A Week in the Life of a Decorated School Advocate

A Tour of Herts, Wilts, Tottenham and a Bit of Brabant... Plus...

Tuesday 6 September. Arrive Welwyn Garden City. View restored Pat Tew's murals of The Magic Fish, Selfish Giant and St Nicholas in Templewood Primary School. They now resonate colour and life even more than before, with the figures, fabrics, foliage and forms revealing all the more clearly Pat Tew's remarkable artistic sensibility combined with child empathy. Concern about how to keep them from damage...

Wednesday 7 September.

Courtesy of Soo Hitchin and Brenda Frayne get to grips with the holdings of Herts' school art and art-in-schools-related documents. Begin to understand why Andrew Saint and Stuart Maclure picked out Hertfordshire for special attention in their 1980s studies of postwar British school architecture. Getting to grips with how pioneering Hertfordshire was in the late 1940s-early 1950s, how extensive and professional the programme for art in schools was, and how important the combination of John Newsom (Chief Education Officer), Mary Hoad (County Art Organiser) and C. Herbert Aslin (County Architect) was.

Morning visit by Brenda, Soo and Jeremy to The Grange Primary School, Letchworth. First viewing of Pat Tew's Jack O'Legs mural in the corridor (see Soo's blog). Delighted by the school's approach to art. Great consideration by the staff for what art can bring to the children (and what children can bring to art). Struck by two brand new murals by James Mayhew. Full of verve, artistic and folk connections: the food-folk tale mural in the foyer (I loved its representation of the Russian 'Repka' tale) and the jungle mural on the stage wall of the hall, co-signed by school caretaker and ex-acting headteacher. Rewarding contact with James comes later - he explains his murals on his blogspot. Through talking with teachers understand that Pat Tew's Ulysses mural survives but has been covered up due to the creation of a new ICT suite where it is. This is excellent news. I think it may be her best work - judging by the photo supplied by Pat's daughter Jo.

Afternoon visit by the same trio to Birchwood Avenue Primary School, Hatfield. Having just passed its sixtieth anniversary the school survives replete with concomitant prefabrication, material and design problems. In the dining hall, recently separated from the foyer-reading space, corridor and Crittall windows, are a set of five murals representing the history of flight. When, in February 1951, Hoad and Deputy County Architect William Tatton-Brown made an inspection tour of Herts Schools with art they noted in their report that the Birchwood mural wall 'conflicts with the architecture and would be better replaced by flat colour'. Thank God for a bit of conflict and that the wall was not painted over. We will do a separate blog on the wall, whose artists remain enigmatic (possibly Cliff Rowe and partners). Suffice it to say here that the wall celebrates the fact that De Havilland aircraft company had its factory in Hatfield and was the biggest employer in the town. Many thanks to Headteacher Mrs Di-Bella for showing the murals and pondering their use with us. There's much to be learned from them.

Thursday 8 September.

Visit to Penelope Ellis in Wiltshire - made by Andrew Saint and Jeremy Howard. We discuss and look at photographs, letters, sketches for Penelope's school sculptures in Leicestershire from 1958-62. There will be more to come on these as they relate to Stewart Mason's programme for art in Leics schools of the period. After some debate it was decided that her first piece would be a ciment fondu 'Brock' badger for an exterior wall of Brockington College. It survives.

We also discuss the work of the Bath Academy of Art (at Corsham), run by Penelope's parents, Clifford and Rosemary Ellis, in terms of its contributions to the postwar art-in-schools programmes. The murals painted by the Ellises and their colleagues and students rank (and ranked) as some of the most accomplished work. The incredible story of C & R E's 1950-1 creation of the Penguin mural at Maylands Infant School, Hemel Hempstead was told and various theories as to its inspiration-subject connections put forward... (again more to come on this).

Lord Methuen's address at the opening of the Tate's 'Pictures for Schools Exhibition' in June 1948 was studied, as was the catalogue of the second exhibition of the Society of Mural Painters (RIBA, April 1953), with all its entries for school murals. Particularly intriguing was entry number 26 - 'Hans Tisdall - Fresco Secco for Dining Hall in a Secondary School, Kuwait, for His Highness Sheikh Sir Abdulla Al Subah, KCMG, CIE. Architect: Frank Dark, FRIBA. Scale 1/50th'. Also there were, for example, Augustus Lunn (sgraffito mural, Woodbury Down Primary School, London), Fred Millett (Fruit Picking - mural for David Medd's St Crispin's Secondary Modern School, Wokingham [just restored and unveiled again in August-September 2011], Theodore Kern's 'Tobias' mural at Cheshunt Junior and Infants School, Betty Swanwick's design for a nursery school, Morris Kestelman's 'Fisherfolk' mural for a school hall; and, coincidentally, Barbara Jones' mural of 'The Dolls' for a living room designed by Wells Coates (Jones painted two murals for Basil Spence designed schools and is being researched by Cathy Burke).

Penelope also recalled the elephant, hippo and rhino concrete sculptural work done by Binkie O'Connell and Jane Tate for Litte Green Primary School, Croxley Green in the early fifties, a work which survives. We are much indebted to Penelope. Her memory, archive and hospitality are unique.

Friday 9 September.

Morning visit by Peter Cunningham, Soo and Jeremy to Strathmore Infant School, Hitchin (built 1949). Hosted by Caroline Howard (Business Manager) and Bernadette Holmes (Headteacher), the trio were treated to another school in which art has made and continues to make a huge difference to the learning environment. We will post a separate blog on this. Suffice it to say here that this school has a very special mural by Malcolm Hughes painted in early 1950 and depicting young children in the nearby Ransom's Recreation Ground. It must rank as one of Hughes' earliest known works. Particularly important clues as to the evolution of the mural were given in the booklet produced by the former headteacher Carol Arrowsmith (with John Street) for the fiftieth anniversary of the school in 1999. From Mrs Arrowsmith's invaluable research we can begin to understand the contribution of the Royal College of Art to the realisation of the mural, and that a BBC film of the school was made in November 1950, apparently by Herbert Read's son John Read and John Grierson, and for a series known as 'We in Britain'.

The afternoon visit was to Barclay School, a secondary school in Stevenage (about which Soo Hitchin has already blogged). We were greeted by estate manager, Alan Wall, whose knowledge of the spaces and materials was generously imparted. Barclay is remarkable for many reasons. It was a model secondary school for the late 1940s and the attention to detail, to educational-utilitarian plan, materials, light, and art turned out to be exceptional. There is a correlation between the mural here and at Strathmore that we will explore as soon as we can.

The day was completed by a drink with Binkie O'Connell's daughter, Jane, in Amersham, and discussion of her mother's artistic career/school sculpture.

Saturday 10 September.

Morning visit to Tottenham. Impressed by a different, earlier range of school decoration here. Fine, varied examples, for different kinds of institutions from early and late Victorian periods. Include, for example, the facade artwork of 1) The Green Coat School, on Somerset Road (1862) [now The Green CoE Primary School] - a large tympanum relief of Christ and a young boy with the (chipped) inscription from Luke 9.48 'Whosoever Receiveth This Child in My Name Receiveth Me'; 2) the intricately carved and symbolically laden coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Drapers over the main entrance to the former Drapers College for Boys turned Tottenham High School for Girls and subsequently High Cross School (post-1858); and 3) the extravagant rooflines and plastered gables of Earlsmead Board School (1897).

Sunday 11 September

Over to Holland, in fact North Brabant for a day. A quick external glance at the Saltomontessorischool de Trinoom in Eindhoven in the morning. The original building dates from 1948, while new wings and grounds are still being completed. Besides the large halftoned image of Maria Montessori inside the complex the school's appearance is offset on Deken van Somerenstraat by Jans Wils' set of artworks sometimes referred to as 'Organ Pipes with Big Lips' (1988)

In the afternoon Tilburg offers up the restrained brick Art Deco St Oldulphus Lyceum, built by Jan van der Valk on Noordhoekring in 1930. Its projecting entrance is a busy but simultaneously quietly ordered essay in abstract glass, metal and brick decoration.

Almost opposite on Noordhoekring is the former Textile Trades School (F.C. de Beer, 1928-30) which, over its main door, boasts a bronze (?) relief panel with an allegorical depiction of textilework by Theo van Delft. Reading from left to right via the female figures and putto, one gets from source of textile (sheep) through spinning wheel and loom to fine garments...

Monday 12 September

Heard from the Headteacher of Wardie School, Edinburgh, that we are all systems go for The Decorated School Network's next event - a day there, open to all, and with its 'Alice in Wonderland' mural (1936) on Saturday 29 October. More to follow very shortly on this.

Tues 13 September

The week is up. The morning's post brings, from Andrew Saint, photos of a kangaroo (sculpture and flagholder by Elizabeth Burr) at Henry Parkes School, Coventry (c. 1952); Walter Ritchie's relief for St Christopher's School, Coventry; Colin Giffard's murals in Thomas Linacre School, Wigan and Monkfrith School, East Barnet... and more...

This week has provided impressive, extensive and distinctive evidence of the positive and visible effects of artworks in schools. It has also served to highlight various issues concerning their creation, use, recognition and preservation - issues with which our Network is grappling...

Hertfordshire County Council's mural programme: John Greene at Burleigh School, Cheshunt

Catherine Davis

On 11^th December 1946, John A. Greene replied to an enquiry about his work. His letter is first item in the archive on art commissioned for Hertfordshire schools. Greene is also found in a film archive, rare footage of a painter at work on the mural thus commissioned. 'Education for Living' was produced in 1949 as one of J. Arthur Rank’s 'This Modern Age' series.

Greene’s letter was the start of quite a tricky artist/commissioner relationship. A graduate of the RCA and a lecturer at the Architectural Association School, he had undertaken commercial work, including posters for the LMR. He was also a member of the Society of Mural Painters, and it was the inexperience of the local authority that’s reflected in correspondence as it began commissioning artists.

Greene was asked to create a mural for Burleigh School, Cheshunt. This commission pre-dates a later decision by HCC', in early 1949, to focus on employing young artists. And judging by the ups and downs and sometimes fraught correspondence between 1946 and the mural’s completion in March 1949, it was just as well that a younger artist wasn’t involved. Enthusiastic and anxious to get a project under way, the ethos and details of the scheme were evidently not thought through before the later date. Add to this, the difficulty of obtaining materials under post-war restrictions, and the shockingly slow payments for his work, it is remarkable the murals were completed at all.

Correspondence reveals a lot of discussion about the images to be included. At one point Greene wanted to include schoolteachers old and new, but this failed to gain approval by the County Architect who replied on 16^th October 1948:

“I have shown your design to a number of people, including the headmistress, and each one has expressed the view that is dangerous to caricature the teaching profession in a school building. Santa Claus or some other legendary figure would be above reproach!”

The final suggestion from Greene on 20^th January 1949 was:

“The two figures are now circus characters.... The 'yellow' design contains three groups for boys and two for girls – and the 'blue' design three for girls and two for boys..... The children there seem to take a great interest in them and the subjects in the second design were from their suggestions'

These are the images seen in 'Education for Living' where Greene is working, watched by a small group of interested children. The filming took place on 25^th February 1949. HCC wrote to Greene only two days earlier (a remarkable features of these archive letters, to the modern eye, is the speed of the post):

“J.Arthur Rank's 'This Modern Life' film company are taking some shots of Cheshunt on Friday, the 25^th February, at 10.30a.m. They are very anxious to show a mural painter in action in the school, and I should be grateful if you could kindly arrange to be at work on Friday morning.

You will appreciate that Hertfordshire County Council has taken the lead in appointing professional mural painters to decorate their schools, and a film illustrating this will have important repercussions over the rest of the country.”

The only further comment from Greene on file informs the County Architect on 16^th March that the work had been completed.

I have contacted the school to see if the pieces still exist, although I fear that in keeping with the tricky time John Greene had, they may have been lost and I certainly never saw them mentioned in a more recent list of artworks in schools. So it is perhaps fitting that his contribution to the mural programme was captured on film where it can still be appreciated, however briefly.

John A. Greene: Artist in oil and watercolour, lecturer. Studied art at the RCA. Lecturer at the Architectural Association School from 1946. Produced work for I.C.I. and the British Transport Commission. Lived at Bordon, Hants. Produced posters for BR and the Post Office. Produced artwork for LMR (D) series.

The stills from 'Education for Living' are by kind permission of "ITV Studios Global Entertainment".

Muirtown and Duncan Forbes Primary Schools (Inverness) Murals

The multi-media mural at Muirtown Primary School, Inverness (1976) is by James Selbie and his students from Inverness Royal Academy. Created at the time the school was built, the mural celebrates Muirtown Basin industry, history and communications by having panels featuring Mackinlay's Glen Albyn distillery (now replaced by a Co-op supermarket and Comet), the dredger 'Fairway', the Caledonian Canal (replete with swing bridge, davit crane and safety winch) and the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway (through the still extant Clachnaharry Signal Box). This, it would seem, was the first of Selbie's school murals after he had moved to Inverness from Anstruther. The dragonfly and reed panel is signed 'Sandra MacAskill', presumably a student from Inverness Royal Academy where Selbie was principal art teacher.

A year later, Selbie created another foyer mural in yet another new Inverness primary school - this time Duncan Forbes Primary at Culloden. With the school being built on the grounds of Culloden House, the Forbes family home, the mural paid homage to Duncan Forbes (Lord Culloden, President of the Court of Session, 1685-1747) and his wife Mary Rose of Kilravock. The couple are known to have courted at a trysting stone under an old oak tree on the Kilravock estate. Selbie places the couple (in high relief) around the central tree and, through a combination of a variety of vibrantly glazed and enamelled ceramics, revels in the local flora and fauna.

The two Inverness murals complement one another in their distinctive styles and subject matter, both becoming, for those passing through the school, something of a 'wonderwall' (to coin the term of Bruce McLean, as envisaged for a North Ayrshire Primary School two decades later).

I am immensely grateful to Andrea Borsden, daughter of Jimmy Selbie, for telling me about these murals and for providing me with her excellent photographs. There will be more to come on Selbie (1920-1984) - who early on in his career was a roving puppeteer in Aberdeenshire, and who, besides a remarkable painting and ceramic mural oeuvre, has left some unique film and audio records. Together these provide invaluable glimpses of his approach, concerns and knowledge. His contribution and path will make for very interesting and fruitful comparison with those of Pat Tew.

Barclay School, Stevenage, Hertfordshire

Photos of the Kenneth Rowntree mural (above with graffitti). Below, the Henry Moore family group sculpture and its original, now empty, plinth outside the main entrance of the school.

The Barclay School, Stevenage, Herts, was the first purpose built secondary school anywhere in the country after WWII. Completed in 1949 it is a comprehensive community school. From the outside, after over 60 years the school looks in a state of some disrepair. This is unlike the County Council originally thought it would be perceived. In a County Education Officer's Report on School Building in 1949 it stated that the Barclay School "will in many ways be unique and it will not only be local pride... there will be few, if any, other schools in England to compare with it." It was suggested that this flagship school should have a piece of sculpture "by the distinguished modern sculptor Henry Moore... whose work is generally recognized both in this country and abroad as being among the finest produced by any English living sculptor." The County Council could not afford to buy a Henry Moore even in 1949. But it was possible through private donations of"interested people" to raise half the cost "and for Mr Moore to materially reduce his price because a copy of the work concerned can also be sold to the U.S.A... By this means the County Council will acquire a specially commissioned and designed piece of sculputre at approximately one-fifth of its actual value".

Henry Moore actually chose the position of the sculpture and the entrance to the school was shaped around it. Sadly, in 2010, an attempted theft was made of the sculpture. It is now positioned inside the school reception area. It is cramed, rather unceremoniously against a metal railing. It is valued today at £4.5million pounds. The sculpture is stunning and gracious. It exudes warmth.

In the reception area the school also has a fantastic Kenneth Rowntree Mural. He was a very well respected English Artist (1915-1997) and for many years Professor of Fine Art at Newcastle Uni. His mural is on the wall where pupils queue for the dining room. The result is graffitti and wear and tear. But somehow it is almost part of the furniture. This bold 1950's mural has really stood the test of time and still looks amazing.

Vlog 15 ~ The Decorated School ~ Templewood

Jeremy discusses Patricia Tew's murals & his quest to find her family.

Vlog 14 ~ The Decorated School ~ Templewood

A past student of Templewood, Briony, talks about what Patricia Tew's murals mean to her. Briony hadn't been back to the school since she left some years ago.

Vlog 13 ~ The Decorated School ~ Templewood

Patricia Tew's granddaughter discusses the discovery of the murals, Pat's life & art.