13 January 2025
Caldecott Foundation (as Caldecott Community has been called for several years) has continued the tradition of having at least one camping outing in almost all years (evidently not 2020 because of Covid concerns). I wonder when that started. CA has a pic of several senior boys (with some staff) that were camping in 1953 at Penshurst but that may well not have been the first such camp. The first reunion of former Caldecott scholars was in 1923, said to have become a regular repeated event, held at Hatch from 1948 normally every two years until 2000. We also have Bob Lawton's account and news clip from 1954 when senior boys camped at Crowlink (South Downs) and some were cut off by the tide at Birling Gap. It sounds as if this may not have been the first or last such camp by that popular spot. We have various pics of 1957 camp at Arlington, later at Alfriston by a river in Sussex (although some of us went to camp at Pestlozzi for Whitsun 1962). In 1967, 1968 and 1969 Colt House boys camped in the New Forest. Sometimes senior girls went camping. In those days there were dozens of children in different parties, so one might go camping such as WW boys in 1969 at Ford (between Littlehampton and Arundel), whilst others went on trips on canals or at sea or youth hostels, cottages and so on, sometimes Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Scotland, Peak District, or countries on the continent such as France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland.
Junior boys and girls camped in the 1960's onwards at Mersham in a field by the East Stour, behind Swanton Court, until in 1982 (when Mr Kirwan-Taylor's field was no longer available) the juniors went to Screens Park, a scouting centre (with facilities) near Chelmsford, Essex.
One tradition for a mixed group was to camp in a field at Ingrams Farm, Wisborough Green, Sussex (owned by Miss Diana's mother, Mrs Howarth), involving riding of horses / ponies and outings.
I do not count as Caldecott camps the presence of some of us in parties organised by external schools or others, for instance our presence at Bude in summer holidays 1961 and 1962 or me in Wales just after the 1966 World Cup here, or others boys or girls on Outward Bounds or D of E expeditions with overnight camping etc. Nor camping within the grounds of Hatch (or other premises that have been occupied by Caldecott).
There were summaries of Whitsun and other summer camps and trips over the years for instance written by James King or in the old Herald from other staff members or sometimes children.
The CA archive may also have memories of camps from long ago. Some CA members are familiar with old material. I had no personal interest in the archives until 2023 and even then mostly just about times that I could recall. When I was a boy I was vaguely aware that Caldecott used to be somewhere else in ancient times, meaning before I was born. Some of you may have recollections of camping or other outings.