3rd April 2011
Dear Parents,
Sunshine is streaming in through my study windows and the scents of spring are at
last in the air. My mood of euphoria and optimism has nothing of course to do with
the fact that the youthful inmates of Churchill’s have departed for home. I am in fact
on record as having said to quite a number of people this term that if the House
never got better than it is now, in terms of the boys it contains – and by implication
their parents - I should count myself a lucky man. It may be a while before we are in
a position to win first house football, cricket or fives, but in many other ways the
House is overrepresented in terms of the spread of talent it contains.
The cartoonist and co-founder of Private Eye, Willie Rushton, head of house of
Churchill’s Hall in 1956 (in succession to Richard Ingrams), writes in his entry in the
House Fasti, kept continuously up to date from 1874 to the present in ten volumes
by whoever is the Head of House at the time, that ‘I must now to the sport, as in
The Salopian [of which Rushton was the then editor] it’s the only thing anyone reads’.
I now so turn, but without any of his sense of weary resignation.
Proceeding backwards, the last week of term saw some pleasing results, with a
bronze medals for the A team in Steeplechases and the shield for the winning B
team, both results a reflection of the strength we have in this sport in the lower part
of the house in particular. Two individuals have stood out this term, both winning
sport commendations from the sports faculty, Rory Fraser (4th form) and John
Dempsey (3rd form), the former winning numerous races in various competitions
which have been fully reported in the School’s e-bulletin.
Also last week, in the inter-house Rugby 7s competition we carried away the plate,
men of the match quite definitely Charlie Newbould (L6), an inspirational captain
and James Pullicino (U6), the former a Ist XV player, the latter having long ago
forsaken oval for spherical leather; but we had a glimpse of what might have been.
With considerable strength in the current third and fourth forms and Lower Sixth,
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our fortunes should rise further next year in a sport which is becoming increasingly
important at Shrewsbury under the glittering aegis of Paul Greetham.
Another sporting achievement which should be mentioned, although not strictly a
House achievement, is the School 2nd XI’s victory in the Shropshire League.
Churchill’s has furnished the engine room of this feisty team with the quartet of Alex
Bould, Jimmy Thornton, James Pullicino and Lucas Munz who have a deal of fun and
success in their final term of Shrewsbury School football.
Whilst on the subject of competition, I cannot of course overlook the spectacular
win by Churchill’s in the first ever inter-house Ready Steady Cook competition. Will
Heyes and Alasdair Bird, the latter following a family tradition, swept us to victory
with a homely and very tasty Chicken and rice dish, cooked to perfection,
accompanied by bacon flavoured cabbage and finished off with an attractive and
healthy fruit cup. The discerning judges, including some celebrity cook whose name I
forget, fairly quickly passed over far more fussily-presented and flamboyantlycoloured nouvelle cuisine offerings from other Houses, including the girls’ House (!)
and went for true quality. The prize was a full BBQ for the house on a date of our
choosing, with staff to cook and serve. The date of my choosing is Friday 6th May
before our House Music Soiree and I do hope that as many of you as possible will be
able to come along as our guests, and to the concert afterwards.
The major House event of the term was this year’s house play, Thomas Middleton’s
A Yorkshire Tragedy. This was an enormously challenging assignment, involving as it did
Jacobean language and distinctly gritty subject matter (infanticide!). It was in many
ways a natural choice for Dr David Law … He oversaw the production and
delegated the day-to-day (literally!) direction to Oli Carter-Esdale (U6). I am certain
that the key to successful house productions lies in ancient Egyptian practices:
ruthless slave driving, also perhaps in keeping me out of the way. I did not once hear
one of the 20-strong cast complain about the choice of play (most Houses opt for
comedies) or the difficulties of transmitting the language in a suitably poignant fashion
(‘Mother, I am killed!’). With so much youthful acting and musical talent in the
House, next year we have tentative plans to stage a revival of the musical Jekyll! With
the house tutor and composer John Moore as our musical director.
On the intellectual front I would like to mention three or four individuals who have
distinguished themselves. Theo Simmons and Rory Fraser furnished two out of the
three winners of the immensely esoteric and eccentric McEachran Prize (details of
competition available on application), and Theo featured again, this time with
Laurence Jeffcoate as two out of the five winners of the Bentley Elocution Prize. In
both cases, third former Theo recited and/or talked about his own poetry. I must
also mention Sonny Koh, who all year has been unassailably in first place in the
whole School third form rankings, and Ben Lyster-Binns and Laurence Jeffcoate who
in the most recent fourth form rankings have taken first and second place.
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I enclose a House ‘Fasti’ for the Lent Term, including the timings of parents’ evenings
for the Third and Fourth Forms, so that you can plan your visits to the School,
and know what your sons are doing.
The major whole-House events, to which all parents and families are invited, will be:

House Barbeque and Musical Soiree on Friday 6th May from 6:30 pm (concert
at 8:15 pm in Maidment Building). Sadly, this is not as ideal a date as the night before
half term, but the latter is the date of the Mary Sidney Hall Leavers’ Dinner which
Ruth and I will be attending this year as our daughter Eleanor is leaving.
Nevertheless I hope that a good number of you will be able to attend. The musical
talent in the House is extraordinary, and the 12 piece House big band will be on
show, as well as numerous smaller ensembles and a repeat performance of the
House Part Song.

Speech Day Pimms Party on Friday 8th July. Full details will of course be sent
nearer the date. By tradition the focal point of this gathering is the investiture of the
new Head of House and his Deputy.
Other events include:

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Churchill’s Hall House Dance on Saturday 14th May. Parents not welcome!!
(message from boys).
2011 Leavers’ Dinner on Friday 24th June. Formal invitations to this have already
been sent out to the parents and guardians of our 2011 leavers – thank you to those
who have already replied.
2011 New Boys’ Lunch on Sunday 26th June. Again, invitations have already been
sent out. Twelve new third formers are due to join Churchill’s Hall in September.
2011 Leavers’ Ball on Friday 8th July. Many thanks to Sarah Shaw for handling the
arrangements for this hugely important event in the leavers’ calendar.
Thanks as ever to our great team of tutors, in particular to my deputy Jeremy Lucas.
He and his wife Domini, assisted by numerous boys from the House - including the
occasional boy on correctional ‘community service’ - are transforming the garden
outside the tutors flat into an earthly paradise, and both Jeremy and Domini have
proved extraordinarily generous with their time in so many ways, not least their now
legendary tea parties and mammoth board game sessions. And of course my thanks
to all the house staff, in particular to the trio who really run the place, without
whom it would grind to a halt: matron Sandra, Mrs King and my secretary Sue. Very
sadly, the time has come for Mrs King, who has been with the house for nearly 30
years, to hang up her metaphorical apron, and she will be retiring at the end of the
Summer term. I will of course have much more to say about this extraordinary lady
in my summer term letter.
On behalf of both Ruth and myself, I wish you all a happy and relaxing Easter break.
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