82-83 / 168
St Edward’s:
150 Years
84
died in the war. In the 1950s most of the original pelicans and
angels which had headed the standards (bench ends) dividing
the chancel from the rest of the Chapel were removed, together
with the two innermost panels of chancel rails on each side
of the Chancel and the two original brass lecterns. In the mid-
1970s the altar was once again changed by removing pews so
that the celebrant could be seen by the congregation during
Communion, and this allowed the altar to be used on three sides
‘to express our fellowship more easily’ (Chaplain J.J. Fielding).
In 1994 the Lower and Upper Chamber classrooms were
built for Religious Studies and a space was retained for the
choir’s robing. The building was opened and consecrated by
the Bishop of Oxford in March 1995 and included the rescue
and reinstatement of the old vestry door as the entrance to the
Lower Chamber. Removed in 1931, it had been neglected in
various ways, which included being used as a bridge over a
ditch in the School grounds.
On the south side of the Chapel are buried Warden Simeon
and his wife. This is also where Warden Fisher’s ashes were
placed, and directly behind the War Memorial there is the
grave of the longest-serving of all teachers in the School’s 150
years, Wilfrid Cowell.
If Simeon could see how the Chapel is used now he
would doubtless be horrified by the small number of services
compared with his own day, but he might nevertheless be
pleased to see that the Chapel is still at the heart of the School,
with fantastic choirs, separate Quad and Field-side services
allowing the huge increase in numbers since his day to be
accommodated, all supported by enthusiastic sacristans and
bell-ringers – of both sexes! A former Chaplain, Revd David
Wippell, comes over from St Nicholas, Islip, where he is now
vicar, to perform services for OSE. The present Chaplain, Revd
Charlie Kerr, and Assistant Chaplain, Revd Tom Shaw, provide
many thought-provoking themed services each term and
congregations are certainly participatory. The service in Christ
Church Cathedral, held at 8pm on Friday 22 March 2013, was a
wonderful celebration of the 150 years of the School, with the
involvement of OSE, teachers and pupils. It was accompanied
by exceptional singing and very moving music. Simeon would
indeed find much to applaud.
When we have a weekly Compline at School here on a Thursday
night, we sing ancient chants to Gregorian Plainsong and we
regularly have between ten and 20 attending. Some come for the
space, some for the prayer and worship, some because they are
struggling in some way or a relative is ill. It is always a holy space
and a place of grace. I am always slightly surprised by the amount
of positive feedback that such an ancient service generates. It
seems young people increasingly are seeking for, and responding
to,invitationstopeaceandstillnessanddepth;themoresuperficial,
instant and immediate our world becomes, themore they seem to
need ‘the peace of God which passes all understanding.’
Inwhat sometimes feels like an increasingly secular society in
England,theplaceoffaithschools,orthoseschoolswhichtreasure
their rich Christian heritage, is frequently questioned. Should
a school promulgate an opinion of perceived truth in a plural
society? In many ways I am in sympathy with this view; we must
be sensitive to the diversity and wealth of different cultures and
faiths, we must attend to the individual and not seek to impose
a blueprint of spiritual orthodoxy on young minds and souls. Yet
I find I also want to say that the Christian faith, in all its refracted
splendour, is a deep well and endless resource by which we can
all be resourced and renewed as human beings. In our current
culturally sensitive climate we are in danger of throwing out the
babywiththebathwater;ouryoungpeoplearegrowingsouls,and
if wewish themtodomore than simply default unwittingly to the
current norms and values of the age then we must expose them
to the full panoply of our spiritual tradition. As G.K. Chesterton
once said,‘When people stop believing inGod, they don’t believe
in nothing, they believe in anything.’ I think I would rather our
children were given the
opportunity
of faith, even if they choose
not to take it.
– The Chaplain, Revd Charlie Kerr
THE CHAPLAIN
Left,farleftandbelow:
The restoration of the
weathervane in 2012.
Bottom: Chapel in
the Quad, Revd Shaw
preaching, May 2013.