Cloisters Summer 2021 - Issue 29

Summer 2021

Hello…

Welcome to the latest edition of your tri-annual alumnae magazine, Cloisters, bringing you the latest news from the School and your alumnae community.

2020 was an extraordinary year for us all and a particularly challenging time for many of our pupils, staff and alumnae.

The Foundation Office team have enjoyed remaining connected with very many alumnae and we look forward to seeing many of you in person before too long as we begin to host reunions and in-person events once more.

I firmly believe that the sense of community that our founder, Olive Willis instilled in the School ethos is stronger than ever.

In this issue, we bring you interviews with alumnae who have recently set up new businesses during the pandemic and hear their plans for the future. Downe House girls often have an entrepreneurial streak and these girls are certainly inspiring.

You can also read more about how the DH LINKS programme has developed and take a trip through the Archives with a focus on the Art rooms at Downe House.

As ever, we invite you to keep in touch! We are always pleased to hear from you and enjoy celebrating your successes and sharing your challenges. You can email us at foundation@downehouse.net. You can stay up to date with the latest news and events by visiting the Foundation online portal https://foundation.downehouse.net and by following us on Instagram @dh_links.

With very best wishes, Alexandra Barlow Director of External Relations

We said farewell to the following staff at the end of the Summer term.

Ali Alahwig (Teacher of Arabic) Kevin Allum (Driver/Porter) Kayleigh Anger (Acting Director of Drama) Jane Barr (Teacher of Mathematics) Erica Bevan (VMT Piano) Alice Bickerdike (Graduate Drama Assistant) Barbara Brader (Holcombe Housemistress) Jane Brooke (School Nurse) Bob Chilcott (Musician in Residence) Sian Cook (Cookery) Amy Cox (Housekeeping Assistant) Laura Dickson (VMT Piano) Chloe Donaldson (AGS Assistant Housemistress) Reuben Elliott (Graduate Sports Assistant) Sue Foote (Teacher of Chemistry) Maggie Garfield (Wardrobe Assistant) Zrinka Gavric (VMT Piano) Alex Hammond (Graduate Sports Assistant) Ashley Hendrickx-Nutley (Head Groundsman) Adelaide Hennequin (Hermitage Assistant Housemistress)

Hilary John (PA to Headmistress and Administrator) Ian Kent (Head of Product Design) Faye Lavasani (Teacher of Economics & Business) Georgia Leigh (Assistant Housemistress) Kimberly Masters (Aisholt Housemistress) Vanessa Monger (Health Support Assistant) Sarah Morgan (Graduate Music Assistant) Claire Morris (Learning Support Assistant) Rebecca Nicholls (Graduate Music Assistant) Hazel Ormrod (Senior Communications Officer) Rachel Plummer (Teacher of Classics) Sandra Rideout (Examinations Officer) Ben Sell (Musical Theatre Director in Residence) Jane Stowell (Duke of Edinburgh Administrator) Karen Tavener (VMT Piano) Katy Tinman (Aisholt Assistant Housemistress) Bridget Turner (VMT Flute) Angela Usmar (AGS Matron) Claire Williams (Hill Housemistress) Phil Wise (Acting Deputy Head)

Contents

ON THE COVER FINAL FAREWELL TO CLASS OF 2021 Read more on page 18

2 Alumnae through the ages Celebrating Downe House Girls of the Past

4 The Power of our Alumnae Building confidence, shaping the future

6 In Conversation with Lucinda Miller Mind, Body, Spirit

8 Founder’s Weekend A Modern Take on Old Traditions

12 20th Anniversary Lacrosse Match Play Hard, Win Hard!

14 Day of Discovery Education, Education, Education!

18 Class of 2021 Veni, Vidi, Vici Magazine team Editor-in-chief Mrs Alexandra Barlow Guest Editors

Shifting your mindset Hattie MacAndrews on empowering women to make fearless choices on page 5.

Antonia Holloway Yella Qiu Upper Sixth Upper Sixth Designer Mr Craig Stevens

Downe House School @DowneHouse downe_house

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D H LINK S

The Power of our Alumnae

Conne ct I nn o va t e On l i n e

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We are delighted to share with you a flavour of the DH LINKS on-line events, programmes and initiatives which have taken place over the past academic year.

TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS & HOW TO BE A BETTER LEADER These were just some of the takeaways for our Upper Fifth girls who took part in the DH LINKS event as part of the Introduction to Sixth Form Week at the end of June.

The Introduction to Sixth Form programme was packed with activities talks, tours, assemblies, taster lessons and social events – all designed to smooth the transition into the Sixth Form for the Upper Fifth girls and new girls joining in September. The week started with a welcome event for the new girls and their parents, with tours of the School and induction sessions.

Wednesday brought a fresh challenge – creating a TED Talk! Housemistress, Miss Treacy led a workshop in which the girls watched a TED Talk by Dr Lucy King (DH 1995) given in December 2019, followed by a personal message from Dr King with her top tips and a presentation by Standing Tall on building confidence. In small groups, the girls worked on preparing a talk on the topic, ‘Is the journey or the destination more important?’ which they could interpret in any way they liked.

The next day was devoted to wellbeing and life skills. In the morning, the girls learnt about nutrition and healthy eating from Nutritional Therapist, Sam Silvester followed by the brilliant

Eryca Freemantle who talked about confidence building, self-care and achieving a healthy mental state. Girls also attended a breathing techniques workshop held by DH Alumna and Free Diver, Helena Bourdillon (DH 1992).

To conclude the week, the girls were given a whirlwind tour of life as an entrepreneur with an introduction to the world of business by InvestIN and a workshop in which the girls explored how to develop and pitch business ideas. Following on from the skills learnt in the morning, the DH LINKS team hosted the final event of the week and provided the girls with a Dragon’s Den-style business competition in which our alumnae judged their business pitches with the prizes being awarded in a variety of categories and the team that took the top prize of ‘Best Group’ was the West Bubble.

Our sincere thanks go to the following alumnae who returned to Downe House for the afternoon of Friday 25 June for the DH LINKS event in the Murray Centre: Elizabeth Jenkin (Wooliston DH 1990) Hattie MacAndrews (DH 2009) Olivia Harrison (DH 2017) Georgina Anastassopoulos Tubby (DH 2018) Victoria Aarons (DH 2020)

Mentor in the Spotlight Hattie MacAndrews (DH 2009) is a Confidence & Mindset Coach. She describes herself as a self-made entrepreneur and founded five companies before the age of thirty. We invited her to return to Downe House to join our other alumnae mentors for the DH LINKS event as part of the Introduction to Sixth Form Week as we knew she would be able to share with our Upper Fifth girls the fantastic mentoring tools that she has adopted with her own clients.

Hattie says “Thank you so much for organising and inviting me to such a brilliant careers-related event with the Upper Fifth. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm and creativity from the girls. Hopefully they came away feeling inspired about business!”

Keen to know more about Hattie and her business? – Visit her website www.hattiemacandrews.com

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IN CONVERSATION WITH

LUCINDA

MILLER

LAURA DEAN (DH 2009)

LUCY BARRIE (LOWER SIXTH)

Continuing with our virtual live events, we were delighted to welcome Alumna Lucinda Miller (Tremlett DH 1988), in February of this year to talk to our current pupils, staff, alumnae and parents about her career as a Naturopath.

Our Head Senior Lucy Barrie (LVI) and her sister Laura Dean (DH 2009) led the interview and did a superb job masterminding a really insightful conversation. Lucinda shared with us her journey since leaving Downe House and the steps she took to setting up a very busy naturopathic practice and a hugely successful online shop. She has a passion for paediatric nutrition from the functional medicine approach and has written a nutrition bible and cookbook The Good Stuff which was published by Short Books in 2018.

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“It was wonderful to connect with so many Downe House girls who have made the link that the right food choices can help both short- and long-term physical and mental health.”

LUCINDA MILLER (TREMLETT DH 1988)

“I just wanted to write and thank you for a great evening with Lucinda Miller. Laura and Lucy did a wonderful job hosting the evening – what a great advertisement for Downe House. Lovely to listen to and see them all so passionate about such an important topic. I have benefited from Lucinda’s advice in the past and it is always fascinating to hear more from her and so I was really grateful to be able to ‘tune in to’ this evening and hear more about her career path as well as another quick lesson on the gut microbiome as well! All so interesting. Thank you for putting on the event. It was great also seeing past and present DH girls learning from one another. What an important job you do in facilitating that – thank you.”

Mrs Annabel Karoly (Current Parent)

INSTAGRAM LIVE To celebrate International Women’s Day in March, the DH LINKS team introduced ‘Friday Live’s’ with a wide range of different alumnae. We were thrilled to speak to alumnae from around the globe and open up some interesting discussions about travel, career paths and memories of Downe House.

Listen back to these recordings by following @dh_links on Instagram.

Lucinda’s latest book ‘I Can’t Believe it’s Baby Food’ was published in mid-May and features over 120 recipes.

It is available buy from Amazon and other bookshops.

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1 Kate Crofton-Atkins (DH 1996) 2 Annabel Roest (DH 2018) 3 Cute Poolworaluk (DH 2015), Cream Poolworaluk (DH 2014) and Cookie Poolworaluk (DH 2018) 4 Hetty Fairbanks Smith (DH 2015) 5 Charlotte Benigni (DH 2018)

BE PART OF THE DH LINKS COMMUNITY

www.naturedoc.co.uk

Follow us on Instagram @dh_links

Tweet us @DHLinks

Like us on Facebook at Downe House Alumnae (Old Seniors) private group

Read more online at https://foundation.downehouse.net/homepage

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FOUNDER’S WEEKEND

Always a special moment in the Downe House calendar, this year’s Founder’s Weekend was of particular importance as a time to come together and celebrate all that has been achieved in this extraordinary year, as well as showcasing exceptional talent in Sport, Drama, Dance, Music and Creative Arts.

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Most of the events were live streamed to share with parents and alumnae around the world and an art gallery was created on the Downe House website to share the most outstanding art, product design, photography and textiles creations from all the year groups.

The weekend started with an uplifting and joyful Founder’s Service of music and prayer, live streamed from the campus with an address by the Rev’d Liz Jackson, the new Associate Archdeacon of Berkshire in the Oxford diocese, on this term’s Chapel theme of ‘Love and Service’.

The next event was Sports Day with a morning of track and field events in which every girl in the School had the opportunity to take part and compete for their House. House spirit was strong (and loud!) and every event was robustly contested with the overall winner being Holcombe House.

Blue Stockings Lower Fifth Production

Bringing the Downe House community together

At lunchtime, the incredible Samba Band entertained everyone followed by the premiere screening of Let’s go to the Movies – the Movie featuring a cast of girls from across the School alongside stars from the West End and DH Alumna, Geraldine James (Thomas DH 1968). Written and directed

by Musical Theatre Director in Residence, Mr Ben Sell, the production aimed to raise funds for the charity, Acting for Others.

The Music Department excelled with a spectacular variety of performances during the afternoon from ensembles, soloists, choirs and the Chapel organ players, again all streamed live online.

The Downe House Dance Academies and Company presented an exciting adaption of Mulan – the dancers had been rehearsing since the Michaelmas term, mostly in their bubbles and many of the rehearsals in the Lent term were virtual ones. On the day, the energy, the accomplished technique and professionalism of our dancers meant that Mulan was another highlight.

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Last on the schedule was the School Production of Blue Stockings – the Lower Fifth cast did a wonderful job on stage telling the story of the women at Girton College, Cambridge who fought so hard to ensure that education for girls and women became a right.

Throughout the weekend, there was the opportunity to view the fabulous Creative Arts Exhibition in the Murray Centre displaying girls’ work in Art, Textiles, DT, Photography and Ceramics. Suffice it to say that the individuality, creativity and quality of the works meant it was impossible to go round the exhibition quickly!

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ANNIVERSARY LACROSSE MATCH

On the Sunday morning of Founder’s Weekend, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Downe House’s first National Schools’ Lacrosse Championships title win, Miss Charlotte Williams (Assistant Director of Sport – Competive Sport & Fixtures) organised an Alumnae vs Downe House lacrosse match – a brilliant game in which the DH Alumnae stole the victory by one goal after a closely fought match!

It was a wonderful opportunity to bring together alumnae spanning across the decades – five to be precise – united by one common

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passion – lacrosse! Four players from the historic 2001 winning team played – Tamara Gall (DH 2001), Charlotte Williams (DH 2001), Anna Glasswell (Brooksbank DH 2003), Annabel Simpson (Norris DH 2003), and no less that nine Downe House School Lacrosse Captains were present, some still playing internationals others who needed to borrow sticks. The game was incredibly close and oozed the grit, determination, athleticism and competitiveness that Downe House is renowned for.

Charlotte Williams commented: “As I stood waiting to greet everyone at the main gate, I wondered if I would recognise everyone and if they would recognise me. I didn’t have to wait long to realise that everyone looked exactly the same as they did when they left School! It was wonderful to have so many socially distanced spectators line the sides of the pitches; current girls and staff but also the alumnae families – including husbands, children, parents and

grandparents. Many had never seen a lacrosse match before, others were reliving standing on the side in the horizontal rain in years gone by. I can’t remember the last time I played in front of a crowd!

To my delight Mr and Mrs Gall brought an amazing picnic just like the good old days! After the match there was a lot of time spent reminiscing and hearing about all the exciting adventures everyone has been up to since they left.”

“Thank you so much for organising Sunday’s match! I had the most incredible time and loved getting to know the older alumnae” ANNA NEVILLE (DH 2020)

Day of Discovery Conne ct Inn ova t e Onl ine

From playing the international trade game, creating paper sculptures and dissecting rats, to learning about the physics of tennis, entrepreneurship and being an interior designer, the Day of Discovery gave girls the opportunity to learn new skills, to explore and to challenge themselves.

Every two years, girls in the Upper School and Sixth Form have a day off timetable to participate in an exciting array of workshops and activities designed to allow them to gain incredible insights into new and hot topics and have a lot of fun in the process! Organised by the DH LINKS team, the girls are given a huge choice of sessions which are run by staff, Downe House alumnae and guest presenters who share their specialist knowledge and expertise with the girls to help them to discover and develop their interests. At the end of the three sessions, all the girls came together in their year groups in the China Auditorium and outside in the Cloisters, to hear our keynote speaker, Trinny Woodall (current parent).

● Learn a skill

Lightbulb photo by Daniele Franchi on Unsplash

DH LI NK S

A day of challenge and exploration From making Postcards of Kindness to send to the residents of care home in France and learning how to apply stage make-up to creating paper sculptures, the enormous range of sessions really did offer something for everyone. One of the most popular sessions was the International Trade Game run by the Head of Economics and Business Studies, Mr Chapman in which teams act as separate countries and are challenged to compete against each other to ‘manufacture’ paper shapes and sell them to a international commodity market trader at posted prices, which vary with supply and demand.

The objective for each country is to make as much money as possible. It was a fast-moving and exciting session designed to develop students’ critical thinking.

● Challenge yourself 15

● Explore your future Alumnae and guest presenters sharing their experiences Exploring future career paths is a major driver for Day of Discovery and our alumnae volunteered to share their experiences in a number of sectors including Fashion, PR, Interior Design, Art, Theatre, setting up a charity and an insight into university life. Guest presenters included Charlie Kerr, Chaplaincy Adviser to the ODBE who shared his Meditation Toolkit, Professor Andy Smith from Reading University who spoke about their new exhibition: Troy: Beauty and Heroism, and Dr Simon Goodwill, Head of the Sports Engineering Research Group (SERG), in the Academy of Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University, who ran a session of the Physics of Tennis.

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Introducing Trinny Woodall, Our Keynote Speaker In the final session of the Day of Discovery, Trinny Woodall, entrepreneur, TV presenter and founder of Trinny London gave the keynote speech to all the girls. Trinny shared her own journey of how she initially found success as a TV presenter and then she followed her dream of creating a premium make-up brand and became one of Britian’s top tech entrepreneurs. Trinny’s message to the girls focussed on the importance of doing what you believe in and what will make you happy and hopefully successful at the same time. Lower Sixth girls, Yasmine and Amelia, led the Q&A in which Trinny answered a host of questions from ‘What is the best advice you have been given?’ and ‘What do you want to achieve next?’ to how to handle social media, parental expectations and making the most of your network.

● Discuss a hot topic

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A Remarkable Day for a Remarkable Year Group

Welcome to the Class of

2021!

The School community came together to celebrate the achievements of our Upper Sixth girls on Wednesday 2 July and enjoyed a wonderful Leavers’ Service and Final Assembly outside in the glorious setting of the Cloisters. It was wonderful to have our Upper Sixth parents back with us on campus and the atmosphere was truly special. After such an extraordinary eighteen months, it was a day that will be remembered for many years to come!

Our guest speaker, Dr Uzoma Emenike (current parent) shared her wisdom and spoke of finding her own passion within public relations at a young age. Dr Emenike started her career as a diplomat over 30 years ago and in January 2021, was appointed as the first female Nigerian Ambassador to the United States. Dr Emenike served as the Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland before her appointment. She gave encouragement and advice to our departing Upper Sixth girls and said “trust yourself, believe in yourself, be self-assured and remain focussed”.

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Girls, parents and staff enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by our Catering Department in marquees spread across the School campus, before moving outside to enjoy the much anticipated ‘confetti moment’ to mark the final farewell.

Mrs Alexandra Barlow (Director of External Relations) commented “We are incredibly proud of everything the girls have achieved in their time at Downe House and wish each of them every success as they embark on the next stage of their journey and become part of our alumnae community. We look forward to following their progress and hope to see many of them at future DH LINKS events”.

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Alumnae Focus

GEORGINA

LODER (HASZLAKIEWICZ) 2003

Georgina is the Co-Founder of Percival & Co, an innovative drinks brand that creates a high quality and lightly alcoholic hard tonic, with flavours that take inspiration from the British countryside. Based in Oxfordshire, Georgina talks to us about why she took the plunge to set up her own business.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you were in the Sixth Form at Downe House?

I wanted to be involved in property and shortly after completing my A Levels I went to London for work experience at John D Wood. I was attracted to the magnificence of beautiful houses and wanted to be part of that world.

What has been your career path since leaving Downe House?

Having completed and thoroughly enjoyed the Leith’s Diploma at School, I spent my gap year working on various cooking jobs, something I continued during my university holidays when I went on to study politics at Newcastle. I felt drawn to working in food but not always in the kitchen, so I applied to do work experience in the buying office at Fortnum & Mason. This led to four wonderful years of buying and product development for Fortnum’s and then at Harvey Nichols. A passion for

“The Leith’s course I did at Downe House was critical in it all!”

Find out more about Percival & Co. by visiting percivalandco.com

India took me to Delhi for a year to manage an events business, learning all about Indian cuisine, managing larger teams and doing things Indianstyle. Upon return to England I became Commercial Manager for baked goods business Fiona Cairns, managing a large supply of cakes and biscuits into Waitrose with on-going range reviews and seasonal product launches.

What is your current job role?

Last year I became Co-Founder of Percival & Co, a Hard Tonic drinks brand. Together with a friend, I developed Percival & Co out of a desire for an alcoholic drink that was refreshing and delicious, but with less alcohol, sugar and calories than anything else available. Having made elderflower cordial most summers, we started our flavour exploration there and now have a range of drinks, all in flavours inspired by British hedgerows.

Our natural, low calorie and lightly alcoholic sparkling waters offer a healthier and more measured (though still delicious) alcohol choice.

Describe a typical day for you.

As Co-Founder of a new business my day is incredibly varied. My morning is allocated to following up with potential customers or emailing new ones to introduce Percival & Co. I will often get on the road to go out to restaurants and delis to deliver samples and present our brand – I am on a big sales mission!

At least an hour of my day is spent processing and packing up orders that we receive through our website.

My afternoon is spent in Zoom meetings with our outsourced digital marketing team, running through the business commercials and planning marketing activity to increase exposure and spread the word about our brand as widely as possible.

We have just finished a period of product and packaging development so we’re now more focussed on sales, looking to raise investment and grow the brand. This summer will be filled with as many food and drink festivals and events as we can physically manage!

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced with your career?

A huge and painful decision was to leave my adored buying job at Fortnum & Mason. It was where I learnt how to taste and develop food and I felt a huge affinity and passion for the 300 year-old business, which I still hold. However, I felt that I needed to test the waters and push myself into a new environment and challenge.

Where do you hope to be in five years’ time?

I am focussed on becoming the owner of a successful drinks business. I hope to be running a team driving Percival & Co at home and internationally and making it the premium drink of choice for those wanting a delicious but better-for-you alcoholic drink.

I hope to represent a success story for a brand and for two women in the alcoholic drinks world.

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Alumnae Focus

JESSICA

CARTER (HILLS) 2007

Jessica graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2011 and lives and works in Linkenholt, Hampshire. An upbringing in horse racing and years spent travelling and living in Africa steer her choice of subject matter towards nature and wildlife, although her work is varied, shifting from equine studies to landscapes to African wildlife. She has exhibited in London, Stockbridge, Surrey and Barcelona.

What career did you envisage for yourself when you in the Sixth Form at Downe House?

I had wanted to be a vet since the age of about 14; my father was a racehorse trainer so it felt like a natural fit for me within that world.

However, when I entered my final year and dropped art in favour of concentrating on maths, biology and chemistry, I knew within two weeks that a huge part of my personality wasn’t being fulfilled.

I felt incredibly homesick for the art block and that was when I realised that painting was my real passion.

What has been your career path since leaving Downe House?

I did my Art Foundation course at Farnham UCCA, followed by Art and History of Art at Goldsmiths, University of London. I got a little lost at the latter – I probably should have chosen an Atelier course, such as the London Fine Art Studios, as my passion is for images rather than concepts. Post university I spent time living at home dividing my time between riding racehorses, bartending, nannying and painting.

As a result not much career progress

was made so I began working in the African travel industry, where I spent the next eight years, including a season hosting a bush camp in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. Last year covid gave me the nudge I needed to start painting full time.

What is your current job role?

I’m a full-time wildlife and landscape artist!

Describe a typical day for you.

I wake up at 7am, do a half hour workout, take the dog for a walk, do a bit of household admin and am at my easel by 8.45am. I’ve been allowing myself to experiment with subject matter as I have the luxury of selling my own work and therefore don’t need to stick to a certain theme. I’m currently working on a series of sepia, etching-inspired paintings, taking in wildlife from a popular South African holiday itinerary – penguins for Cape Town, a whale for Hermanus and a giraffe for safari! I work until 5-6pm, then my husband and I take turns to cook supper and generally crash in front of the TV or sit in the garden and read depending on the weather.

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced with your career?

Fear of failure, which stopped me from taking the leap to full time artist sooner, and a lack of discipline and focus early on, which prevented me painting full time after university.

The years I spent in travel gave me a work ethic and confidence in myself and my ability to talk to people that has set me up to succeed with my own business.

Where do you hope to be in five years’ time?

Still painting in the depths of the Hampshire countryside but with an increasing income each year through development of my skills and practice and effective marketing.

I’m also working on a project to plant a tree for every painting sold, which I’d love to see get off the ground and progress over time.

Explore more about Jessica Hills Art here www.jessicahillsart.com

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Alumnae Focus

LOUISA

STEVENSONHAMILTON & LIVIA

BOUMEESTER 2012

2012 alumnae Louisa Stevenson-Hamilton and Livia Boumeester are opening their first restaurant site in Parson’s Green in September this year. Inspired by their time living in and travelling around the Canadian west coast, they are bringing these elements to ‘West 4th’ a brunch restaurant and wine bar.

Expect superb Bloody Mary’s and sockeye salmon Eggs Royale in the mornings and come for truffle mac and cheese and a carefully curated wine list in the evening. Find them at 175 New Kings Road, SW6 4SW. What career did you envisage for yourself when you in the Sixth Form at Downe House Louisa: I’d wanted to be a vet for most of my time at Downe, but during Sixth Form I realised that wasn’t the route I wanted to end up going down. After that I had no plan at all!

I decided I’d just make it to uni and work it out from there.

Livia: I knew I wanted to study Psychology at university and thought I would head into a career based around my degree, potentially as a child psychologist. I found my degree fascinating and went straight into work for a children’s charity.

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What has been your career path since leaving Downe House?

After leaving Downe we both went to Exeter University before moving to London. Having worked in hospitality when we were younger, we then ended up in the corporate world for a few years – Livia moving from the third sector into Corporate Responsibility for a UK bank and Louisa working as a Business Analyst for a fashion brand.

At the beginning of 2019 we decided to take a plunge, quit our desk jobs and move to Vancouver.

Whilst we were there, we worked both front and back of house in a

restaurant, spending our free time travelling around Canada and North America. We loved so many aspects of the hospitality scene there that we thought would work in London, and so the idea for ‘West 4th’ was born.

What is your current job role?

As it’s just us (and our very talented new Head Chef) in the company at the moment, we encompass all roles – CEO, CFO, CMO, you name it!

It’s a huge learning curve but we’re absolutely loving it.

Describe a typical day for you There’s definitely nothing we could count as a ‘typical’ day for us at the moment. Whether we’re meeting solicitors, getting paint consultations, wine tasting or researching pension plan options – there’s never a dull moment!

What has been the biggest challenge you have experienced with your career?

Like everyone, the uncertainty caused by the pandemic has probably been the hardest thing so far. Not knowing when people would be allowed (or would want) to visit restaurants again and trying to make our business as ‘Covid-proof’ as possible wasn’t something we anticipated having to worry about when we started our venture. As we start to come out the other side of Covid, the implications of Brexit for the hospitality scene are also becoming apparent – it’s affected elements we hadn’t previously considered, from recruiting staff to importing wine to trying to buy a new dishwasher!

Where do you hope to be in five years’ time?

We hope to be opening new sites as well as expanding the West 4th brand as a whole so watch this space!

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.

OSCAR WILDE

Follow @west4thkitchen for updates and if you’d like to get involved in any way please email hello@west4thlondon.co.uk 27

LET IT

GROW! On Wednesday 16 June the Downe House Gardening Club visited the beautiful Waterperry Gardens made famous by former Downe House staff member, Miss Beatrix Havergal who established her School of Horticulture for Ladies there from 1932 to 1971. A tour and a chat with the Head Gardener gave the girls lots of ideas for when they got back to the School vegetable patch.

Waterperry Gardens is now home to 8 acres of beautifully landscaped ornamental gardens, a quality plant centre and garden shop, gallery and gift shop, museum and tea shop.

On arrival, 90 year old museum curator Gordon Dempster greeted us and the girls were quickly emersed in the impressive collection of old gardening tools and his tales of rural life. Our next stop was the manor house, now used by the School of Philosophy and Economic Science for residential courses and we could we spot Beatrice in the old school photos. The Head Gardener, Pat then led us through to the Gertrude Jekyll style herbaceous borders and kitchen garden where much was added to our list of plants to grow, and our international students enjoyed comparing the plants they grow at home to the English garden staples.

Before we left, the girls had a final hour to explore the gardens on their own, enjoying the riverside walk and ‘Silent Space’ garden at their own pace. We look forward to inviting Pat to Downe House next year and have our own little piece of Waterperry to plant at our patch. Aster novibelgii ‘Waterperry’ and Clematis ‘Bill Mackenzie’, a group 3 clematis which was discovered at the Gardens, can be seen to the right of the gate at the entrance to our veg patch.

Miss Laura Vickery Head of Netball and Lead Coordinator of the DH Gardening Club ‘Let it Grow’

The History of Beatrix Havergal

Olive Willis pictured with Beatrix Havergal

Beatrix Havergal was our ‘Lady Gardener’. She was responsible for the gardens and the grounds here at Cold Ash and also played the ‘cello in the school orchestra. In the School Magazine (Summer 1927) it says that Miss Havergal completed two new grass courts and these were suitably named after her ‘Havergal Courts’. These tennis courts are located behind what is now AGS House.

Beatrix began working in horticulture after leaving School in 1916. It is thought she attended a school for female horticulturalists in Thatcham called the Henwick Fruit and Flower Farm (established in 1907 by Miss Mary Peers and Miss Lily HughesJones). Beatrix graduated in 1920 with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Certificate with Honours. Miss Willis asked her to take charge of the gardens at Downe House. It is thought that Miss Willis inspired her to move into education.

Beatrix left Downe House to set up a school of gardening for women with Avice Sanders, who also worked here at Downe House; she taught Domestic Science. They first worked from Pusey House near Faringdon in Oxfordshire and then moved on to establish the Waterperry Horticultural School for Lady Gardeners. There gardens are still there at Waterperry House, near Wheatley in Oxfordshire. Beatrix was awarded the MBE in 1960. She collected a number of other honours in her life and was well known for her Royal Sovereign strawberries.

Avice died in 1970, and a year later, Beatrix sold the estate though she stayed on, living in a small cottage in the grounds.

She is buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in Waterperry, though she died when visiting her brother in Woolton Hill.

Roald Dahl wrote to Quentin Blake describing how he wished his character Miss Trunchball should look. He said she should be based on Beatrix Havergal. They may have known each other through their love of horticulture, though Dahl’s daughter Tessa attended Downe House.

Jane Caiger-Smith Archivist

To explore further visit www.waterperrygardens.co.uk 29

Farewell Miss Foote 30

At the end of the Summer term we bid farewell to Miss Sue Foote (Teacher of Chemistry) who has retired after thirty five years at Downe House.

Former pupils, colleagues and friends share their memories of a quite remarkable teacher.

It is hard to imagine the Downe House community that Sue Foote has served for thirty-five years without her! Whether she was in the Chemistry lab, constructing the school timetable, running the Critical Thinking programme or sharing one of her many interests with girls or colleagues, her dry sense of humour, quick wit and ferocious intellect shone through, as did her kindness, selflessness and enjoyment of young people. She is often described affectionately as a ‘legend’ by her pupils and former students – a very fitting description. Whatever task Sue took on, it was always done to the highest standards, with thought, care and a helpfully critical eye. She has been a wonderful member of our community whose self-effacing approach and great professionalism will be missed. We wish her all the very best in her retirement both on the golf course and off it!

Sue Foote is one of the cleverest people I know and has been a brilliant source of knowledge and advice to me over the years. I shall really miss her for many reasons but her, apparently infinite, knowledge and wonderfully dry sense of humour are certainly two of them. Enjoy your retirement Sue and, if we are ever at a pub quiz together, please be on my team!

Sue has been a huge part of the Chemistry department for 35 years.

She has inspired and motivated all of her pupils with her calm (and patient!) manner and amazing sense of humour.

The help and support offered to the department has been phenomenal and we will all miss her hugely in the years to come.

Mrs Emma McKendrick Headmistress

Mrs Poppy Maspero Head of Chemistry

Mrs Nadine de Chazal Head of Biology

Below are a selection of the wonderful comments and messages we have received on Instagram following Miss Foote’s retirement.

“Miss Foote! A great shot putter, bell ringer and, of course, chemistry teacher!”

LUCY GOULD (HODNETT DH 1999)

“Taught me everything I know.

Not least how to do a cryptic crossword….but Chemistry A Level is my most prized possession. Such happy memories.

Happy retirement!”

KATY DE LASZLO (GUINNESS DH 1997)

“Such an inspirational teacher!

Sending her all the best.”

“Miss Foote, what a wonderfully memorable and fantastic teacher you are, there was never a dull lesson and you inspired and supported my inner scientist! Thank you!

Have a very happy retirement!”

JULIA APPS (FLINT DH 2001)

SEREENA SINGH (DH 2017)

“Happy retirement Sue. Well done for reaching 35 years.

Bonne retaite!”

“Goodbye Miss Foote! From the Dudley-Williams family.”

LORNA SURTEES (DUDLEY-WILLIAMS DH 1995)

“A legend indeed! Happy retirement Miss Foote!

“Never saw any other teacher create Great memories of Chemistry.”

CAMILLA COLVIN (COOK DH 2002) a mushroom cloud explosion.

Thank you for entertaining and educating us.”

VANESSA WESTACOTT (FORMER STAFF)

JESSICA CARTER (HILLS DH 2007)

“Our critical thinking (cryptic crosswords) lessons were the highlight of our week.”

MOLE REYNARD (DH 2019)

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School Archivist, Jane Caiger-Smith takes us on an interesting journey through the early history of the Art department.

Art at Dow “Will You”, from the 1911 School Magazine.

“Will you work a little faster!”

Said Miss Hensman to the girl “I can’t see the perspective, And my brains are in a whirl, I’ve gone lost my bungy And my pencil’s bust its point.

And the paper’s got so smudgy, And that leg’s all out of joint”!

“Will you march a little faster”, Said Miss Lane to me one day, “There’s your leader close behind you And you’re getting in her way”!

“I’ve gone and lost my hankey, And the sole’s half off my shoe”.

(So we added brain to common sense And stuck it on with glue.) *Punctuation and spelling as in the original!

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he first Art Studio at Downe House, in Kent, is shown looking neat and orderly. [1] As pupil numbers increased though, there was a need for more space and a new building for a Gym and Studio was put up in the grounds. [2] The lease of Downe House in Kent (the school took the name of Downe House from the village of Downe, the house was on the edge of the village) allowed the school to put up new buildings on the condition that they must be taken down again should the lease be terminated and the school move away. So when the move to Cold Ash came about, by necessity as the number of pupils had grown steadily, the new buildings were taken down and transported over to Cold Ash. The rebuilding of the gym and the studio were among the first projects here after the move in 1922.

Miss Hensman, the first teacher of Art was energetic and encouraging – she always called the girls ‘poppet’.

Miss Dorothy Willis, sister of Olive Willis, was a keen amateur artist and as she was a frequent visitor, she would regularly draw and paint with the girls and also give talks on art.

The School welcomed a great number of visitors to lecture on all sorts of things of academic and cultural interest, including Art, and of course, this has continued through the years, as have visits to galleries and exhibitions. The School Magazine often carried reports of the lectures and the visits, ranging from a short paragraph to five pages, most are hugely enthusiastic and there is often, at the end, a wish that the particular lecturer will make a return visit so they can learn more.

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owne House Miss Bulley did return on a few occasions, showing the girls pieces of pre-Columbian art, some stone carvings and some early European pottery. Lantern slides were a thrill in themselves of course, and one report noted, perhaps with a touch of disappointment, the use of an ‘easel and pointer’ instead.

A Mr Wright lectured on etching and dry point; ‘we realised what beauty and expression can be obtained by scratching on copper’, Sir Kenneth Clark visited to lecture on Botticelli and visits to exhibitions in London were a great source of inspiration. [3, 4, 5] The rather dramatic glass roof of the rebuilt Studio allowed in too much light, so after a short time some of the glass was covered and then further building up towards what is now the History Block

led to the second configuration, now recognisable as Room H. [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14] Past pupils would often come in to work with the girls, and friends of the school around and about often invited girls to their homes to paint and draw or see their private art collections. One Sketching Club outing was on a most drippy day and a kind farmer offered the group the use of his farm buildings. Waterside locations were favourites; Wherwell on the Test, Mapledurham and other spots on the Thames and a visit to the Mill House in Kintbury. One trip to Streatley went by way of Aldworth to see the famed Aldworth Giants in the little church of St Mary’s.

The lunches and afternoon teas on these expeditions always seem to have been quite special, either provided in baskets by the School

kitchens or by the generous hosts – on one summer afternoon they were treated to freshly picked strawberries and cream! One report of such a trip expresses some concern that Sketching Club is becoming so popular two omnibuses may be needed in the future.

A great number of girls have gone on to Art School after their time at Downe House, some have made it a career and some have been lifelong amateur painters – many have returned to the School to work alongside the girls, to guide and to appreciate. Art always matters to the girls here and the Art rooms and the Pottery Room have offered a quiet but inspiring space down through the years.

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DHSA NEWS DHSA MAGAZINE We hope all who requested a hard copy of the magazine have received it.

If not, please contact the Administrator at dhsa@downehouse.net.

SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2021 SPONSORED BY THE DHSA RESULTS CLARE BALDING PRIZE FOR EXCELLENT WRITING Poppy Scales

DHSA GRANTS All members of the DHSA are entitled to a grant to assist them in a worthwhile project e.g. towards an individual’s professional/educational development.

Submissions are considered at the next scheduled meeting of the Committee.

Application forms, available from the website, should be sent to the DHSA administrator at dhsa@downehouse.net.

GRANTS [FOR ASSISTANCE WITH COSTS] HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO Venetia Andrew (2007) – MBA at INSEAD. Caroline Mallows (2009) – Graduate Diploma in Teaching in New Zealand.

Jen Mae Low (2009) – Masters in Public Health at Harvard.

Annabel Gonifas (Taylor, 1997) – OCM Diploma in Professional Coach-Mentoring.

Alexandra Lloyd (2009) – Masters in International Law in Switzerland.

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UPPER SCHOOL PRIZE Iona Neville

SIXTH FORM WINNER Poppy Scales

LOWER SCHOOL PRIZE Effie Harris

All the winners and runners-up took part in a Celebration of Writing event at school on March 25th when they were presented with their prizes and joined a discussion with four DH alumnae who have all included some form of published writing in their careers. They were Clare Balding (DH 1988), Marina Hyde (Dudley-Williams DH 1992), Cesca Major (Martin DH 2000) and Virginia Macgregor (former staff).

MATHER TRAVEL AWARDS Mather Travel Awards may be applied for by Members from university age onwards (Travel Awards will not be granted for gap year activities). For full application criteria, process and timing, see www.downehouse.net/community/dhsa Next deadline: 31st December 2021 for review early 2022 – DON’T MISS IT

IN MEMORIAM 2016 Mrs Susan Catlin (Dring, 1952) Mrs Jocelyn Walmesley-White (Beale, 1948) 2018 Mrs Patricia Christie (Beaven, 1959) 2019 Miss Judith Innes (1955) Mrs Jennifer Anne Lindsay (Brownrigg, 1946) Mrs Frances Solly (Burrowes, 1956) Mrs Avril Wotherspoon (Edwards, 1945)

REUNIONS

Photo from last Hurlingham, 2016.

2020 Miss Elizabeth Barker (1946) Mrs Alison Bartholomew (Mackenzie, 1947) Miss Elizabeth Butler (1969) Mrs Sczerina Hitchens, 1956) Mrs Alison Linklater-Bentley (Linklater, 1950) Mrs Sara Paterson (Hobbs, 1961) Lady Penelope Robson (Shirley, 1942) Ms Mary Scott (1943) Mrs Anthea Steel (Wilson, 1957 and Former Staff, 1984) Mrs Patience Thomson (Bragg, 1952) Lady (Diana) Woodfield (Herrington, 1950) 2021 Mrs Elizabeth Culverwell (Farrer, 1947) Mrs Jennifer Kyle (Templer, 1956) Mrs Susanna Maddan (Huband, 1947) Mrs Rebecca Merrison (Evans, 1992) Lady Meyrick (Penelope Marsden-Smedley, 1947) Mrs Felicity Morley (Peile, 1956) Mrs Susan Peel Cross (Rogers, 1954) Mrs Aline Sandberg (Duncan, 1946) Mrs Janet Wilson (Beale, 1956)

Regrettably no reunions were possible in 2020 but we hope that changing circumstances will allow us to resume these as soon as possible, starting with The Hurlingham Club Lunch Party, for those who left before 1970, originally planned for September 2020 and now rearranged for Friday September 17th 2021 Invitations have been sent out to all eligible members and we are delighted with the response. Numbers are limited and we asked for replies by 20th July. The final deadline is Tuesday, 7th September.

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FONDLY REMEMBERED Katrin MacLean (Latta DH 1983) I only met Katrin quite recently, some 32 years ago.

On our first romantic city break weekend, we flew to Barcelona. On return to the UK, I wrote her a love note – on a card bought at Gaudi’s Casa Mila, a place that we would go back to decades later with our son Finn – that read “It feels like there is so little time…”

After Downe, Katrin had joined the first intake of girls both at Cranleigh School and Pembroke College.

At Cambridge she read English, remembered as “a sparkly, spiky blonde, ever-smiling human ray of sunshine.”

French). In the course of researching further books, we rode shotgun with an armed Burmese hill tribe warlord, met Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, canoed across parts of Canada and hand-built a feather-light flying machine that would lift me into the blue Cretan sky. After our wedding, Katrin wrote thank you letters aboard a container ship in mid Atlantic. We lived on Mull, in the Cairngorms, London, Tuscany and Berlin before finally settling in a beautiful corner of Dorset. Our home gave us a door that we could close behind us, and we did time and time again, even after the birth of our son. We three hot air ballooned over the Nile, slept in a mud hut in Sri Lanka, hummingbird-watched in Texas, ate horse tenderloin with Arctic thyme glaze in Iceland, and every summer on West Country walks collected wild elderflower for her to make her divine cordial. My solo travels came to be squeezed in between family milestones. After surviving a nervewracking road trip across Afghanistan, I rang home to announce that I was still alive. “And Finn can walk!”

Katrin called down the line.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

MAYA ANGELOU

Another friend recalled “all the things she taught me and that we learned together at university. Those lessons and discoveries can’t be erased; inevitably they become the measures by which we recognise and understand the important things – love, loyalty, compassion – when we meet them in our later lives.”

Katrin knew that marrying a travel writer wouldn’t lead to a conventional, settled life. Within weeks of our first meeting – and the fall of the Wall – we travelled from Berlin to Moscow, making the journey that would become my first book, Stalin’s Nose. In 1989 Eastern Europe was in a state of euphoria and we met people who hadn’t spoken to a foreigner in years – in some countries it had been illegal – and who opened their hearts and told us their stories, drawn out in part by Katrin’s light touch, engagement and positivity (and fluent German and

In Memoriam WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE NAMES OF THE FOLLOWING ALUMNAE WHO HAVE SADLY PASSED AWAY.

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For 32 years we were all but inseparable, and not only because of her gift for languages (her Greek was strongest on aeronautical terms). Katrin edited my every book with astute insight and together we wrote Gift of Time about the striving for una bella morte – a good death – after my mother’s battle with cancer.

And alongside our adventures, she explored her individual gifts: becoming an innovative basket maker years before the craft was recognised as an art, reinventing herself as an Alexander Technique teacher, embracing photography as a late passion, capturing patterns, symmetries and colours of the natural (and in Berlin unnatural) world.

Then at the age of 55, within two years of her parents’ deaths, cancer came out of nowhere. Its diagnosis may have been delayed by the restrictions of the first pandemic lockdown but the shocking speed of its growth

PENELOPE MEYRICK (MARSDEN-SMEDLEY DH 1947) ALINE SANDBERG (DUNCAN 1946) FELICITY MORLEY (PEILE 1956) PATIENCE THOMSON (BRAGG, 1952)

SCZERINA HICHENS (HOBDAY 1954) JENNIFER KYLE (TEMPLER DH 1956) ALISON LINKLATER-BENTLEY (LINKLATER DH 1950) CLAUDINE BROWN (VESEY DH 1943)

wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Katrin stood up to it, declaring out loud that she didn’t invite it into her body, emboldened by the Māori affirmation kia kaha, meaning stay strong. Yet after a false dawn of successful treatment, she passed away at home in her sleep, peacefully, with me holding her hand and telling her that she is so loved.

To some of us, 32 years may seem like a long time, but it isn’t and wasn’t. Katrin was taken much too soon, cruelly soon – yet for more than 32 years she lived with a gentle firm intensity, not wanting to waste a minute, as if indeed she too sensed that there truly was “so little time”.

She embodied so many glorious contractions: her calm and measured voice, full of warmth and empathy, that

could suddenly bubble into ribald laughter; her genuine smile, clean soul, clear heart and sparkling eyes, always looking, really looking, noticing, remembering, asking, caring; the joy and incredibly brightness she brought into a room; her immeasurable love for Finn; her untiring focus on what was beautiful, on possibilities. Every suppertime over our years together she lit candles, taking it all in, making the meal a special ritual, finding a home in us. “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,” wrote the poet Maya Angelou, “but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Written by Rory MacLean (Katrin’s husband)

Katrin is pictured in the centre in the third row

PENELOPE ROBSON (SHIRLEY DH 1942) FRANCES SOLLY (BURROWES DH 1956) LORNA DEACON (MAUDE-ROXBY DH 1952) ELIZABETH CULVERWELL (FARRER DH 1947)

JENNIFER GASON (DH 1960) ANN HUMPHRIES (SMYTH DH 1954) ANN INSKIP (DAVIES DH 1943) JANE DE FALBE (MARRIOTT DH 1945)

SIBELLA BEES (ABELL DH 1958) BECCA MERRISON (EVANS DH 1992)

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Elizabeth Butler (DH 1969) My friend and school mate Elizabeth Butler has died after a long period suffering from cancer. Having been the star artist of our year at school, she went on to study at the Byam Shaw School of Painting and Drawing, and at the Royal College of Art. She then won a scholarship to continue post graduate training at the Karlsruhe Art Academy in Germany, where she formed strong connections, completing a commission to paint a 60sq m fresco in the barracks at Bruchsal in 1991.

Elizabeth’s life was dogged by illness, compounded by lead poisoning, caused by a mix up between lead white and zinc white paint, which she inhaled while working in Germany. However, she got through tough

detoxification and settled in the West Sussex village of Amberley. With this as her base, she continued to visit Germany and made several journeys to Australia, where combined with her deep interest in physical geography, she found the inspiration for much of her subsequent work, and where she showed in a joint exhibition in Perth with her friend, the woodworker artist Albert Könerman, As the critic Michael Huebl wrote “She created sensitively mixed paintings that could be described as color soundscapes: delicately luminous areas interspersed with delicate dots, sometimes reminiscent of multilayered shimmering cuts through precious stones, sometimes of floating cloud formations.”

For many years Elizabeth combined her studio painting with design work, mural painting for domestic interiors and some astonishing fabric painting for upholstery. Our days working side by side in the art room at school continued later with some scenic and mural painting for film and theatre work that I was designing.

Written by Miranda Melville (DH 1969)

“She created sensitively mixed paintings that could be described as color soundscapes… sometimes reminiscent of multilayered shimmering cuts through precious stones, sometimes of floating cloud formations.”

MICHAEL HUEBL

Elizabeth (centre) in the production of Twelfth Night in 1968

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Caroline Kenny (Arthur DH 1954) When Caroline looked back at her Somerville years, she recalled much music, the pleasure of delving into the past and learning how to construct an argument, Port Meadow, and the Oxford countryside. But her sharpest memory was of Sputnik going over in 1957 – evidence of her wide horizons. Descended from Colonial Office Arthurs on her father’s side and Foreign Office Spring-Rices on her mother’s, she was certainly well-travelled by the time she reached Oxford. Born in London in 1937, she had spent her infancy in Cyprus, escaped to South Africa in the War with her beloved Spring-Rice grandmother and younger brother Tom, and then made a highly dangerous journey back to Britain. After the War, she returned to Cyprus for an idyllic childhood, roaming freely and skiing down Mount Olympus.

While she was at Somerville her father was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. She spent her summers there with her parents, reappearing with amusing stories and Fats Waller records. Her family base in London was the roomy house known as the Ricery (from the Spring-Rice family), with open door for her friends.

After graduating, Caroline spent a memorable year in the Bahamas and then five years at Glyndebourne, working front of house. There she met the musician Courtney Kenny, who was on the music staff, and they married in 1972.

Their house in London was a busy centre of music teaching and performance – keyboard and voice. After training at Goldsmiths, Caroline taught music with great enjoyment and success at Michael Faraday School in South London.

As an imaginative, kind and yet formidable person she knew how to bring out the best in the children, putting on shows, taking them to concerts and even on camping trips.

The birth of her son Francis transformed her life, and from then on her special qualities were needed at home. After a year in Ireland looking after Courtney’s mother, the Kenny’s moved to Sussex, to the top floor of the family house at Burwash occupied by Caroline’s brother. After thirteen years there Caroline, Courtney and Francis (always a trio) bought their own house, further along the beautiful sunny valley. They finally had central heating, and a sweep of fruit, vegetables, and flowers – Caroline, like her father, was a dedicated gardener.

Caroline and Courtney filled their house with books and music. They had an unusually wide circle of cousins and friends, and all were welcome for delicious meals, conviviality and laughter. They were also, with Francis, key figures in local Sussex life, at Etchingham church, at Christmas plays, at village suppers, at concerts and choir rehearsals in their house.

Caroline was often on the move – to visit family in Scotland and Ireland, to the Mediterranean and North America. Even after Courtney became dependent on a wheelchair the indomitable trio managed to travel as energetically as ever, up and down to London by train, to Ohio and Wexford for opera festivals (anything but Wagner for Caroline) and always to Glyndebourne.

There was one last trip for Caroline, when she was invited to Ottawa to give the address at the opening of the memorial to her very distinguished grandfather Cecil Spring-Rice, ambassador and poet. He is now best known as the author of ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’, and Caroline had been kept very busy correcting fanciful theories about its meaning.

Caroline, asthmatic from childhood, eventually developed emphysema. It took her in and out of hospital for the last couple years before she died, lucid to the end. Her funeral was held in the fantastically historic Etchingham church: ancient, freezing cold and bright with December sunshine. Just as she would have wished, it was crammed with family and friends.

Written by Frances Walsh

Caroline is top left, Lower Fifth H in Summer 1952

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“Tough times do not last but tough people do.”

DR UZOMA EMENIKE (CURRENT PARENT)

Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T: 01635 204719 E: foundation@downehouse.net www.downehouse.net Downe House School

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