This page is K.E.S. Re-union:
revised 23/8/2012.
K.E.S. “Class of ’51” Reunions 2011 and 2012
Reunions: 2012
Two reunions:
Compton Verney in the Spring
London in late Summer
26th
April 2012
A Tour of Compton Verney Art Gallery,
Warwickshire,
including Luncheon
A group
comprising eighteen members of the “Class of ‘51”, plus wives, gathered on a
showery April day to tour the art exhibitions at Compton Verney
and to enjoy a pleasant lunch together for which the gallery had
provided a private room.
Compton Verney House, seen across the
Lake
The existing house was built in the 1710 to replace an earlier
building, but was substantially remodelled by Robert Adam in 1761-68. Soon after Adam’s work was completed, the
grounds were laid out by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
The house was the seat of the Verney
family, (the Barons Willoughby de Broke) until 1921. After use by the army during WW2 it lay empty
until acquired by the Peter Moores Foundation in 1993
who renovated the property and opened it to the public as an art gallery in
2004.
The Class of ’51 meets in the car park:
L-R: Jane and Peter
Rothwell, Peter Lee, Geoff Purkis, Roger Marks, Roger Wilkins (yellow
pullover), Martin Swales, Evelyn and Andrew Hornig.
Peter Tyrer salutes the assembled company on arrival
Inside Compton Verney: (left):
the former dining room
(right): portraits of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
and her younger brother (our “pious founder”) King Edward VI (1537-53)
The portrait of Elizabeth is credited to the English School and
was painted about 1590; that of Edward is attributed to the Flemish artist,
William Scrots
The Class of ’51 at Lunch
(photo by Alan Cowie)
At the nearest table, on the further side: Peter Lee, Andrew Hornig, Roger Wilkins,
Francine Wilkins, Max Beran, Veronica Beran, Angela
Parke;
this side: (backs to camera):
Richard Mayou, Martin Swales, Evelyn Hornig, Jim Parke
At the right: Roger Bickerton talks to Jim and Angela Parke.
In the left background Geoff Purkis checks his camera whilst
standing near Roger Marks.
Further views at lunch:
left: Andrew Hornig and Alan
Cowie; right: Roger Wilkins and Ian Knowles stand in
conversation
Near table, facing camera:
Brian Patterson and Colin Wood.
Backs to camera: Barbara
Darlaston, Geoff Purkis, Roger Marks and Alan Cowie
22nd August 2012
Our Annual London Pub Luncheon
A selection of photos, taken out of doors at
The Pontefract Castle, Wigmore Street
and indoors at Zizzi Italian Restaurant, Wigmore Street
Geoff Purkis, Ralph Birch and a thoughtful Mike Barnsley Chris Lettington and
Richard Smith in deep discussion
Alan Cowie and Bernard Richards in reminiscent mood Richard Birch and Nick McCarty
Mike Barnsley and Rodney Cartwright on the left of the table
face Andrew Brode, Richard Berry and Bernard Richards
Andrew Brode and Richard Berry on the left with Ralph Birch on
the right (L-R) Rodney Cartwright, Peter Lee, Geoff Purkis and
Andrew Brode
Reunions: 2011
Sixty Years on:
The “Class of ’51” celebrates its Diamond Jubilee
Reunions: 2011
1.
Lunch at the Athenaeum, 15th June 2011
2.
London Lunch, 9th August 2011
3.
Diamond Jubilee visit to School, 28th September 2011
1: Luncheon at the
Athenaeum
15th June 2011
By
invitation of Peter Lee, a dozen members of the “Class of ‘51”, accompanied by
their ladies, gathered for
luncheon in the
Picture Room of the Athenaeum Club at Waterloo Place, on the corner of Pall
Mall.
Here is
a selection of photographs taken on that occasion
The
Athenaeum Club in Waterloo Place. (To the left is a statue of Air Chief
Marshall Sir Keith Park (1892-1975).
The
Club was founded in 1824 and the building designed by Decimus
Burton. Over the porch is a gilded
statue of Pallas Athene and above her can be seen a
frieze which is a replica of the Elgin Marbles.
A
general view of the gathering in the Picture Room
(from
the left: Richard and Geraldine Berry,
Ralph Birch, Chris and Mike Barnsley, Peter Tyrer, Richard Mayou, Max Beran,
Alan Cowie at top right. Rodney
Cartwright is in the foreground).
Left: Richard Berry deep in
discussion
Right: Andrew and Ely Hornig,
with Roger Wilkins
Helen
and Peter Tyrer enjoy the occasion
Left: Richard Mayou in full
flow
Right: Peter Lee welcomes the
guests to the Athenaeum
2: London Lunch, 9th
August 2011
Clive
Cooper, Richard Birch, John Beard, Andrew Hornig, Alan Cowie Ralph Birch
(almost hidden) and Richard Berry
at the
end of a lunch at a Turkish Restaurant off Wigmore
Street. Robert Darlaston was behind the
camera.
3: Diamond Jubilee visit
to School on 28th September 2011
Sixty Years (plus fifteen days) after we
all started at K.E.S. in 1951.
Our
party gathers on the Parade Ground, with the South Field beyond.
L-R: Mary and Roger Hughes, Phil Pardoe (with
1950s vintage boater), Richard Birch (mostly hidden from view), Richard Berry,
Simon Lerwill (the School’s Development Director),
Jo and
Dick Green, Roger Wilkins
Left photo: On the Parade Ground: Barbara Darlaston, Brian Patterson, Roger
Wilkins, Phil and Erika Pardoe
Right
photo: In the Common Room: Andrew Hornig, Nick McCarty, Roger Hughes,
Richard Berry, Roger Marks (back to camera),
Peter Lee, Richard
Birch, Ian Knowles (back to camera)
Left: Andrew Hornig and Nick McCarty with Richard
Berry at the right.
Right: Pardoe, Berry and Patterson step smartly away
from the Main Door en route to lunch in the Dining Hall.
Dining Hall interior,
showing the attractive window behind the “high table”.
In the 1950s behaviour
at school dinners was seldom so decorous (and the food was never so appetising)
Brian Patterson and the Tyrers Ian
Knowles, Roger Marks, Geoff Purkis and John Patrick
Cheerful line-up outside
the Main Door: formal photos in the
1950s sadly lacked such a delightful feminine content!
(Gentlemen on view are
Lee, McCarty, Knowles, Birch, Wood, Tyrer, Pardoe, Millard, Beran, Patterson,
Cartwright, Purkis, Berry, Bickerton, and Green.)
Left: The Chapel’s south front.
Right: Derek Benson, Ian Knowles, Peter Lee and Ginny
Hiller outside the north door, with the swimming pool beyond (now under cover!)
The group gathers in the
Chapel, ready for a lecture by the school’s archivist, Alison Wheatley, who is
standing towards the left of the picture.
Inside the Library: the Librarian extols the virtues of her
domain to Messrs Wood, Tyrer, Patterson, Benson, Wilkins, Lee, Knowles and
Berry.
In the Chief Master’s
Study, once a sanctum into which few went with any excess of confidence.
Left: A motto above the Chief Master’s desk: was its author a business associate of
Machiavelli? The Chief Master of our
day would not have admitted that there were failures to hide!
Right: Ian Knowles (standing), Max Beran, Andrew
Hornig, Richard Birch and Roger Marks.
Andrew Hornig, Richard
Birch and Roger Marks enjoy listening to the Chief Master, John Claughton.
Finally, part of the
K.E.S. magic: an autumn afternoon on
the South Field. Is the centre of
Birmingham really less than three miles up the road?
Other
pages which may be of interest:
Memories
of K.E.S. in the 1950s, plus impressions of a school tour in 2006 are at: KingEdwardsSchool.htm
Photographs
of present-day
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Home Page can be reached by clicking here: www.robertdarlaston.co.uk