible, or perhaps one of the incoming prefects who benefited from their words of wisdom? Or maybe you have other stories to share about being a prefect at Princethorpe? We would love to hear your memories of prefect life – please do send them in to archives@princethorpe.co.uk .

Images:

1. Prefect Bible cover
2. Prefect group shots and activities, 2017-18
3. Prefect Bible ‘to be continued’ message from the 2017-18 prefect body
4. Tips from the Deputy Head Girls and Boys, 2018-19
5. Tips from the Charity Prefect, 2019-20

On Thursday 6 June, the College was delighted to welcome OP Stuart Devlin back to Princethorpe for a tour of the school.  

Stuart is a former pupil, having attended the College from 1982 to 1989, and he now resides in Devon with his wife, Helen. Stuart called the school to ask if he and Helen could drop in for a visit, as they were passing through the region. We are always pleased to see OPs, so it was a pleasure to be able to accommodate this spontaneous request. Caroline Spencer, Alumni and Development Officer, enjoyed taking Stuart on a trip down memory lane. 

The first port of call was the Art department, where Stuart was pleased to be reunited with Head of Art and Photography, and fellow OP, Paul Hubball (Class of 1991). In his school days, Stuart was close friends with Paul's older brother, OP Christopher Hubball, with whom Stuart says he shared many good laughs during their time at Princethorpe. It was warming to see the two catch up and reminisce.

One memory was triggered as Stuart walked past what had been, for him and his peers, the Pupil Common Room (now an Art classroom). Stuart recalled that at times the older pupils would throw water out of the windows onto the younger pupils who stood just outside, seemingly to make the pupil pecking order abundantly clear. Stuart, who also shared that he was Social Prefect for a time, didn't confess to engaging in these antics himself. Indeed, it appears he had a healthy respect for authority, as well as a creative streak, if his poem entitled 'In Trouble' is any indication. Our Archivist, Jo Wong, discovered this poem in our archives following Stuart's visit, and he granted us permission to share it. See the photo gallery accompanying this article.

It was great to welcome Stuart back to Princethorpe. In a follow-up email, Stuart commented: "It was an absolute delight to return to Princethorpe and it brought back so many fond memories. Even though much had changed there was still so much that had stayed as I remembered. To be able to meet with Paul Hubball was a real treat. Princethorpe holds a special place in my heart; it went a long way in shaping the person I am today. The values and principles I learnt at Princethorpe I still hold dear today. It really is an amazing educational institution and community, and it was so heartwarming to go back after all these years."

If you are an X (formerly Twitter) user, you should follow our Princethorpe Foundation Archives X account. Our Archivist, Jo Wong, posts regularly sharing what is happening in the archives and plenty of wonderful photos and stories from our collections too. You can find her account here: https://x.com/PFdn_Archives

Posts over the summer have included everything from Prize Giving programmes with a rather lurid yellow design from the 1970s. A fabulous recycling logo produced back in 1991 showing how sustainability has been on the agenda here at Princethorpe for a very long time. And even a picture of Bertie, the faithful companion of Father James (Seamus) McManus MSC, who was Headmaster of St Bede’s College 1966-1972 and later Deputy Head at Princethorpe College.

Do feel free to comment and engage with her posts to share your memories! Or contact Jo directly at archives@princethorpe.co.uk