2 Jul
Written By Matthew Eastley

Saved from the scrapheap…..

Like those framed, rectangular pictures of old school plays, I’d always been quite intrigued by the wooden honours boards which hung outside the main hall. Though they were updated annually, they still seemed something of a relic of a bygone age, showing boys who had won places at Oxford or Cambridge.

While some may have found them aspirational, I felt utterly remote and disconnected from them, although I found them interesting as items of historical value and an insight into the school’s past.

There were two such boards. This one, showing ‘Commoner’ entrances and an even more ‘elitist’ board which showed those boys who had won Scholarships and Exhibitions.

Though I never wanted to be found scrutinising the boards too much, I was intrigued by names like Tipple, Doig, Goody and Town.

When I visited the school a couple of years back during half term, I was allowed to have a look round and these boards were notable by their absence.

When I enquired as to their whereabouts I was told they were in a maintenance depot and likely to be thrown out.

I’m not sure what made me do it but I said: “Don’t throw them out, I’ll have them,” which was greeted with raised eyebrows.

Ten minutes later I was struggling to get them in the back of my car – and they were considerably bigger and heavier than I remembered.

Looking at them again, I guess they may tell their own story about the school’s academic fortunes but I won’t offer any theory on that.

For now, these strange relics of St Mary’s history reside in my garage and I’ll post a picture of the other board at some point.

From time to time, Mrs Eastley looks at the boards in the garage and looks at me, as if to say, ‘Are you actually going to do anything with them?’

I have no answer.

Ian Browne April 2024

   Very sad to read this account and I hope these boards find a good home. I could imagine these now being condemned for the supposed sin of ‘elitism’ but those who made such a charge as strangely silent about ‘The Premier League’. I write as an Anglican priest who originally studied Geography at St Catherine’s College Oxford in 1971. Not only did I know Tim Galligan but also Robert Liston who studied at Teddy Hall. For much of the time Tim and I were tutorial partners who had to prepare for weekly tutorials with the formidable Dr Ceri Peach. We beaver away through the material we were given to study and meet up for an hour to discuss what we had discovered before going away to write our own essays. Time went on to get a rare First – I think only three were awarded that year. There was some amusement in the School of Geography Common Room as it was known that both Tim and I were heading to ordination: Canterbury 1 Rome 1. Then Rob Liston’s decision meant Rome had pulled ahead but afterwards there was a late equaliser with another Geographer form St Peter’s College.
In an age of ever less social mobility, St Mary’s provided a means for able pupils to have an access to an education which meant they could look anyone in the eye. St Catherine’s at that time only had 3-4 pupils from public schools the rest were with from Grammar Schools or Direct Grant Schools which opened up the same pathways. We were a blessed generation who received so much from the wise people who planned the recovery of post war Britain – when every material thing was in short supply encouraged the mind, the Spirit and opportunity. I hope the boards find a home to inspire people from humble backgrounds like all of us at St Catherine’s in 1971.

Ian Browne