No . 132 The Trusty Servant the consensus-loving Fearon formed an unwieldy committee of 89 Brother Wykehamists . Musā was the result , completed in 1897 - ‘ an expensive neo-Brunelleschian monument to the dangers of unplanned development ’, as a later headmaster wrote . The intention was that it would be a home for art , science and antiquities , but it soon dwindled to a white elephant for which the school is still searching for a purpose . Some of the expense was born by Fearon himself . The art-historical world can at least be grateful that one of the few pupils inspired by the ‘ lazy and shy ’ Art Master whom Fearon appointed was Kenneth Clark ( B , 1917-22 ).
When Fearon stepped down in 1901 , his final Chapel exhortation was characteristic : ‘ Boys , love your school .’ He remained a fixture in the town as the Archdeacon . He died in 1924 .
Revd Hubert Murray Burge ( 1901-11 ): Reformer of the Curriculum
After a whirlwind comes a need for calm - but a becalmed school can soon feel in the doldrums . The Wykehamist in 1901 issued a call for change : ‘ Nothing can live for very long on tradition alone ’ and Winchester faced the ‘ danger of sinking into the position of a secondclass school .’ Hubert Murray Burge was the answer to this call . He was the first non-Wykehamist Headmaster since the early 15 th century and had won the post through open competition between 12 applicants . He had been born in 1862 and attended Marlborough and Bedford School before going to University College , Oxford . He had taught at Wellington and then returned to Oxford in 1890 as Fellow and later Dean of his old college . In 1900 he became Headmaster of Ripon , but had not yet completed his first year when he moved to Winchester . The Wykehamist hoped that this moderniser would ‘ carry through with a strong hand such changes as the exigencies of time have rendered necessary ’; the assumption was that this would primarily mean involve expanding numbers ( from 420 ), with consequent construction of new houses and expansion of grounds .
This expansion happened to an extent . Kingsgate House opened in 1905 and the new Chernocke House was rising on the other side of Kingsgate Park when Burge left ( 1910-12 ). The sporting facilities were enhanced with a second racquets court and more fives courts ( 1909 ). But his major contribution was the modernisation of the curriculum , enriching the narrow diet of Classics and Mathematics with a wider offering of subjects . The philosophy was that it was ‘ necessary to adapt a boy ’ s education to his character and ability ’ ( The Wykehamist 662 , 1925 ). A new science syllabus was introduced and Science School built ( 1903-4 ) in which to teach it – the first major school building dedicated to science in the country . The first proper Master of Music , Dr ET Sweeting , was employed and he too had a purposebuilt building , Music School ( 1903-4 ); during Burge ’ s headship the number of musical pupils reached one quarter of the total . His Ridding-rivalling building campaign also included
South Africa Gate ( 1902-3 ), with Armoury added on in 1909 .
And yet we would go wrong to see him as a thrusting radical . According to Churchill , headmasters have powers that even prime ministers envy , but Burge struck people with his simplicity and openness . He was approachable , sympathetic and kind . He took an interest in people : pupils were amazed by his ability to remember their names . His farewell notice summed him up : ‘ He had time for everything , knew everybody , and was everywhere ’ ( The Wykehamist 488 , 1911 ). Very few headmasters have changed our highly conservative institution as much as Burge did , but he managed to do it in a way which made him trusted and even loved .
His time at Winchester was brought to a premature end by eye trouble , for which a recuperatory trip to South Africa was ordered by his doctors . His sight recovered , but before he could return to Hampshire he was appointed Bishop of Southwark . He had no parochial experience and the poor districts south of the Thames were hard territory , but his characteristic industry and empathy made him a success . He was translated to Oxford in 1919 and died in 1925 .
26