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St Edward’s:
150 Years
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Chapter 3 / Houses
Like all Houses, Kendall has had its academic successes
and failures, but on the whole has been very true to the work
hard/play hard ethos that all three Housemasters have worked
to instil. It is more recent achievements of course which I can
remember, and as a House there have been many successes.
We have been blessed with good sportsmen, and in 2012
at one stage were holders of all trophies for major Senior
Competitions, that is Rugby, Football, Hockey, Steeplechase
and Rowing. Such dizzy heights are obviously a one-off but we
do continue to do well in both junior and senior sports, and
are currently holders of the all-round House sports trophies at
both junior and senior level, as well as having won the Senior
Steeplechase for the last four years. However, perhaps one of
my proudest achievements for the House is that in the last four
years we have twice been winners of the House Challenge – a
University Challenge-type event. The boys on the team have
shown some seriously impressive knowledge of trivial and
vastly intellectual questions – even more impressive as their
Housemaster seems to know none of the answers. Where we
have been much less productive in terms of silverware is in
House Singing. I have asked the two other Housemasters to dig
deep in their memories to try to recall a Kendall House victory
in the Shout or the Harmony but they are unable to recall one.
However, we have of course been robbed every year.
James Cope
Housemaster, Kendall (H)
Kendall (H)
Kendall House is now in its 14th year, with its third
Housemaster. The sequence has been Charlie Baggs, Mark
Lauder and then myself, for roughly equal periods of time,
although I can now claim to be the longest-serving/suffering.
Charlie Baggs mastered the move from Corfe House in 1999
and has in fact been Housemaster of three Houses at St
Edward’s: Corfe, Kendall and then a term in Avenue House. He
handed over to Mark Lauder in 2003. Mark drove the House
forward in his strident fashion and his voice still echoes along
those long Kendall corridors. There are also still remnants
of his attempts to make the House a Scottish enclave, as
the rooms are still North Uist, Benbecula, Raasay and so on.
Kendall has had two Matrons. The Scottish drive was enhanced
by Maggie Rutherford, who was in the House until 2008, and
Kathy Bailey has been Matron since. They have had contrasting
styles but all the boys in Kendall will have their own stories
and memories of their Matron and know they have had very
good care from them and fun with them.
The House, of course, is named after the long-serving and
illustrious Warden Kendall (1925–54). I think Warden Kendall
would be proud of the House as it is now, although not so
impressed that still rather too many boys and parents misspell his
name, and thus infer he was a mint cake rather than a Warden.
Above: Five Kendall lads in a Henley VIII, 2011.
Aboveleft:CharlieBaggs,JamesCope,MarkLauder,
and retired House Matron, Maggie Rutherford.
Left: Fourth Form en route to Snowdonia 2012.
Below: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: cycling.
Right: Leavers Ball, 2011.
Below: 24-hour charity football v.
Field House.
An early morning fire drill followed by House Run.
Senior House Rugby, 2011.