From the Archive: King Arthur invades Draxmont

We have been fortunate to receive a rare piece of 1950's cine film of the opera "King Arthur" by Purcell which was performed by the ENTIRE Wimbledon High Senior School under Miss Reynell on Draxmont Lawns in 1954. 

Huge thanks to Mr Michael King who unearthed the footage and was kind enough to pass it our way. He tells us his twin sisters (Edith Clare née King (known as Clare) and Elizabeth Diana née King (known as Diana) and his wife Chrystabel June née Tobin (known as June) all performed in it! June would have been 13 years old and Clare and Diana 16 in 1954. Sadly, Clare died very suddenly in 1997.

You can also read a wonderfully in-depth account written at the time by Caroline Oliver, Upper IV,  who tells us 'by five o'clock the whole school was swarming about in wonderful pre-Norman Conquest garments, armed to the teeth with swords and shields':

Diana King (now aged 86) recalls;
“It is one of my happiest memories of WHS. Miss Reynell was a remarkable person with huge energy and originality. The whole experience was a joy, an amazing achievement and so exciting. For some reason I remember just a phrase of the music - about a “heavenly wind” and hum it often and laugh at the memory.”

Please visit our archive to find out more: http://wimbledonhighschool.daisy.websds.net/