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LEVEN
HALL
After many months, nay, years, of
discussion, planning, fund-raising and publicity Leven Hall is at last
a reality. A long thin line of yellow brick stretches along the side
of the Beck behind the trees, its starkness broken by a few bay
windows and one bright splash of acrylic plastic. It looks solid and
established but the surrounding bank of mud and weeds is a
tell-tale sign of the length of its existence.
The "grand opening" could
well have been an anti-climax, but Open Day, with its crowds of
visitors, its many fascinating exhibitions, its fine weather and air
of festivity, made the occasion truly memorable. The visitor making
straight for the new building was delayed by the sight of an
incredible collection of old cars and pony traps beside the path. It
was a fitting preparation of mood for the display of historical
costumes in front of Leven Hall in the early afternoon. A large crowd
gathered in the bright sunshine and were treated to an amusing and
informative talk on Quaker fashions from 1741 onwards by a cat-suited
sixth form girl, while her, colleagues paraded across the front of the
Hall in clothes appropriate to the period. The wide variety of the
costumes, all authentic and obtained as the result of much hard
work and travelling - and the delightful mimed character studies,
including the great Thomas Richardson himself, ensured that the
display was never dull. The audience enjoyed it immensely.
Thirteen hundred parents and old
scholars crowded into the nearby marquee for the more formal part of
the proceedings, the open meeting. In the course of this George
Robbins, the Chairman of the School Committee, announced that the
target of £120,000 had now been reached (though another £10,000 is
needed for furnishings and the very necessary conversion of old
premises). He expressed the School's warmest thanks to the many
subscribers and drew attention to the contribution made by John
Reader, Evelyn Nicholson, Oliver Spence (the architect), W. Kenneth
Hall (Chairman of the School Committee at the time when the project
was launched), Mr. Richard Unett (the local director of the
professional fund-raising organisation who organised the Appeal), and
the Joseph Rowntree Trust, whose generous gift of £30,000 had given
impetus to the project.
Lord Boyle, in his address, praised
the pioneering work of Ayton in the realm of mixed boarding education.
He stressed the value of the Quaker sense of commitment, of
involvement in the outside world, and felt that the new building,
"most beautifully designed", would help the boys and girls
at Ayton to develop maturity, self‑discipline and tolerance. It
was "not just a house but a hall of residence".
After thanking Lord Boyle for coming
to Ayton, Douglas Horne added the name of George Robbins, the present
Chairman of the School Committee, to the list of those who had made a
noteworthy contribution to the Leven Hall project As his final
"pleasant duty" he presented the school with A.O.S.A.’s
gift, a plaque made of acrylic plastic, the work of Ann Gillie, which
is now brightening the wall by one entrance to Leven Hall. Adjourning
to the steps of the Hall, Lord Boyle - whom I had an irrepressible
desire to dress up in Thomas Richardson's costume‑declared the
building officially opened. The flood-gates were up; the hordes poured
in.
"Fabulous!" "It's
grand isn't it?" Admiration was expressed on all sides as the
crowd passed over the parquet floor in the large common room, trying
out chairs and window seats, fingering curtains. "What big
windows. It's nice and light". They peered into the television
room, the boots and shoes room and the drying room. The
"Galley" for brewing coffee or making snacks was greeted
with enthusiasm. "To think how I used to smuggle a tin of Nescafe
into school meals and slip a spoonful into a cup of hot water - always
a perilous venture if it were Clifford Morgan on duty!"
Along the corridor to the quiet end:
the large reading room with its bay windows; the studies to house four
day scholars each, and their books. "It was time the day
scholars' accommodation was improved". "I like the way the
corridor passes through both the common room and the reading room. It
will make it easier for the staff to mix with the pupils without a
sense of intrusion into their domain".
The throng swept upstairs and
examined the `wash' block. "No hooks in the showers".
"Not enough baths for the girls". Each block, the girls' at
one end and the boys' at the other, is above a staff flat at right
angles to the main building and pointing the way to the second stage
which will grow out from here in 19…. As well as baths and
showers there are laundry facilities. "We were all here too soon
weren't we?" groaned an old scholar.
Go to: Leven
Hall - page two
Go to: Life at Leven Hall
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