St Cyprian’s School – Eastbourne

 
 
 
 
 

 ORWELL
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


CORRESPONDENCE
 

 

Thank you to David for sending the following e-mail.  

 

 

I hope you do not mind me writing to you in connection with the St.Cyprian's School website.

 

I only encountered the site a few months ago after my mother and I had made a trip to Eastbourne when we took some photographs at St. Cyprian's Lodge and looked at the rear of the house where I imagine the school buildings were situated. The reason for our interest is that my Grandmother, Helen Caldwell (later Helen Menzies) was either Matron or Housekeeper at the school during at least the latter part of the First World War and until her marriage in 1920. She was born and a resident of Aberdeen, Scotland and had moved to Eastbourne during the First World War.

 

We understand that she worked as a nurse at the nursing home or hospital next door to the lodge and was recruited to the school from there. She left the school on her marriage to John Menzies in 1920 and my grandfather had at least on one occasion visited from Aberdeen. In addition to Eric Blair she talked about the Duke of Devonshire and a Prince of Siam being pupils at the school. She was very proud of her service at the school. My mother has heard much about the school and my grandmother made an enduring friendship with Annie Cantelo who at one time had been an art teacher at the school; we still have some of her work. She was also friendly with a lady by the name of Nora Boyd who I believe was also at the school.

 

I had also heard much from my grandmother about the school and was told on more on one occasion that the "boys at St Cyp's" would never have behaved in the way that I did as a boy.

 

On her marriage she received several wedding presents from masters, staff and pupils at the school, including a Singer sewing machine with a plaque and a silver chocolate warming pot with an inscription on behalf of the Masters. Inside the pot we still have a short letter of congratulations on school notepaper. It is signed by the teachers, Mr. Sillar, Mr. Ratcliffe, Mr. Gingell, Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Fielding. The Wilkes gave her an ivory handled cutlery set which is now in the possession of my cousin. We also have a domestic science book which my grandmother must have used at the time with her name and address at the school written on the fly leaf. There is also a postcard in the book which she must have used as a bookmark from a pupil's mother asking that items of school clothing be forwarded. We also have a few photographs from the time, one with a small boy and girl, probably at Beachy Head.

 

At one stage, my Mother had a programme from one of the school plays (possibly the Mikado) in which my grandmother's name was mentioned as the wardrobe mistress. Sadly this disintegrated some time ago. I also have among my own books a booklet (which may well have been a publicity booklet at the time) of various photographs of the school and grounds.

 

However, one my main reasons in writing to you is to say that our understanding of the regime at St. Cyprian's under Mr. and Mrs, Wilkes is very much along the lines that you describe in your website. My mother's sight is failing now and over the past year or so I have read relevant transcripts on to tape of the books by or about Henry Longhurst, Cecil Beaton and Cyril Connolly. I likewise read "Such, such were the joys" on to tape. My mother had to listen to the latter at least twice to absorb the content which came as a considerable surprise. It bore no relation whatsoever to the very positive way in which my Grandmother described the several years that she spent at the school.

 

My Grandmother died in 1970. Although life was no doubt very different between 1915 and 1920, I can say with absolute certainty that she would have been utterly appalled by the Orwell essay and would have been very seriously offended at the suggestion that she had been part of such a regime.

 

My mother and very much enjoyed seeing the lodge in Summerdown Road and I have very much enjoyed reading your website. I have also read it on to tape for my Mother and will continue to check back on it from time to time.

 

 

Last Updated February 2008