26th April 2013 - Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

For nearly 15 years I have come to work every day in an 800 year old office, which once was the Abbott’s “Great Chamber”. It is where successive Abbotts worked, slept and planned the future. It would have been much more austere then, with no wifi and no carpet and none of the children’s artwork but it clearly was the centre of operations. There was a time when the Abbotts had the power of life and death over local criminals, who threw themselves on their mercy. The Abbotts of Battle were powerful men in charge of vast estates ranging as far as Devon.

The room I occupy is a quarter of the size of what was once here. It was originally not dissimilar to the present Abbott’s Hall, just up one storey. What stories,( the other sort), this room could tell if buildings could talk!

I have always felt nothing but good Feng Shui in this room, which has served different generations in different ways. It was once a dormitory, where the present Chair of the former pupils’ association(BAFPA) slept. It was also part of the Head of Boarding’s flat and for the last twenty years has been the Headmaster’s office.

There is a small church in Tasmania where they claim to have the stained glass from the original Abbott’s “Great Chamber”, removed during Cromwell’s time, when his men ravished the churches of the country, removing signs of idolatory and smashing stained glass windows. Immediately adjacent to my office is the Abbott’s former private chapel, deconsecrated now, but still revealing traces of the old wall paintings with which it was once adorned. In addition to that, there are traces of the red lines the monks painted on top of the plaster of the Abbey, still there, since the great fire of 1931 did not reach the chapel. All of the stone work in the  Abbott’s Hall was, until 1931, completely covered in white plaster.

Abutting my office on the north side is a hollow tower. Did a spiral staircase once offer the Abbott a second means of exit in case anyone knocked on his door, who he did not want to see? Now there’s a thought!

Best wishes,
Roger Clark

19th April 2013 - Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

I wondered what it would be like to stand on the starting line for the last time after 24 years and 72 new terms as a Headmaster but I am not sure that I have had the time to take it in. I can certainly not see the finishing line nor am I rushing towards it. Schools are very busy places and the hustle and bustle of every day is all consuming. And the young people’s lives go on and they continue to bring their youth, commitment, energy and laughter into school each day and they enliven us all.

I continue to work closely with the “new Mr Clark” and I am delighted that he will be able to spend several whole days at school in the latter part of this term. I am also more and more certain that the governors have chosen wisely.

I am grateful to Martina Johnson, to Rob Mercer and to Mr Lenaghan for accompanying the trip to Barcelona with 30 of our pupils and equally to Aaron Eckhoff, Charlotte Bryant and Steven Flutter for accompanying the ski trip. I have heard nothing but good about these trips and I want to record my gratitude since without the teachers preparedness to give up their time in the holidays such trips would never take place. Mrs Johnson is also leading a trip to Cologne during half-term and to Munich at the end of term.

No sooner were Mr Eckhoff and Miss Bryant back from skiing, than they were off to Dartmoor with the Silver D of E group, who, I am told, covered themselves in glory, while being soaked, exhausted but finally triumphal at the end of their four day hike.

During the holidays the maintenance team were very busy and several of the Sixth Form rooms have had a significant “make-over” in preparation for next year. The “new” Sixth Form suite of rooms will be completed by September.

For over half the school there will be very important examinations and so for many weeks of this term the academic side of life will take its highest priority.

So we are off and I hope that the sun shines on us all both actually and metaphorically.

Best wishes

Roger Clark