Flash, bang, wallop, what a picture…

By Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin

When the receivers held an auction after West Heath closed its doors in 1997, it seemed anything and everything connected to the school went under the hammer.

Even items like the plaque by the side of the games field on the Solefields side, informing people that an organisation – possibly the Kent Men of the Trees – had planted a line of Cherry trees there to celebrate the school’s connections with former pupil Princess Diana, were put up for sale.

Sadly, these Cherry trees have been swallowed up by the surrounding flora and vegetation which has encroached onto the games field, but they can still be seen if you know where to look.

Several former pupils and staff made bids for items listed in the auction catalogue to secure keepsakes as reminders of their days at West Heath.

For example, Victoria Furneaux successfully bid for the school croquet set which so many people had enjoyed playing with on warm evenings in the Rose Garden behind the senior common room.

This croquet set continued to be used at a few annual reunions, firstly in Victoria’s parents’ garden and then during larger get togethers in the Rose Garden by the kind permission of the new school that moved onto the estate.

Another item in the auction was a box of miscellaneous school photographs.

Alex MacMillan (nee Delaforce), who was at  West Heath from 1976-1981, made a successful bid, hoping the photographs were from the albums headmistress Ruth Rudge allowed girls to look through in her study on Sunday evenings.

It turned out the box contained a large portrait of former Elizabeth Lawrence, who was headmistress and owner of the school when it was still in Ham Common, and photographs featuring pupils from various different eras, plus some delightful reminders of school plays from the 1950s which are reproduced here.

The plays included the historic folk tale of ‘Androcles and The Lion’; the Athenian tragedy ‘Antigone’; ‘The Zeal of thy House’, a 1937 play by Dorothy L. Sayers; ‘The Rape of the Belt’, a 1957 satirical play by Benn Levy; and ‘Thor with Angels’ a 1948 verse play by Christopher Fry.

There is also a photo from ‘Fantasy on a Diphthong’ which was written by Ann Brown (the school secretary) who also designed the costumes with the help of Ruth Rudge – this was around 10 years before she took over as headmistress in 1965.

It is not possible to tell from the photos where these plays were performed. The drama hall was not built until the 1970s so a stage could have been set up in the senior common room.

This venue is mentioned by Ruth Rudge in her account of her memories of West Heath which was featured on this website recently – CLICK HERE to see Miss Rudge’s story.

Other pupils remember a small stage in the old gym. The stage was later removed, but a blocked up door situated in the corner of the gym, which went to a back stage area, acts as a reminder of the former performance venue.

Can any pupils who were at the school during the 1950s enlighten us? Or maybe you recognise yourself, or some of the people who appear in the photos.

In the days before digital cameras

The name of photographer, Geo P King, can be found on the bottom of all the pictures of the plays. He was a well-known local photographer, and it is likely a special photo shoot was set up for him to take staged pictures of the casts in their costumes.

Some background info. In 1930, Howard King took over an existing photographic studio in London Road, Sevenoaks from another famous local photographer called Henry Essenhigh Corke.

The business was later taken over in 1936 by Howard’s son George, and it is assumed he is the photographer who took these pictures.

After the death of George P King in 1967 the studio was purchased and run by Dennis Witchell, under the existing business name of Geo P King, until it closed in the 1980s.

Another small West Heath connection. Photographer Henry Essenhigh Corke, who is mentioned above, started working for his father Charles at the photographic studio in Sevenoaks in 1901.

According to the Garden History Blog, Henry developed a distinct style of photographing individual flowers and plants which was way ahead of its time.

Henry’s interest in botany was probably encouraged by his father, also a photographer and a talented artist, who became renowned for painting pictures of attractive gardens throughout England.

Charles Essenhigh Corke’s portfolio included this lovely painting of The American Gardens at West Heath in full bloom.