Our 2023-24 series of Round Table Lectures launched this term, with a fascinating talk by The Principal, John Attwater, entitled: ‘The making of King’s Ely: Stories from our first thousand years’.
Now in their third year, these after-school academic extension lectures are organised for students in Years 9-13, and they are given by King’s staff or external speakers.
Mr Currie, who is Head of History at King’s Ely Senior, said: “We learned about the history of the school, from its almost mythical early years, through its re-founding by Henry VIII, to the present day. Highlights included the hapless headmaster, William Pamplyn, who managed to oversee the school shrink from 60 students to 8, and thus he became the first and (‘so far’) only head to be sacked!
“We also learned how the school almost disappeared through backing the wrong royalist horse in the Civil War, but survived to be honoured by Charles II in the restoration, who personally installed that year’s Scholars in the Cathedral when he visited with Nell Gwynn. It was also fascinating to see old photographs of school buildings with the pupils and teachers who once used them.”
The next Round Table Lecture is on October 3rd, when Dr Graham Prescott will discuss: ‘What is the nature crisis, and what can we do about it?’.