Page 41 - Through a glass brightly

understand then how anyone could say that. I do now, though he is still far from being one of my own faves... the Middle English doesn’t help. The North Downs Way, near here, was long meant to be the site of Chaucer’s ‘Pilgrims’ Way ‘but I think that might be discredited now?
The Guildford Shakespeare Company (I live in Guildford) usually has events on the Master’s birthday; walks round the town, with actors popping up to declaim various verses and involving us in the performance. Sadly, not this year. You may recall West Horsley Place, which was inherited by Bamber Gascoigne and is now the home of an opera house? That is quite near here and one year the GSC were allowed to use that on Shakespeare’s birthday for their performance, so we got an early look at the beautiful mansion and grounds. It’s still being restored, but well worth a visit when eventually opened to the public.
From Mag P. at 12.39
Hearing all your chat it makes me realise what a time waster I was. I think my whole life at school evolved around games and crushes! Yes I was Tom in Tom Sawyer, cannot imagine how that happened probably because I looked like a tomboy! Ha ha.
I also remember doing Midsummer Night’s Dream and can still rattle off bits of it much to the amusement of my grandchildren. I loved my school days and can still feel the excitement of breaking up for the holidays and of going back to school.
Richard and I are very much people of routine which I know a lot of people think is boring but for us it works well. I wonder if routine helps people with mental health issues, gives a focus? Does anyone think this glorious weather is because there is so much less pollution on earth? Or a gift from God to help us through!
From Jenny at 12.41
Well girls. What a mixture of memories. I was not involved in your production of Twelfth Night but assumed from other things that I recall that it was a Sixth Form production, because as far as I know Mrs Darcy did not join the staff until we were in the Sixth Form - at least my memory is that as my A-level English teacher she was a 'new' member of staff having only just joined, but perhaps I am wrong.
My other memory is that in Lower IVE we were performing a scene from a Shakespeare play when the Queen came to visit, with our teacher Miss Barber. I thought that was Twelfth Night, but again I may be wrong as at the time, as 'Door Monitor' I was concentrating fiercely on opening the door for Her Majesty and curtseying without falling over, so what the play was I really can't say!!
Future readers of this volume will find several mentions of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the school on 17 November 1957. It certainly was a memorable day and preparations were intense with girls being taught proper terms of address and how to curtsey. At this time the young queen had been on the throne a mere 5 years and it was her first visit to a state school. After her tour of the building and the presentations, she gave the first unscripted speech in her reign -- to give the girls two days off.
On the matter of why English Lit was not offered at O-level, Miss Balaam told me (and my parents) that it was felt that if one was good at English and therefore likely to study it at A- level, the O-level study would limit or 'inhibit' one's learning, since it focussed more on learning bits of text rather than critical analysis! That is why it was only on offer on a Wednesday afternoon for those that desperately wanted to do it - like O-level Music as well. Obviously
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