Downe House
- web site: www.downehouse.co.uk
- telephone: +44 (0)1635 200286
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A group of staff and students from Downe House took part in a brief pilgrimage to the World War One battlefields at Ypres this month. A voyage of discovery and understanding for a young group of ladies aged 14 took the girls to some of the key sites of a battle better known as Passendaele – a word evocative of the military nightmares of the Twentieth Century.
We left school at midday on Saturday arriving in Ypres with just enough time for some important shopping – for chocolate. This was the prelude to the highlight of the day – the ceremony of remembrance at the Menin Gate. This event is held daily as thanks to the men of 1914-18 who never went home. Every day men of the local fire service blow ‘The Last Post' at 8.00pm under the arch of the Gate which contains lists of the names of 55,000 men who have no known grave and lie in the fields surrounding Ypres but are simply ‘Known Unto God'.
We were lucky that on this occasion the girls were privileged to take part in a ceremony marking the start of the preliminary confrontation to the Battle of Passendaele, the Battle of the Messines Ridge. This was marked with a march past by a pipe band, the laying of wreaths and the recital of the homage from Binyon that ends ‘We Shall Remember Them'. In coming to Ypres the girls had become party of that remembrance.
Sunday took us into the Ypres Salient. A small area that contains so much history of World War One. Starting at Essex Farm Cemetery where John McCrae wrote the poem ‘In Flanders Field' we visited the largest cemetery on the Western Front at Tyne Cot, a rare German cemetery at Langemark and the Gas Attack Memorial where we took lunch. We stopped at Hill 62 or Sanctuary Wood preserved trenches. Even in June the water and mud is thigh deep in the trenches as our pupils proved.
We also spent some time in the local town museum and St George's Memorial Church in Ypres town centre where we read and discussed poetry by Owen, Sassoon and Brooke. This is another way of bringing the reality of the feelings of the men involved in the war home to the children.
Dan Cruikshank - 'Adventures in Architecture'
Dan is a leading expert on architecture and historic buildings and a regular presenter on the BBC. He is best known for his popular series Britain's Best Buildings and Around The World in 80 Treasures; and for his appearances in Under Fire and What The Industrial Revolution Did For Us. Dan's latest series, Adventures in Architecture has recently screened on BBC 2.
Pupils from Downe House have walked the 300km (200 miles) from Downe House to Salcombe in Devon to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK's vital research. The girls arrived wet and tired, but triumphant, after a gruelling 16 day march which took them acorss fields, rivers and along the coastal path.
The competition is open to all students in Year 12 and essay titles are set by Corpus Christi. Poppy will be attending the Prize Giving on 3 July.
Annie entered her design for her AS Level Product Design Resistant Materials coursework and has been selected as one of the 20 finalists. She will take her project and portfolio to the Finals, which will be held at Dulwich College in London on 20 June 2008.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Performances at 11am and 6pm at 'The Dell', the outdoor performance space in the RSC Centenary Gardens, bordered by the river and Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bring a picnic, all welcome!
2nd - 4th May in the Performing Arts Centre
‘Times' writer Mary Ann Sieghart gives Summer Term Medley Lecture
Newbury's MP, Richard Benyon, visited Downe House on 25th April speak to thePolitics Society about his work in the House of Commons and the constituency.
Congratulations to Emma Powell (U5) who was selected for NYT's highly acclaimed acting course.
On Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March, Downe House hosted a charity fashion show. The events were organised by Rosie Fortescue, Georgiana Haig and Celia Thursfield, in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, raising a total of just over £5,500.
Gillian Clarke, renowned poet, who has written poetry and prose for children and adults, visited Downe House on Sunday, 16 March. Her poetry reading began with her first publsihed poem 'The Sundial' and the audience were immediately impressed by her passionate and erudite ideas......
Diane Louise Jordan, businesswoman and one of the most popular presenters of BBC One's Songs of Praise, gave a talk and answered questions about how her faith influences the way she conducts her own business life and on matters relating to business ethics and corporate social responsibility more generally.
If you missed House Drama, or would like to see your daughter's performance again, a professional Double DVD recording by Kingsbridge AV Limited of all five productions will be available to order at a cost of £22.50 each.
Click here to find out how to order
This Trust was established in November 2006 as part of the agreed resolution of the OFT's recent investigation.
The objects of the Trust are to:
There are three criteria for eligibility:
For further details go to <Joining Downe> and click on <Scholarships>