Feature: The Making of This Place Called Cobham

THE MAKING OF THIS PLACE CALLED COBHAM

Sam Brandon (Capel 2008)

In April 2021, we celebrated 75 years of Reed’s moving from Totnes (where it had been evacuated during the War) to its present-day Sandy Lane site. In commemoration, we put together a docufilm which really brought the OR and School community together in so many ways. Here’s one perspective from Sam Brandon (Capel 2008) whose production company, Frisson Creative, worked expertly on the film to bring it to life.

This place called Cobham…Reed’s School… somewhere I was fortunate enough to attend for seven years. A School that taught me values, gave me confidence, and the place where I made friends for life.

I have always been thankful for what Reed’s provided me, both personally and professionally, so I was especially thrilled to be asked to stand on the Old Reedonian Committee in 2018, having always been keen to give back to the School wherever possible.

It was at the start of 2020 when the School’s 75thyear anniversary at Cobham was discussed, but it wasn’t until later that year, after COVID struck, that plans were put in place to make a documentary of four-to- five minutes. However, after meetings with, and guidance from Andy Wotton (Mullens 1975) and Sharmaine in pre-production, it soon became apparent that to capture the story properly, this would just not be long enough. Thinking back to those earlier sessions, this guidance was hugely important in the framing of the film.

What a wonderful film! We are lucky enough to have a son in First Form at Reed’s and it’s fascinating to understand the School’s history in more depth. We are proud to be a part of the wonderful Reed’s family!

Current Parent

It’s funny, the first memory I have of Andy on the OR Committee was him producing an enormous book, which must have been 80-100 years old, thumping it down on the table, opening it, smelling the air, and declaring: ‘This just smells like history!’ Even if you’re not familiar with the smell of history, at the very least this probably gives you an idea of Andy’s passion. He knows everything, and I mean everything, about the history of the School, and we were so lucky to be working with him on the film.

Due to COVID restrictions, we were unable to interview all the ORs Sharmaine had identified, so sadly had to limit this to just seven. A mixture of face-to-face and Zoom interviews were held to document the 380-mile journey from Watford to Totnes to Cobham, with the ORs talking about their feelings and memories.

Both John Rogers (Bristowe 1946) and Bill Collins (Bristowe 1948) came to Cobham to be interviewed, using the backdrops of the library and Chapel. Following them around the School grounds gave a fascinating insight into how Reed’s has changed since they first started on their careers at the School. However, one thing that hadn’t changed was their initials carved into a tree on the drive! Zoom interviews with Geoff Spinks (Blathwayt 1952), Stephen Beamish (Capel 1948) and Keith Miller (Bristowe 1951) followed before we set off on our trip to Totnes.

Having seen pictures of the town during the 1940s, it would be fair to say that Totnes had changed a lot, but there were still vivid reminders everywhere of what the boys had seen and experienced. The Seymour Hotel where they lived, the ticket offices where they had lessons, the church where they attended chapel, the shops where they bought sweets in – all still there, just in different guises.

In Totnes, we also met and filmed OR, Ken Sambrook (Mullens 1949) and his lovely wife who actually lived in Devon at the time the School was there and still do today. His personality shone through and, as we spoke, I could imagine him as a 14-year-old boy on the rugby pitch! We also travelled to Sandwich to interview Tony Wiggins (Bristowe 1947), the key

instigator of the many reunions the gentlemen (and wives) have had back in Totnes after School…visits that have made them all mini celebrities in the town.

Some of the stories told were funny, others emotional, but one thing in particular stuck with me following our interviews: all of them had lost at least one parent during the War. I couldn’t fathom how it must have felt to have been aged seven and to have lost a loved one; to have been transported 200 miles away from home and to have attended school somewhere they’d never heard of. To their credit, they ‘just got on with it’ – it didn’t seem to faze them, but it did leave a mark.

Cutting down the film from the 11 hours of footage to the 35 minutes with which we ended up was challenging and time-consuming, but naming the film wasn’t the easiest of tasks either. We worked through what felt like an avalanche of different options, and it took right until the final interview to realise that the most obvious choice was there the whole time. Both Bill and Stephen had actually said it in our Zoom calls with them: ‘we moved to this place called Cobham’. A perfect title: This Place Called Cobham, which reflected the end of these Old Reedonians’ long journey from Watford, via Totnes, and the beginning of the School’s life in its new home.

For me, the experience of interviewing all seven of these ORs was such a pleasure and a privilege. During the process, it really struck me that there were two things that all the ORs had in common, and which echoed my feelings about Reed’s: that the School gave them confidence to succeed in life, and that the friendships they made have been unique. Stephen Beamish’s words were particularly poignant: ‘It gave me the confidence to do what I wanted to do. We had no father to talk to or to guide us through, but we had each other’. It is our shared sentiments that reinforce my belief that Reed’s is such a special place, and something that I was happy to tell the current pupils when I visited the School to launch the film on 21st April 2021.

Really inspiring to hear the incredible stories of these ORs whose lives were struck by war and bereavement at such a young age, and to see how the Andrew Reed Foundation did then what it continues to do today – which is to provide those vulnerable young children with a life-changing education and pastoral care. An opportunity that changed my life and a privilege that I am proud to share with these incredible gentlemen.

I just want to say how absolutely wonderful this film is. My tutees found it fascinating and were riveted to hear from Old Reedonians about what life was like in their run up to coming to Cobham and when they got here. Thank you.

Head of Second Form

It is important to say a huge thank you to Sharmaine Matthews and the aforementioned Andy Wotton for their knowledge, passion, and guidance on the project (and the many late nights!). Without them, it would not have been possible to create a documentary to do justice to all the ORs from that time and to capture their stories. Special thanks are also due to Ben Warwick (Bristowe 1992}, whose voiceover superbly guided us through the piece.

It was an absolute pleasure working on this docufilm and I hope those of you who have watched it were reminded of your time at Reed’s; maybe it even evoked fond memories you’d since forgotten. Yet perhaps, more importantly, it will give you a sense of what we all have in common and, like me, leave you with a great sense of pride in being an Old Reedonian. ■

Where to find the film:

reeds.surrey.sch.uk/2619/this-placecalled-cobham