Lift Up Your Hearts

Thge iconography of the stained glass in the apse of Chapel was lost on me until recently. The subjects of the windows by Herbert Hendrie are clear enough: Noah holds his ark, Moses strikes the rock at Meribah with his staff, S John holds the text of his Gospel and S Christopher wades across the stream. I had never worked out what links them. The clue is the text round the apse: Esto fidelis usque ad mortuam et dabo tibi coronam vitae, Apocalypse (Revelation) 2:10, Be faithful unto death and I will give a crown of life.

In the central light Christ holds the crown of life which He offers to the faithful. The figures in the other lights represent Faith (Noah), Hope (Moses), Love (S. John) and Service (S Christopher).

Fath, hope, love and service. A programme of virtues to cultivate through life.

Transitive or Intransitive?

Did you ever do parsing at school? It is important for the clergy (and registrars) to know the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. As in "I am going to marry you in the morning." Done intransitively one has made binding oaths. Transitively one can marry dozens of people without affecting ones own status.

I was surprised to read that when RL Ashcroft wrote his history of Haileybury to 1961 he could note that there had only been to that date, two weddings in the Chapel. (Correctly they were by Archbishop's Special Licence.) There are now a few weddings  each year I think. Some years ago I married a contemporary of mine in the chapel. (Transitively!)

Tomorrow I have been persuaded by the youngest one to brave the crowds in town for the Royal Wedding. The two Haileyburians are moaning that the school is working through the bank holiday. In 1983 the Royal Wedding was in the holidays so the problem did not arise.

God Bless the  Royal Couple and all those others preparing for Holy Matrimony.

Film Noir

Christopher Nolan (M 1984) is one of the most successful directors in the modern film industry. He directed the Batman film, The Dark Knight, and more recently Inception. He began filming after Haileybury when he was at University College London. This short film, Doodlebug, is one of the ones he made there. It stars Jeremy Theobald who collaborated on another of Nolan's projects, Following. Nolan has been described as a major exponent of 'Neo Noir' filming.


Whether this represents life in the Melvill Dormitory in the late 1980s I leave to you to decide.

Hair Cut!

It was off to school again today for the young. The last thing to do before setting off was get a hair cut. There were some protests (though not from the young man in the picture who went resignedly to his fate)!

I once went into Hertford to get a 'trim' and was greeted by the barber with the words, "College boy? I know what you will need." He took a razor to my head, and in those days of 80s 'big hair' I was shorn.

LS Milford states that from the foundation of the College to the time of his writing (37 years) Mr Dickins the hairdresser came twice a week. I think there was someone who came in my days in the 80s, but I seem to think that was only for those whose hair had grown beyond the limits tolerated by the rules. I wonder what your recollections are?

The rules now are for boys that your hair must be off the collar and the ears. Girls in the Vths and below must wear their hair tied back. Boys must be clean shaven. That may seem obvious, but the local secondary schools here in London seem to allow their young men to be barbarous if they so choose, as did, of course, the East India College.

Lift up Your Hearts

Just back from the Easter Vigil. Happy Easter to you all.

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed Alleluia!

Sursum Corda!