150 Glorious Years in Godalming

1892

It is 150 years since the first Charterhouse pupils arrived in Godalming, walking up Racquets Court Hill from the railway station. They were greeted with the splendid sight of their brand new, purposebuilt School.

For pupils used to the crowded, smog-filled streets of London the contrast must have been awe-inspiring. The buildings were designed to impress, built in the Gothic style from Bargate sandstone, freshlyhewn from a quarry just below Big Ground. The architect, Philip Hardwick, included symbolic echoes of the monastic London Charterhouse buildings and historic items were incorporated from the old School, including an entire archway from the old Gownboys House.

Pupils and beaks alike were eager to explore their new surroundings and, as playing fields had yet to be constructed, the boys were permitted to walk or cycle in the countryside and swim in the River Wey. Local townsfolk were equally curious to meet their new neighbours: the Mayor and corporation, resplendent in their civic robes, arrived in four carriages for a formal visitation. A welcome address was presented to the Headmaster, and the dignitaries were given a tour of the new premises.

Local businesses were keen to impress. Annie Marion Haig Brown, the Headmaster’s wife, wrote to her parents: “I must not forget to tell you about the oriental respect with which we are treated by the trades people and we are really well served. I have fish to the door four times a week and any amount of ducks, chickens and eggs… We have Clarke for grocer, Wells for milk and Mr Bryant MarshallNixon greengrocer.” Delivery was by horse and cart or on foot and the closest approximation to Deliveroo was the muffin man, who circulated the Houses once a week with a tray of muffins and crumpets on his head, costing two for one penny.

1872 was the beginning of a long and generally happy and symbiotic relationship between Charterhouse and local businesses. A local tailor, Pitchers of Godalming, soon became the School’s preferred uniform supplier, visiting the Houses daily to take orders; boots and shoes were manufactured locally by Holdens, and bespoke caps were handmade by Mrs Mary Anne Wright from her cottage in Peperharow Road. Charterhouse staff soon started to have an impact in the local community: Frederic Girdlestone (BH1867-1912) and Thomas Ethelbert Page (BH1873-1910) were the first of many beaks to be elected to Godalming Borough Council

150

glorious years in Godalming

– Girdlestone served as Mayor, and Page was not only an Alderman, but also a County Councillor and Justice of the Peace, for which he was awarded the freedom of the Borough of Godalming in 1924. Charterhouse has contributed much to education in the local community, not least in recent years through its partnership with Broadwater School. Oswald Latter (BH1890-1926) deserves special mention for his wide-ranging contributions to education, including many years as Chairman of Governors at Godalming County School and of the Godalming Higher Education and Corporation Museum Committees. Wilfrid Noyce (W36, BH50-61) is still commemorated for his local youth work in the Wilfrid Noyce Youth Centre in Godalming.

Godalming’s cultural life benefited from a long line of Charterhouse beaks who have contributed to the running of the town’s choral society, operatic society, theatre group, youth orchestra, and brass band. On a more practical level, Charterhouse’s pupil-led Fire Brigade trained every week, not only as first responders to any fires on the School site, but also for nearby farms and buildings; Captain H F Thompson (BH1910-1916) is recorded on Godalming Fire Station’s First World War memorial as Captain of the Fire Brigade. During World War Two, masters and older pupils joined the local Home Guard, ready to play their part in the event of an invasion.

The School’s arrival had an impact on the local infrastructure too. The route that we know as Charterhouse Road was originally ‘Sandy Lane’, and not much more than a farm track in 1872, but traffic between Godalming and Charterhouse soon changed that. Charterhouse staff were quick to invest in new technology developments that benefited the local community, such as the Frith Hill, Godalming and Farncombe Water Company, of which Headmaster William Haig Brown was chairman, and the Godalming Borough Electric Lighting Committee, chaired by T E Page from 1892 onwards.

The Muffin Man

First pupils at Charterhouse in Godalming, 18 June 1872

1872

Godalming Home Guard at Charterhouse The new School was built on 70 acres of open farmland that was auctioned off from Deanery Farm in 1867 for the grand sum of £4,500. This included Green, Big Ground, Maniacs and J Ground, but there was no Lessington (purchased for £5,000 in 1897) or Under Green (purchased for £4,000 in 1888); the Northbrook estate (including the sites for the New Houses, QSC, golf course and Athletics track) was purchased in 1924 for £10,000. There were few other buildings in the vicinity, and the School was very much a self-contained community with its own water supply (from a well underneath the Maintenance buildings) and gas lighting, supplied initially from the School’s own gas generating station at the bottom of Racquet’s Court Hill. There was a tuckshop (Crown) and bicycle repair shop. Housing quickly sprang up to accommodate beaks and support staff, with Charterhouse becoming one of the biggest employers in the area. The healthy country location and new facilities were popular with parents and pupil numbers shot up, outgrowing the three boarding Houses provided by Hardwick’s design. Eight enterprising beaks bought land adjacent to the School with their own money and built boarding Houses that were run as private enterprises. The last of these private Houses were finally bought into School ownership in the 1920s; seven of them were demolished and moved across the School campus to new premises in the 1970s, with only Girdlestoneites now remaining on its original site.

1 Annie Marion scrapbook 1863-1877 p191 Surrey Advertiser 2 ChArc.0368 Letter from Annie Marion Haig Brown

1944

Plot Twist!

The Anasiun Trilogy Books 1 & 2: Extracted and Defiance

Rich Castro (BH17-)

The Anasiun Trilogy follows the fortunes of a group of teenagers who find themselves drawn into a fantasy world terrorised by war, betrayal, and death. As they struggle to cope, tragedy strikes back at home and life will never be the same.

Congratulations to OCs and members of Brooke Hall who published books in 2021. Below are some of the books released this year.

Mauresque

Anthony Gladstone-Thompson (R62)

Idealistic Jeremy Ashland secures an English-teaching post in 1970s Casablanca. Determined to be accepted as an enlightened foreigner in post-colonial Morocco, he risks everything for the love of a Moroccan girl with revolutionary aspirations, and becomes caught up in the tensions between Moroccans themselves in their search for nationhood.

A Life Journey told through Pottery

Patrick Rolleston (G60)

Several years ago, at West of Ireland heritage fairs, the author could be found with a pottery wheel offering to throw a pot with anyone who may be intrigued to ‘have a go’. This autobiographical book with 150 photographs shows how skills learnt at Charterhouse from 1955 to 1960 evolved from many influences in six different studios.

The Hearthmark Chronicles

Damien Hine (P07)

Out of Atlas follows Fred Banks on an incredible journey into the fantastical world of Risiva where he must face three torturous trials on a quest to claim his soul. Books two and three take on a larger scale with good versus evil, young heroes, a healthy dose of romance, and plenty of laughs along the way.

Southern Railway 0-6-0 Tender Goods Locomotive Classes / Midland Railway & LMS 4-4-0 Locomotives / LNER 4-6-0 Locomotives

David Maidment (G56)

Three independent books each describing their respective locomotives and design, contextual to the historic period that they were in operation.

Steamy Stories: Ten short stories with a railway theme from the days of steam

David Maidment (G56)

As well as the authentic railway background of the late 1950s and early 1960s all life is there – murder, addiction, racism, dementia, domestic violence, child neglect – and even some (illicit) young love.

Secret Alliances: Special Operations and Intelligence in Norway 1940–1945

Tony Insall (P67)

An account of Anglo-Norwegian wartime resistance cooperation, which describes the remarkable achievements of brave and resourceful Norwegian agents working for the Secret Intelligence Service and Special Operations Executive (responsible for sabotage and subversion). These included prolific reporting on German warships such as the Tirpitz, leading to their damage or sinking, and Gunnerside, the successful attack on the heavy water plant in Telemark. It contains a foreword by Sir John Scarlett, the former chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. If you are writing a book that’s due to be published in 2022, let us know and we’ll feature you in the next edition of The Greyhound!

The Reluctant Traitor

David Maidment (G56)

Did Judas really betray Jesus just for the sake of thirty pieces of silver? The novel tells his story in a series of ‘flashbacks’ as he commits suicide in despair at what he believes to be the destruction of all his hopes and explores his motivation and the nature of his real sin – a fictional interpretation of the Bible narrative.

The Road of Brightness

Michael Mitton (L72)

In this story several characters from The Dorchadas Trilogy embark on a pilgrimage to Assisi, led by a priest from the Scottish Isle of Barra. They are joined by a former Hells Angel, an Italian pagan and a retired English Colonel. This unlikely group come together in Assisi and are captivated by the mystery and wonder of Assisi and its heroes, Francis and Clare.

The Star in the Branches

James Peake (D96)

The Star in the Branches, James Peake’s second collection, is an intense and heartfelt examination of memory, how it pains and consoles, deepens and shrinks, is both equal to, and less than, the objects and people who come to reside there. From the ancient quarries of Naxos to the electronica of Aphex Twin, these highly distinctive poems celebrate the unique, wherever they find it.

La Vie Va Trop Vite (Life Goes Too Fast)

Simon Pratt (G53) under the pen name of Solzhenitsyn of Sherborne

An 86 years old’s autobiography, telling of how he built up three multinationals from start, including Vancouver’s first Jazz Club, starting and developing the laminate Arborite, and starting and building up a range of baby products and childrenswear which sold in over 40 countries with over three thousand retail outlets in the UK, and finally in retirement starting and running a successful English Vineyard.

Furze: Sweethearts and Swan Songs

Benjamin Wilberforce-Ritchie (R12)

A historical fiction based on the diary that OC Lieutenant Keith Furze (H1906) kept from January to June 1915. A dual novel, it weaves Furze’s experiences in with the author’s emotions, creating a novel that is factual, philosophical and moving. Although Furze’s story guides the reader through the deplorable lows of life on the Western Front, it reminds us that no matter the challenges we face, friendship, hope and love will always help us overcome them.