NEWS
1920 vs 2020
23 March 2020
A new year gives us all the opportunity not only to look to the future, but to reflect on the past. The Abbey is constantly evolving and adapting to the demands of the modern world, today and in the past. What was The Abbey like in 1920, and how does that compare to 2020?
The whole School photo above is from 1920 and features around 200 people, including boys from the prep school and boarders. The Abbey stopped admitting boys to the School in 1946, and closed its boarding houses shortly after to accommodate for growing numbers of students. It’s lucky they did, as The Abbey now boasts over 1000 students and staff, meaning that the most recent whole School photo in this format (taken in 2015, see below) had far more faces to fit in!
1920 saw The Abbey’s first ever House Music competition, with individual and group performances from the students. This annual tradition has now morphed into the revered House Music and Drama competition which brings together music, dance, art and drama for one of the highlights of the School year.
The Abbey’s love of sport has endured, with matches typically held week in, week out. However, today’s girls seem to be a little more cheery than their 1920 counterparts. Perhaps it’s the trainers instead of boots, or the invention of mouthguards that does it? An anonymous student’s diary in The Abbey Museum gives us invaluable insight to life last century. It reads “6 December 1920 Had a ripping game of hockey. We won 3-2. I scored 1 goal.” We’re glad to see The Abbey’s enthusiasm and success mirrored across the century.
The Reading pageant of 1920 included a recital of Sumer is icumen in’, better known nowadays as the ‘Summer Canon’. J West in The Abbey Magazine wrote, “With many of us the scene in which the Monks sang ‘Sumer is icumen in’ was a great favourite.” The canon remains a stalwart of Abbey life even nowadays. “It was the first song we were taught in Upper III, although singing in canon sometimes proved too much for the rowdy group of 11-year olds we were” mused a recent leaver.
The past century has seen vast change. The school has grown hugely in student numbers and grounds, a rare commodity in such a vibrant town. The Abbey remains a happy, thriving and empowering community, producing confident and courageous young women. All this goes to show that despite our ever-changing modern world, the vibrant Abbey spirit lives on in our students, our staff and our alumnae.
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