HM Blog

2nd July

Sir Cecil Herbert Edward Chubb, Baronet, was born in Shrewton on 14th April 1876, eldest son of Alfred and Mary Chubb. Alfred – known as Fred – was the village saddler and harness maker, as was his father before him. Cecil Chubb, his son, was no slouch – after school he progressed to Christ’s College Cambridge where he was awarded a double first in Science and Law, and he went on to wealth and fortune. Well – so what – a bright boy who did very well, but otherwise nothing to mark Cecil out as worthy of future comment. Except for two accidents of fate that is.

8th May

The media has been flooded with histories and, almost unbelievably, some first-hand accounts of that day in May 1945 when the war was finally over after nearly 6 long years. The testimonies suggest that the day began in some confusion, as though the radio broadcasts from the BBC and others had relayed the news that Nazi Germany had surrendered it was not entirely clear what would come next. Churchill’s oration gave certainty to the outcome of the conflict and the church bells ringing confirmed it too but there was not a spontaneous outbreak of euphoria. Relief, certainly, some jubilation but also weariness and an awareness that many were feeling loss of property and of loved ones. The fighting may have been over but the damage, the wounds, would take a long time to heal. I am sure that there will be plenty of local memories which will be documented in the pages of the Salisbury Journal and elsewhere that will echo those emotions.

27th March

For those of you (and there are a few) who spend some of their lives inhabiting another planet, this school has an intimate connection with the Bishops of Salisbury. Just over 130 years ago, Bishop John Wordsworth (the 67th Bishop) decided to set up a school here, in the Cathedral Close; the school was even based in the Bishop’s Palace (now the home of the Cathedral School) for the first few months of its life. With that heritage and lineage it is no surprise that the connection between the Bishop’s office and the Bishop’s School is strong and persistent.

3rd February

If I was to say the word pilgrim – what would come into your mind? A hooded, cloaked figure with a staff pacing towards a distant landmark perhaps. A barefooted worshipper walking slowly along a dry, dusty road as the sun sets? The cliches come flooding in for us all. Yes, to go on a pilgrimage is to make a journey with a purpose, usually to a shrine or other sacred place – but no, the images often don’t quite fit. Pilgrims are in the news at the moment (not for all the best reasons) as two of the largest migrations of human kind take place. The Chinese making their way home for new year and back again – some nine billion journeys between different provinces and international trips, and India’s Kumbh Mela where 400 million pilgrims travel to bathe in the River Ganges.

29th January

I received this letter from the Bill Browne of the Salisbury Education Partnership this morning – it speaks volumes about the real commitment of a generation of sixth form students from Bishop’s to a good cause – and their determination to make a difference in their local city. Long may it be so…

27th January

Bishop’s boys and girls taking History at either GCSE or A Level can see and appreciate that History is real – its not just something for textbooks and films, and its not just something that happens to other people. History is before us, and the lessons of History are there for us all to read and learn from, to shock us from our complacency and warn us of what can happen if we take our freedoms for granted.

23rd January

Every holiday I always try to read a book – and this one was no exception. I thought I’d better top up my knowledge and understanding of evolutionary theory – not by studying The Descent of Man or the Origin of The Species, but by looking through the eyes of a modern day Darwinian Scholar – Richard Dawkins. Dawkins was for 10+ years Chair of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a renowned Evolutionary Biologist and a worthy successor to Darwin in the 21st century. Put to one side his outspoken views on God just for the moment, and you can read and fully appreciate the quality of scientific perception and the clarity of communication. When I was younger I read two of his other books, the ‘Selfish Gene’ and ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ and I would recommend both to any of you who hope to study Biology at university.

12th July

And so, with the aftershocks of a seismic election and some even more seismic football still rattling around us we have made it to the end of the summer term. Holidays await – travel, relaxation, reading (hopefully) and doing more of what you want to do rather than what you have to do. I have always found it difficult at the start of every term, to remember what being in the classroom is like. My longer-term memory lets me down – it comes back quickly thank goodness but there is a little re-learning to do once I’m back. The same is true of the holidays. Monday morning next week I will still wake up at 6.15 in the morning. Relaxation doesn’t necessarily ensue just because school happens to be closed to you lot. Muscle memory still rules in the short term, but we all will settle into a lower octane routine swiftly.
Summer term has, as usual, been the chance for all of us to ‘branch out’ and try something new or different. School can and should be about much more than just being in a classroom and learning simply refuses to be caged by the artificial barriers imposed by timetables or subjects. We’re all of us here to try to grow intellectually as well as physically. I’m no different – Great Yews with Year 7 and Year 12, The Longford Estate walk with Year 8, DofE and Pencelli with Year 9. With BWS Adventure there were DofE Silver and Gold and Ten Tors too – so let’s do a little test. Please stand up if you’ve been involved in any of those adventurous, outdoor activities this term. It doesn’t matter which year group you’re in, what you did or where you went. If you were involved in some way in BWS Adventure then get up on your feet.
Then there’s music – stand up if you have taken part in choir, orchestra, a concert or tour, a band, house music or Wednesday’s Battle of the Bands…
And sport – stand up if you have taken part in sport outside lessons this term – athletics, cricket, tennis, football or pre-season coaching for rugby or netball, lacrosse or Mr D-Gs marathon effort last Friday.
That is amazing. Trust me if I tried that in another school there wouldn’t be anything like the response. This place is different. Bishop’s is different and it’s made that way by your willingness to do things. Well done.

30th June

That big building next door to the school is probably one of the best-known churches in Europe – one of the very few great cathedrals in Europe – or in the world for that matter – to have been built quickly enough to be all in one style. Early English it began in 1220 and Early English it was finished in 1266, some 46 years later. The only later addition to the 13th century structure is the 14th century spire. But for such a stunning piece of architecture, such an iconic structure for the established church in this country, it is surprising to find that its designer and builder is something of a mystery. A contrast to the modern way of things, where the names of designers of everything – from wobbly bridges to outsize gherkin-shaped office blocks – is plastered everywhere! We actually don’t know that much about the man who designed St Mary’s Cathedral.
We do know his name – Elias of Dereham. We know also that he was head hunted by Bishop Poore in around 1219 to become the guiding hand in a huge project – the moving and reconstruction of a whole cathedral on a new site outside Salisbury. The bishop had probably met Elias in Canterbury, where he had done some building design in the cathedral; Poore was obviously impressed and knew that Elias was the man to do the job in Salisbury.
When Elias first arrived in Salisbury he seems to have become the Bishop’s major domo (or right-hand man). His importance is shown by the fact that he was sent not just one but six copies of the Magna Carta to distribute among the clergy in 1215 – and one of those you can now see on display in the Chapter House today. But it was in 1220 that Elias finally got around to starting the most important job in hand – that of not just building a cathedral, but a cathedral surrounded by a new town – New Sarum.
The pope authorised the moving of the cathedral from Old Sarum in March 1219 – a huge site was selected, and Elias began frantically working on detailed plans for perhaps the most ambitious building project that England had ever experienced – an entirely new cathedral to be built in one go on a very large scale in the latest style. This was really cutting-edge stuff; in every other case that you could think of, cathedrals were based on a rebuild of a church that was already there. Large parts of the old building were usually retained – after all, it made sense to use what was already built – and the shape and size of the build was almost always limited by other buildings nearby. Not in Salisbury, where the ground was flat, open, entirely undeveloped – and in fact rather low-lying and liable to flood. It sounds very much like the type of area being used to build today’s new housing estates.
260 acres (a vast area) were set aside for the new town, with 83 acres occupied by the Cathedral Close. The buildings were set out in straight lines, with open views and with a network of waterways running through. A true vision of a brave new urban work in 13th century England.
An enormous project then – which was also going to be ruinously expensive. The cost of the new cathedral, given in 1266 on completion was put at 42,000 marks. The fact that this money was raised, and funds never ran out was down to vigorous fund raising and donations from local wealthy benefactors. Some things never change! The fact that the cathedral itself took just 46 years to build is a great tribute to the design, drive and determination of Elias, and the support of his Bishop, Richard Poore.
Elias of Dereham never saw the building or the town - which he had laid many of the plans for – finished. When he died in April 1245 his cathedral must have been swathed in scaffold, and his streets still forming on the flood plain of the River Avon. Because of his, and Richard Poore’s vision of a great building dedicated to worship, we have St Mary’s next door. It seems strange that so great an enterprise can be driven by a man about whom history records comparatively little. The lasting memorial to the 13th century architect is the feeling that we can all get viewing the soaring majesty of a cathedral and spire rising over the west wall of the school – a great sign of faith and glory for us all. Elias would have been proud.