Rhubarb Issue 1

to have been of an uncertain quality.

The venue for these occasions was

the Dining Hall until 1883, when Big

School offered an alternative; both

halls had excellent acoustics as did

the Chapel. The summer concerts

were often held outside, the Warden’s

garden being a favourite location.

In the Winter Term of 1880 a

slim, small and reserved new teacher

entered the school who would, almost

singlehandedly, completely change

the School’s artistic horizons during

a career lasting fifty-seven years. This

was Wilfrid Hammerton Antrobus

Cowell, who immediately took it

upon himself to widen the theatrical

ambitions of what the School had

done thus far. Beginning in his first

term he would produce, direct and

even act in no less than forty-four

consecutive (excepting the war years)

and memorable Shakespearean

productions. These grew in size,

scope and complexity, playing before

regular audiences numbering over

300 including parents, staff, OSE,

university and city dignitaries and

even citizens of North Oxford who

Cowell felt ‘were ignorant of the Bard’s

works’.

Quite apart from the significant

efforts of handling every aspect of the

play’s production, Cowell also found

time to sing in the School Choir and at

concerts, play the violin in the School

Orchestra, as well as performing his

normal teaching duties. His first major

Shakespearean undertaking was

Julius

Caesar

in the Christmas Term of

1882, in which Cowell took the part of

Brutus and Aubyn Trevor-Battye (OSE

1871 – 1873 and teacher) portrayed

Mark Anthony. While not played in its

entirety (Cowell’s plays seldom were)

it was considered a major success and

something that would never had been

considered in previous years.

With Cowell now at the theatrical

helm, successive Wardens also worked

hard to employ highly competent

music masters to ensure the School’s

choral and musical endeavours did

not suffer. A Dr. Illife arrived in 1879

as organist and musical director who

would serve the school for five years,

making regular return appearances

afterwards with his own orchestra of

‘some of the best musicians in Oxford’.

By the turn of the century the

School’s natural artistic performers, as

well as the exhibitionists, were given

ample opportunities to take part in

concerts and festivals held two or

three times a term, as well as Class

and Set plays quite apart from Cowell’s

extravaganzas. Most of the concerts

were performed by the overworked

Choir and later by The Choral Society

which included teachers, OSE and

outsiders. Visiting soloists included

both male and female virtuosos, as

well as known and much-loved school

figures such as the teacher Frederick

Jellicoe, (brother of the Admiral of

the Fleet) whose rich baritone voice

would grace many a joyful school

evening, with demands for encores

being normal practice. There were

more relaxed concerts when Gilbert

and Sullivan and even Musical Hall

numbers were included, and every

opportunity was taken to involve

audience participation with uplifting,

nationally known anthems, sea shanties

and even nursery rhymes.

The brass band had begun to

wither after a few years and in

its place a small orchestra

was formed by F.H. Cliffe, a

‘temporary’ music teacher,

who was a gifted organist in

his own right and seemed

to hover in the background

even when more permanent

appointees were engaged.

The late 1880s saw the first

Prefects’ Plays, the pre-cursor to

...he would

produce, direct and

act in no less than

forty-four consecutive,

memorable

Shakespearean

productions

Four budding

thespians

in the 1894

school

production

of ‘Macbeth’

F.H. Cliffe

conducting

the school

orchestra in

1899