The Breconian

The

Editors, Annika H and Nick H

Dates for your diary

6th July 2024 - Prize day

4th- 9th August 2024

CCB Summer Camp (week 1)

11th - 16th August 2024

CCB Summer Camp (week 2)

5th October 2024

Open Morning

Head’s Welcome

Welcome to the ﬁnal edition of ‘The Breconian’ for the 2023/24 school year. I want to extend my gratitude to Annika and Nick for their eﬀorts in helping re-launch this termly newsletter.

As we wrap up another productive term at Christ College, we're excited to share the highlights and achievements of our pupils. We hope you enjoy reading about the wonderful events and activities that have deﬁned this term.

To all the pupils who took external exams this summer, congratulations, you’ve made it! I hope you receive the grades you need for the next chapter in your lives. To everyone else, well done on another excellent year at the college.

As we head into the summer break, I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable holiday.

Academic news

GCSE and A Level Exams

Public examinations, rightly so, are the traditional academic focus of the Summer Term and this term has been no exception with many GCSE, AS, BTEC and A Level examinations taking place. All of us here at Christ College continue to wish the very best of luck to our exam candidates and look forward to hearing their exciting news in the summer. A reminder that AS, A Level and BTEC results will be released on 15th August whilst GCSE results will be released on Thursday 22nd August.

To our Upper Sixth leavers, a particularly fond farewell as your time at Christ College draws to a close following the culmination of your exams.

Summer

2024

Inter-House Debating

Above: Year 9 and Year 10 winners of the house debating competition.

Beyond exam season, there has been a hive of activity going on in and beyond the classroom. The English Department organised a series of superb inter-house debating competitions for Years 9 and 10 during the ﬁrst half of the term. Pupils were given taxing motions (some taken directly from Oxford and Cambridge competitions!) and 15 minutes to prepare their speeches. Adopting British Parliamentary style, the teams then competed against one another, took

points of information, provided adept rebuttal and were bold enough to deliver speeches in front of their entire year group – no mean feat!

The Year 9 competition was won by the talented and impressive Donaldson’s team consisting of Freya H, Adesha B and Eira C. One week later the Year 10 competition delivered a similarly outstanding range of speeches from all participants. The hotly contested ﬁnal between de Winton and

Head’s Essay Society

The Summer Term has seen the culmination of the Head’s Essay Society at both senior and junior levels. The ﬁnal senior thesis of the year was delivered expertly by Soﬁa H who explored the complex and evolving

concept of ‘beauty.’ The junior society event was shared by Pracika K and Tyggy C, who presented eloquently on the nature of examinations and the issue of VAT on independent schools respectively. The

School House was of real quality and saw the de Winton team eventually triumph –congratulations to Megan R, Sophia S and Maddie L on their stellar contributions.

Debating at Christ College continues to go from strength to strength at all levels of the school under the expert guidance of Dr Evans. We look forward to reporting on further debating success in external and internal competitions during the next academic year.

society has been superbly co-chaired this year by Efanna H and Tomos F, and a dinner was held towards the end of term to thank them for their invaluable contributions to the success of the group. There’s no doubt the society is in expert hands next year, with Elsie J and Tadhg I taking on the roles of cochairs from September 2024. Well done to you all on your participation in the society this year – the quality of papers, discussion and mutual respect in the room has been a pleasure to observe and be a part of.

Left: The junior Head's Essay Society.

Pupil Achievements

The Project Club

As ever, there have been a range of impressive individual achievements throughout the Summer Term. Well done, in particular, to a group of Year 11 pupils on receiving merit prizes shortly before the start of their GCSE examinations. The group took advantage of the ﬁne weather for a photo in front of the pavilion to mark their achievements. With the sun shining in May, a group of pupils received their individual LAMDA certiﬁcates and medals rewarding some seriously impressive achievements in the Creative Arts – well done to Darci M, Emelia T, Roshan D, Tom P, Christian B and Eira C.

As further evidence of the range of talent and interest beyond the classroom, Mrs Allen’s Project Club continues to showcase the very best of academic enrichment. Pupils opt for an individual project of their choice, in an area of the curriculum they wish to explore further. The group have been working hard putting the ﬁnishing touches to their projects and look forward to a presentation session near the end of term. Project topics range widely from rugby tutorials for junior players, to exploring the historical accuracy of the works of Alison Weir. The group are to be commended for their participation in such activity this term, which will undoubtedly aid a smooth transition to the increased levels of challenge and independence required for success at GCSE level and in the Sixth Form.

Above: Exploring the historical accuracy of the works of Alison Weir.

Prep School

How time has ﬂown! We cannot quite believe we are in the ﬁnal term of the academic year. However, there is no winding down in CCB Prep and we have been as busy as ever!

We are delighted to welcome back Mrs Templeton-Brown following her maternity leave after the birth of baby Alﬁe, and we say a huge thank you to Mr Lawrence who covered the teaching of Year 5 in her absence.

This term, Year 1 and Year 2 have been our very own resident ‘map makers’ and have also studied the traditional seaside holiday and its eﬀects on aspects such as coastal communities.

This term, Year 3 and Year 4 have been learning about World War II. The pupils have enjoyed studying various aspects including the Battle of Britain, the Blitz and the experience of young evacuees. The pupils’ learning was consolidated with a trip to Brecon Military Museum where they had great fun dressing up as evacuees.

Meanwhile, Year 5 and Year 6’s principal focus has been Ancient Greece. The pupils have discovered the lasting inﬂuence of the Ancient Greeks on the western world, marveled at Alexander the Great and learnt about traditions such as the Olympic Games.

Giving Day

In May our pupils thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Giving Day. Prep School initiatives included fancy dress, a cake sale, a collection for Brecon Food Bank and the 1541 mini dash, which involved the pupils teaming up to complete 1,541 laps of the Mickey Mouse. We were delighted that the Head and other members of staﬀ and senior pupils came along to take part and support the Prep School by taking on a few laps themselves.

Beyond the classroom…

Sports

In line with the Senior School, our attention changes to cricket and athletics in the Summer Term. Many thanks to our Director of Cricket and the Sports Department for their efforts with the younger pupils. There have been boys and girls cricket fixtures against schools such as Rougemont, Howells and Cathedral School, Llandaff.

Sports Day

Our 2024 Sports Day was certainly a successful one. We were very impressed with the pupils’ sportsmanship, eﬀort and determination. It was lovely to see them cheering, encouraging and applauding each other across the ﬁnish line. Many congratulations to everyone and thank you to our parents for your support on the side lines.

Year 3 and 4 Adventure Day

On Tuesday 11th June, Year 3 and 4 had their Adventure Day at the Black Mountain Activity Centre. Conquering their fear of heights, they completed various rope challenges 30ft up in the air! Following this, the pupils aimed their bows and tried to hit the bullseye in archery. The Adventure Days really help to instil conﬁdence and encourage them to try new things. It was certainly a thrilling day out for them all.

Prize Giving

We celebrated this year ’s achievements in our Prize Giving Ceremony on Friday 14th June. Mr Bufton gave a summary of the year and acknowledged the achievements of all our pupils. Miss Hallinan then presented awards to this year’s prize winners. Special thanks were given to the members of the senior school staﬀ who have taught our Prep School pupils and to all those who have supported the school throughout the year.

Above: A great eﬀort from St Nicks pupils in fancy dress for Giving Day. Above: They did it! 1541 laps completed of the Mickey Mouse.

Year 5 and 6 Residential

At the beginning of June, Years 5 and 6 enjoyed an exciting and action-packed residential trip at Llain Activity Centre, Ceredigion. From testing their balance on the paddle boards, to abseiling and learning essential skills, they certainly immersed themselves in the outdoors.

Great fun was had by all!

Year 3-6 Production: ‘Go for Gold!’

We hope you enjoyed this year’s St. Nicholas House production of ‘Go for Gold.’ We could not be prouder of the pupils’ eﬀorts in learning their lines and following the teachers’ directions. The improvisation was outstanding and created some very comical moments! Special thanks to our parents for helping to create some amazing costumes, Miss Hallinan and Miss Fielding for their outstanding directing skills, our staﬀ for creating props and our ever-fantastic technician, Mr David Grant.

Above: Braving the muddy conditions for the assault course!

CCB Adventure

The Summer Term started with the Gold Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition, two days of tricky and testing conditions saw the group numbers dwindle to a hardy few. No doubt the experience of this weekend will ready them for their ﬁnal expedition in September.

Also on the Adventure calendar was the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition. A weekend of navigating the surrounding hills and a pleasant evening camping at Plas Pencelli. Whilst some of our groups found day two very challenging and probably walked a little further than they

Next up was a new event in the House Competition calendar, in which the Usk, Wye and Taﬀ Houses competed for the inaugural Alway House Climbing Cup. There was some real talent on show along with outstanding displays of eﬀort by the young climbers. A closely fought event saw Wye House emerge as the winners with Johnny B and Izzy H leading the way.

Some of our pupils also recently took part in the first Inter School Climbing Competition at Llangors Climbing Centre, this is the first competition that has taken place for many years. It was a fantastic effort from all pupils involved, but a particular mention for Bea B, who managed to become the Powys Schools Female Climbing Champion this year. Finishing in 5th place in an open field, which is a remarkable feat.

We have much more to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the summer holidays, our Year 9 pupils will take part in The Beacon Course, running from 15th-22nd June.

Years 7, 10 and 12 will have their Adventure Days at the beginning of June and the CCF Summer Camp will take place from 7th-13th July at Longmoor Training Camp. We currently have 28 cadets signed up for what is going to be an incredible experience.

Usk, Taﬀ and Wye competing for the Alway house climbing cup!

Combined Cadet Force

With the longer daylight hours and (slowly) improving weather, the emphasis this term has been on training outdoors, making use of the extensive school grounds available to us.

Our Year 9 Platoon have almost completed their basic training and have recently participated in their first exercise, First Dragon, which took place at Cwrt Y Gollen, just outside Crickhowell. Our 45 cadets put their new skills into practice, building their bashas to sleep under and cooking their Army-supplied ration packs, enabling them to begin more advanced fieldcraft and rifle training.

The second day started perhaps a little earlier than was intended, due to some over-enthusiastic pupils waking everyone up at 4.30am! After breakfast and ensuring their camp was tidy, the cadets began a round-robin of activities; first aid (including a casualty evacuation by stretcher), patrolling, team fire and movement drills, obstacle course and, for the first time this year, the very popular laser clay pigeon shooting.

Considering this was the ﬁrst foray into the ‘military outdoors’ our cadets did superbly well! Some excellent teamwork was observed on the obstacle course, considerate and skilled treatment was administered to our casualties, bags of enthusiasm were displayed on the Fire Team drills and lastly some serious shooting prowess was evident on the Laser Clay shoot, with Ange B topping the score board! It’s fair to say that our early risers in the morning found the day quite a challenge, but the exercise ended with smiles all round! Many thanks to Major Kerr for organising the exercise and to the CFAVs for running the stands, as well as the small number of Year 10 cadets who acted as section leaders and mentors.

The Year 10 Rorkes Drift Platoon have also been busy, with the main focus of their training being on weapons handling. Many of them will be attending this year’s CCF Summer Camp at Longmoor in Hampshire. Most of the platoon also undertook the expedition section of the bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, spending a night under canvas and navigating a two-day route from Brecon to Pencelli, before returning to Christ College.

With the addition of some new Year 9 cadets, the RAF section has grown in size, and training on the aviation syllabus has now begun in earnest. Within weeks of joining, four lucky cadets found themselves travelling to MOD St Athan to visit the No 1 Air Experience Flight, experiencing their ﬁrst ﬂight in the Grob ‘Tutor’ aircraft, used to train cadets as well as members of University Air Squadrons.

Drama

Alway are busy preparing for their junior production of “The Little Mermaid,” with an evening performance on Friday 28th June, and a matinee on Saturday 29th June. Alway will be oﬀ lessons week commencing Monday 24th June, to reﬁne their musical numbers ready for opening night.

The show features two casts to provide more opportunity for pupils to take leading roles and there will be an additional two shows performed for local primary schools. Following the last performance, all pupils will have a tea party to celebrate their fantastic eﬀorts!

In addition, Key Stage 3 students are focusing on summer exams by exploring the plays “War Horse,” “Our Day Out,” and “Blood Brothers,” including performing extracts and writing exams from the perspective of a director, performer, and designer.

Year 10 students will showcase their devised performance at the end of the term and prepare for a written mock on “The Crucible.” While our Year 12 students are preparing for mock drama school auditions, with pieces from modern plays, Shakespeare, and songs.

FRIDAY 28TH JUNE

DOORS OPEN AT 6.30PM FOR 7.00PM START

SATURDAY 29TH JUNE

DOORS OPEN AT 10.30AM FOR 11.00AM START

Tickets are available at www.ticketsource.co.uk/christcollegebrecon CHRIST COLLEGE, BRECON, BRIDGE ST, BRECON LD3 8AF

Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater Book by Doug Wright

Based on the

and

This

International All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.co.uk

ALWAY PRODUCTION OF

Hans Christian Andersen story

the Disney film

amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre

Above: Alway house getting ready to learn their lines for 'The Little Mermaid'.

Music

There have been several memorable musical highlights this term. In May, the Chapel Choir and several senior solo musicians were fortunate to be invited to perform for the Cathedral Music Trust gathering in Brecon. 80 members of the Cathedral Music Trust arrived at the Chapel, along with many choir parents, to hear the choir perform some of their ‘greatest hits’. Following a swift tea break, the second half comprised of several solo items from some of our senior singers and instrumentalists, as well as a medley of songs from Les Misérables, sung by the Chamber Choir. The rousing ‘ﬁnale’ of the event was a ﬁne professional performance from the brass quintet of the Band of the Prince of Wales. Following the event, the Cathedral Music Trust said:

“The concert on Saturday afternoon was above and beyond anything we expected. The talent amongst the pupils was phenomenal. To say we were all blown away is an understatement. I have had so many messages since the weekend saying how memorable, special, emotional, moving and fantastic the performance of the choir and soloists was. As I write to you, this has just dropped into my mailbox: ‘I think I will always remember the Christ College Choir singing their hearts out that afternoon after their sports day. So inspiring.’”

Thank you to all the musicians who performed that afternoon, especially bearing in mind they had given their all during the morning’s Sports Day competitions.

They also represented CCB on Saturday 18th May at the Old Breconian service in the school Chapel. The Chapel Choir is integral to the musical life of CCB and we thank these dedicated singers for giving of their time and expertise.

Forthcoming events for the Chapel Choir include leading the music in the high-proﬁle Prize Day Service at Brecon Cathedral.

Our relatively new programme of weekly lunchtime Chapel concerts on a Tuesday has continued to ﬂourish, with this opportunity to perform in a ‘safe space’ welcomed by musicians of all ages. Those who attend also ﬁnd it a pleasant moment of calm in an otherwise busy week.

We will also be showcasing the work of our lunchtime ensembles this term, who rehearse each week, and if the weather is ﬁne, these performances will take place outside the Dining Hall, in the hope of entertaining the lunch queues! These events are open to all, so please do try to come along to one in the future, either to support friends, or just out of natural curiosity.

Also in May, we hosted a lovely recital in the Chapel. Guitarist Adam Khan O.B. (Old Breconian) and violinist Michael Bochmann MBE performed an eclectic programme of musical delights. This was the second in an annual recital series spotlighting talented Old Breconians who have gone on to make a successful career in music, and as ever, this was generously supported by Old Breconian W.Hugh Phillips, JP, FCOptom, who does so much to support the Creative Arts at Christ College. Entitled “From Bach to Buenos Aires”, the programme included works by

Piazzola, Paganini and Bach, as well as some home-grown arrangements of favourite folk tunes. For those who attended, it was an evening never to be forgotten, as we were all transﬁxed by the technical skill and showmanship of these consummate musicians.

We now look towards the end of year events, when we will celebrate the contributions and talents of our Upper Sixth leavers in the End of Year Concert on Thursday 4th July. There will also be musical performances to enjoy on Prize Day. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to support our musical events throughout the year.

Sport

Cricket

Both boys’ and girls’ cricket has seen significant progress over the past few months. Many pupils from all age groups have been busy training in the sports hall during lunchtimes and after school throughout the winter. Their hard work is paying off, with noticeable improvements in skill levels and techniques. Well done to everyone who has taken part in the training sessions – a great effort all round!

Cricket: 1st XI Boys

We are proud to announce that this year, we have 10 cricket teams at Christ College—5 boys' teams and 5 girls' teams. We are the only educational establishment in Wales to have 10 hardball cricket teams. Very well done to everyone involved!

Scores for our games are recorded on Play Cricket. You can follow and check scores on most matches and individual performance on the ECB Play Cricket App.

The squad have trained throughout the winter in the sports hall, followed by an informative and skill-based pre-season training program with our new cricket partner, Cardiﬀ Metropolitan University.

Despite the bad weather preventing early season matches, the team performed well against formidable, established cricket schools and colleges. The early season highlight was a convincing 40-run victory against Llandaﬀ Cathedral School in the preliminary round of the U17 ECB Cup.

There have been several outstanding performances with the bat. AJ M scored back-to-back half-centuries against Collegiate School and Llandaff Cathedral School. Next year’s captain, Toby P, also achieved a half-century against Llandaff Cathedral School. The season's best bowling performances included Rhys P, who took 3 wickets for 18 runs in his first five overs against a formidable, experienced MCC team, and Oliver D, who took 5 for 35 in 5 overs against Blundell’s from Devon.

Above: Indoor nets at Cardiﬀ Metropolitan University. Above: CCB v Marylebone Cricket Club.

U15 Pre-Season Cricket Tour to Jersey

Over the holidays, our U15 Cricket Squad travelled to Jersey for their pre-season training tour. There, they reﬁned their skills and prepared for the upcoming season through training sessions and matches.

During their tour, they played in two matches against a development team and one against De La Salle, a school based on

Individual Representative Honours in Cricket

We are delighted that a number of our players have been selected to play for national, regional and franchise squads. Congratulations to the following players:

 Eve J – Eve has had a busy start to the new season, touring South Africa with the Senior Wales Ladies’ Team and playing for Western Storm Academy.

 Sophie W – Western Storm Development Squad, Wales

 Tess J – Western Storm Development Squad, Wales

 Beth J – Wales and East Wales

 AJ M – Herefordshire U18

 Seniru K – Cricket Wales South

the island. The team showcased exceptional bowling and ﬁelding skills, notably with Sam D leading the bowling ﬁgures with six wickets across three matches. Unfortunately, rain hampered their batting performance in two matches, so they ended the tour with two draws and a loss against strong opponents.

A special mention and our huge thanks to OB, Idris W Harding (DHB, 57-61), who attended

the team’s match against a Jersey development team. Idris, who represented Christ College in both 1st XI cricket and 1st XV rugby, brought along his blazer worn in his team photograph in 1960. Years later, he donned the same blazer while visiting our pupils and posing for a photograph with the touring team. It was truly inspiring to listen to his captivating stories about the school during those times.

Cricket: 1st XI Girls

We appear to be ‘leading the way’ with Girls Senior School Cricket. Following a successful preseason at Cardiff Metropolitan University, the squad bonded well together despite several matches called off due to bad weather. The team were unlucky to lose to a strong U18 Llandaff Cathedral School team in the ECB U18 cup.

Cricket: U13 and U12 Girls

Over the past few months, most of the girls in Alway have been training and now the weather has improved, we have been using the outdoor nets. A special mention for the U13 Girls’ Team who qualified for the regional U13 Girls’ Indoor Finals at Sofia Gardens, where the team finished third. The future looks bright for Girls’ Cricket at CCB!

Rugby

This term has been exceptional for our rugby teams, showcasing outstanding talent and dedication.

Gethin O’C has secured a contract with the Bristol Bears Senior Academy and earned caps for Wales U19, highlighting his promising future.

Our congratulations also go to Ollie M, who joined the Cardiﬀ Rugby U17 squad for their recent games and festival, and Kuba T, selected for the Netherlands U18 team for the European Championship this July.

Four of our players, including Rhys P, Dafydd R, Rhys C, and Alfred B-L, represented Crawshay's in matches against the Lambs select team and Llandovery.

Additionally, Rhys C had the honour of playing against the Cardiﬀ Development XV.

The Cardiﬀ U18 squad featured Ollie R, Nick H, and Alfred B-L, while Will T represented us in the Cardiﬀ U16 combined team.

Eleri D has also made signiﬁcant strides, joining the Dragons U18 girls.

We are proud to announce our ﬁrst Llandovery Day victory in 25 years, a testament to our team's hard work and skill. Our team also achieved 3rd place in Conference B of the Welsh Schools and Colleges League, capping oﬀ a remarkable term of rugby achievements.

Hockey

Our U18 Team ﬁnished 3rd at Nationals, closely missing out on a chance to play in the National ﬁnals. Congratulations to Tilly C (pictured right) and Ben McL for receiving honours.

 Representative honours for Tilly C in the U16 Wales Squad to play in the Euro 5s tournament in Switzerland.

 U18 Welsh Honours for Ben McL who played in the Easter series against Ulster HC.

Netball

Congratulations to the 1st VII who placed 7th overall in Wales in the President’s Cup. Outstanding performances of the day to Darcey T, Molly P and shooting by Libby H and Arwen T.

It was a ﬁercely fought game for the girls’ vs boys’ netball match to ﬁnish the season with a comfortable win for the girls. Outstanding play from Lewis H and Alfred B-L.

Above: Sports Day 2024. Above: 1st Team Caps 2024.

Development & Foundation

Giving Day

Our annual Giving Day took place on Friday 17th May and thanks to the support of our generous community, we managed to raise a fantastic total of £28,247 with additional donations still coming in. All the challenges were met, and de Winton House won the Battle of the Houses with the most linked donations. They will receive £500, generously donated by the OBA for a social event of their choice.

There was a total of 176 individual donors (109 last year) and a total of 220+ donations made overall, as many people supported more than one fund. We also made a large donation to the Brecon Foodbank, with items generously donated by our pupils and staﬀ.

The total raised for each individual fund were:

The Foundation: £12,861

Chapel and Heritage Fund: £9,306 Giving Back Fund: £3,549

Pupil Opportunity Fund: £1,110

Pavilion Fund: £1,421

Thank you very much to all who supported Giving Day, at a time when many people are ﬁnancially stretched. You can be assured that the money will be used wisely and carefully. Thank you also to the donors who speciﬁcally requested to donate to the restoration of our Cricket Pavilion.

School Window

The CCB School Window app is now available and has proved to be very popular. With our new app, you'll have direct access to all the CCB social media content you are interested in, even if you do not have a social media account.

You’ll also find handy features such as links to the parent portal, EVOLVE payments, sports fixtures, and the CCB Community Hub right at your fingertips. Available to download for free via your app store, just search ‘Christ College Brecon School Window’.

Above: Donations to Brecon Food Bank loaded up and ready to be delivered!

Mountain Challenge

Our third annual Mountain Challenge took place in May. With glorious weather, 163 entrants set off on one of the three routes – 10, 13 or 26 miles. The new 26-mile route certainly proved to be a challenge, but all entrants completed the course in good spirits. We are most grateful to the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and Fabian4 for supporting the event. The Mountain Rescue Team will be receiving a large donation from the proceeds of the day. We are also very grateful to our sponsor Paul Fosh Auctions, who not only sponsored the event but entered all their staff – a great effort!

Above: Ready, set, go! Left: Mountain Rescue Team keeping us all safe and pointing us in the right direction!

100 miles for 100 years

The Pavilion celebrated its 100th anniversary in May. Supported by funds raised by Old Breconians to remember their friends and teammates who had given their lives in the ‘Great War’, the Memorial Pavilion was built in 1924, replacing a much older ‘Pavvy’ that had been built in 1881.

With a 100th birthday that coincided with Sports Day, this much-loved building

the celebrations alongside special guests Dan Cherry (Chief Executive of Glamorgan CC) and Mark Rhydderch-Roberts (Chair of Glamorgan CC).

The Middle School Hub has been doing much to raise awareness of the origins of the building. After some thought about what would engage their peers, Tom, Archie and

spreadsheets reveal that 100 miles for 100 years is already surpassed! Well done to Tom, Archie and Seniru, #run4thepav has successfully captured imaginations in all year groups.

But that’s not the end of the story: more miles will be completed soon. The work of the Middle Hub has been such a triumph that the boys are planning further projects to celebrate the Pavilion’s centenary year and to commemorate those whose names are on the Memorial tablet in the Chapel. Keep a look out for further news on CCB social

Celebrating the century of any building is a milestone in the history of a school, but a building as iconic as the Pavilion deserves a place in the school’s history. To ﬁnd out more, visit the online 1541 Exhibition: https://ccbcommunity.co.uk/pages/object-25-

Left: Tom, Archie and Seniru (Middle School Hub) Above: Happy 100th Birthday! Above: Dan Cherry and Mark Rhydderch-Roberts.

TLC for some ancient friends

As you leave the Chapel there is usually a row of ancient oak seats ahead of you, known as stalls. They are often seen but perhaps not so often talked about. In fact, the history of the stalls remains a bit of a puzzle. The oldest parts of them appear to date from the 13th Century Dominican Friary that once occupied the school site. Later they were adapted to create the pairs of stalls that are familiar to us now.

The seat on each of them folds up to form a shelf, known as a misericord or ‘mercy seat’, designed to be leant against while standing during (often lengthy) divine service. Under the seats are carvings of a dog, a skeleton, an angel and a lion, as well as a unicorn-like creature and a rather cute owl’s face. Their rough execution makes the Christ College misericords highly unusual, if not unique.

Originally, 23 of them were arranged around the walls of the Chapel. Tragically, the stalls were discarded during modernisations in the 1890s. Luckily, six of them were rescued from a local garden in 1926 and returned to the Chapel. Latterly, they have needed specialist attention.

Thanks to generous donations to The Chapel and Heritage Fund, the stalls have been recently removed and safely delivered to local craftsman, Noel Gaskell. It was a heart-stopping moment to see them raised aloft to his ﬁrst-ﬂoor workshop but they are now in his expert hands. We await their restoration with eager anticipation and look forward to reporting on their return to their rightful place.

If you would like to contribute to the Chapel and Heritage Fund to support similar projects, go to https://ccbcommunity.co.uk/pages/heritage-fund