OS MEMORIES OF THE 1950S sight , sang the school song , ‘ The Song of the Seven Oaks ’ with great gusto , and survived our punishments .
That was 68 years ago . Since that momentous decision to leave school , I have worked for several newspapers in England and Africa including 20 years as editor of the Sevenoaks Chronicle from 1969-89 , and a longer stint as their recorder of historical events . I came to know the amazing Heads who presided over radical changes at Sevenoaks ; not only to the school ’ s curriculum , but also its landscape and association with the town , particularly through VSU .
In 2016 I was invited to visit the school by Sally Robbins , the archivist , to talk about a time which had more in common with Tom Brown ’ s schooldays than the lively , cosmopolitan , co-educational school it is today .
FROM SEVENOAKS SCHOOL TO THE SEVENOAKS CHRONICLE ( AND BEYOND !)
I left Sevenoaks School in 1955 at the age of 16 after five unhappy years . This was my escape from the tedium of Latin , the inexplicable complexities of algebra , the brutalities of the prefects ’ room and the cold water of the outdoor swimming pool . It was a decision made against the advice of my career teacher Carol ( Pop ) Forder and my father .
The most enjoyable experience as a pupil were three afternoons of sport – cricket , rugby or cross country . I also loved the house system and was proud to be a Hardinge boy . There was a heavy emphasis on sport and discipline over academia and teachers were best known by their nicknames . Many Old Sennockians can recall the importance of the house system , how we obediently raised our biffs whenever the Headmaster Jimmy Higgs-Walker or his wife or Mollie came into
I was taken on a tour which included the gardens of Manor House ; the army had requisitioned the house during the war and left it in a deplorable condition . A student group called Digweed had been set up in 1948 to help restore the campus after wartime damage and change . The Digweed boys had got to work at Manor House and when I went for my tour in the 21st century , the Manor House and gardens were a sight to behold .
Hidden between buildings was the old swimming pool and annexe which once served as a sanatorium . The green and brown water of my school years had been drained , but the sight of this concrete monstrosity revived unpleasant memories of cold , compulsory swimming lessons . The premier buildings in the 1950s were School House , Manor House , Swanzy Block , Park Grange and Johnsons Hall – a gift from Charles Plumtree Johnson , one of the school ’ s greatest benefactors .
I do not regret my decision to leave Sevenoaks in 1955 and today I feel proud to have been a pupil of a legendary 600-year-old educational institution which , in the words of the former Head , Dr Katy Ricks , has ‘ a global outlook which permeates the entire education experience ’.
Bob Ogley ( OS 1955 )
138 OLD SENNOCKIANS