Chapel and Heritage Fund news

Returned this term from their restorative breaks are a range of heritage pieces that have been looked after, thanks to our generous donors to the Chapel and Heritage Fund. 

Back in time for the 2024 Lord Atkin lecture was the portrait of J R Atkin that leaves the Dining Hall annually to observe the proceedings. Cleaned and re-glassed, our most distinguished OB is looking much refreshed. For proof of the value of the new glass, take a closer look at the photograph below: it was taken under full stage lighting, with not a reflection in sight. 

Similarly re-glassed and cleaned is the portrait of J R Cobb (1821-1897) painted by H H Hay (1852-1911) and given by the Cobb family in 1898. J R Cobb was a great benefactor to the school at the time of its refoundation, and a Governor from 1871 to 1897. His portrait, seen aloft in the main photo with two of our tremendous Estates team, is now reinstalled in the Dining Hall to keep an avuncular eye on meals.

Just like you see in ‘The Repair Shop’, the cleaning process reveals previously unseen detail and both portraits have returned glowing and refreshed by local picture restorer, Paul Millis. The new glazing makes all the difference and we can now look up to see our benefactors' faces instead of reflections of rafters. 

Part of the planning process for effective use of the Chapel and Heritage Fund is an audit of heritage objects. This year’s audit revealed two very different heritage pieces that were in need of urgent care. With work on them completed by Noel Gaskell, they are now safely 'home'. 

The first piece was the lectern commissioned for our Chapel in 1896 (at a cost of £10). Older OBs will remember seeing it to the left of the altar; some OBs may remember it standing in the Antechapel. In recent years it had become worryingly unstable and put into safe storage. We knew that Noel would soon weave his magic, and it has returned from his workshop to the Antechapel structurally robust and enlivened for us to admire its Gothic splendour.  

Considerably younger - by more than a century, the other piece was a chair that dates only from 2014. Part of the original St Nick’s playground furniture, it has been used as ‘the Bardic chair’ since the Prep. School’s very first Eisteddfod in March 2015. Though the weather had taken its toll over the years, Noel's skilled work has remedied wide splits in the structure and made it ready for use once again in time for the 2025 Eisteddfod.  

Together these two pieces actively challenge views of what ‘heritage’ means in a working school. Reassuringly, meticulous research is undertaken by the Archivist and insightful questions are asked by the Foundation Committee before approval is given for any project. As a result, thoughtful judgements can be made about how the Chapel and Heritage Fund is used. We hope you approve.

Thanks to the support of all our Chapel and Heritage Fund donors, planning for the next phase of heritage projects is already underway.