The Kennington Portrait (1939)

William MacBride Childs (1869-1939) was the driving force behind the transformation of a college that Edith Morley once described as ‘insignificant and unknown’ (2016, p.97) into a fully-fledged university. Childs became Reading’s first Vice-Chancellor in 1926, only to retire three years later, when he was replaced by Franklin Sibly (later Sir Franklin).

Childs was only sixty on retirement, but had been a member of the College and University for thirty-years, Vice-Principal for three, Principal for twenty-three and Vice-Chancellor for three years. Now that the Royal Charter had been achieved, he felt that his mission was complete:

‘My innings had been a long one …. In December 1928, I was certain that in deciding to lay down my office at Michaelmas, 1929, I was acting rightly; and I have been certain of it ever since. I had done for Reading all I could; and when a man feels that, it is time for him to go.’ (Childs, 1933, p. 191)

An account of Childs’s retirement is to be found, not in his own memoir, but in the writings of his son, Hubert. Since 1922 Hubert’s father had been toying with the idea of preparing for retirement by building his own house, and in 1923 bought three acres of land near Grimsbury Castle in Hermitage, Berkshire. It was a monumental task and Childs Senior was no builder, but with the help of his sons and using the university vacations, Grimsbury Bank was ready for occupation by the summer of 1929.

Grimsbury Bank, W. M. Childs’s retirement home (image from H. Childs, 1976)

It was at Grimsbury Bank that W. M. Childs sat for his official portrait as former Vice-Chancellor some years later.

 The kennington portrait

‘It had always been intended to record Childs’s retirement in 1929 in the customary manner with the presentation of a portrait.’ (Holt, 1977, p. 100)

Childs suffered from poor health in 1936 and was seriously ill in 1937. By now some of his friends and former colleagues, as well as people connected with Wantage Hall, felt it was high time that the idea of a formal portrait should come to fruition.

Franklin Sibly, the then Vice-Chancellor, placed the responsibility in the hands of Anthony Betts (1897-1980), Head of the Fine Art Department. Betts was a friend of Eric Kennington (1888-1960) the renowned illustrator, portrait painter and official war artist, who was persuaded to carry out the commission at a beneficial rate. Records of the Friends of the University of Reading show that they contributed £50 (approximately £2,857 in today’s money) towards the project. The grant was awarded to Wantage Hall, however, and it isn’t clear exactly how the picture was financed.

Work began in November 1938 following a delay due to Kennington’s other commitments. The ‘great chair’ sporting the University’s coat of arms in which Childs was to be seated was transported to Grimsbury Bank.

According to Hubert Childs, Kennington’s approach was to work in his own studio from photographs and pastel sketches completed during sittings at Grimsbury. One such sketch has survived and is held in the University’s Art Collection, though the medium appears to be only partially pastel (the pink area in the image below).

Head and shoulders study of William MacBride Childs (University of Reading Art Collection (UAC/10021)

At first, there was good progress, and there was a friendly rapport between artist and sitter. Early in 1939, however, work practically came to a standstill while Kennington was engaged by the War Office to advise on camouflage techniques in preparation for war.

With the delay, Childs became agitated until Kennington agreed to three final sittings. The portrait was completed in March 1939 but not before surviving a major hiccup that was still to be a source of hilarity in years to come.

The three graces?

Once the head was finished, all that remained was the background which the artist was able to paint in his own studio. When Dr and Mrs Childs inspected the portrait complete with background, however, it was clear that all was not well. Childs wrote to his son:

‘With the best intentions, Kennington put in a quite impossible background about which I will tell you some day. It had to come out.’ (H. Childs, 1976, p. 195)

According to both Professor Holt and Johnny Johnson in his Random Recollections, the background in question was a copy of a famous tapestry depicting the Three Graces. Hubert Childs, on the other hand, described it rather differently:

‘The quite impossible background was taken from a fifteenth-century tapestry in the Louvre, and figured young men and maidens disporting themselves.’ (p. 195)

Whatever the truth, presumably the figures were unclothed and therefore considered totally unsuitable for display in a male hall of residence. It was likely, as Hubert so delicately put it, ‘to give rise to ribald comment.’

The upshot was that Anthony Betts had to persuade Kennington to alter the background. Johnny Johnson, a future Registrar of the University, recalled it like this:

‘Poor old Anthony Betts,  don’t think he quite knew what to do, but he said he would see to it and told Eric Kennington about this, who I think was slightly miffed! I think the proof of the fact he was slightly miffed is that he immediately painted out the tapestry that he had so very carefully painted in. He painted it out with black, and that’s why the portrait of Childs had a completely black background’ (Johnson & Sibly, c1984, p. 2)

In Hubert Childs’s version, Kennington was rather more than ‘slightly miffed’ and threatened to give up the commission, only to be pacified by Mrs Childs who was able to convince him to make the changes.

The Finished portrait: ‘3/4 portrait of Childs, in profile, dressed in red and grey academic robes, seated in chair with University arms, against a ‘landscape’ background. Signed and dated bottom right’ (University of Reading Art Collection, UAC/10064)
The presentation

Childs passed away on 21 June 1939, only three months after the completion of the portrait. The Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Report for 1938-39 recalled the presentation of the portrait to Wantage Hall, an institution that was particularly close to Childs’s heart, and where he had lived with his wife when it was first opened:

‘It was a source of peculiar gratification to the members of the University that Dr. Childs, with Mrs. Childs, was able to be present at Wantage Hall on May 13, when his portrait in oils was presented to the Hall, on behalf of former members of the Hall and the Friends of the University, by the Chancellor, Sir Samuel Hoare.’ (Proceedings, 1938-9, p. 32)

The presentation marked Childs’s final engagement at the University and his final speech. It was a considerable effort but he spoke enthusiastically about the contribution that Wantage Hall had made to the University community. He received a warm and attentive reception.

In his history of the University’s first fifty years, Professor Holt sees the portrait as being ‘of a dying man, his earlier fires now only aglow’ (p. 100). Nevertheless, we’ll leave the final word to the subject himself:

‘The portrait is generally regarded as a success. It is certainly a fine picture, not quite what I expected, or ideally would have preferred.’ (H. Childs quoting his father, 1976, p. 195)

Thanks

To Dr Hannah Lyons, Curator of the University Art Collection for help and support, and for providing access to the head and shoulders study.

Sources

Childs, H. (1976). W. M. Childs: an account of his life and work. Oxford: Alden Press.

Childs, W. M. (1933). Making a university: an account of the university movement at Reading. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.

Holt, J. C. (1977). The University of Reading: the first fifty years. Reading: University of Reading Press.

Johnson, J. F. & Sibly, T. C. F. (c1984). Random Recollections of the University of Reading. Reading: University of Reading.

The Friends of the University of Reading. Record of grants awarded: http://thefriends.org.uk/friendsreport/grants-awarded/

University of Reading. Annual Statement by the Vice-Chancellor. Proceedings of the University, 1938-39.

Recollections of Rag Week by Professor Viv Edwards

The previously mentioned rag stunt claiming a discovery of diamonds in the local Thames gravels appeared in The Times on February 14th 1959, exactly 64 years ago today. It was not the only stunt to hit the headlines around that time, however.

First prize should probably go to the tongue-in-cheek petition delivered to 10 Downing Street in 1953 after male students reportedly invited French women to add glamour to that year’s procession. The full story can be seen here on Pathé News.

Of course, Reading rags predate the 1950s. The first photograph I have been able to locate was an event in aid of the Royal Berkshire Hospital in 1926. A total of £650 was raised that year.

The Reading Chronicle is a good source for subsequent rags. Photos of processions through town, such as these from 1970, and accounts of money raised leave no doubt that these events were an important feature in the Reading calendar.

Personal Memories

Like most people, I suspect, it is the stunts rather than the processions that stick in my mind. The first and possibly the most memorable was in the spring of 1969 when I was a first-year student in Bridges Hall. When the fire alarm went off in the early hours of the morning, the nonchalant reaction of second- and third-year students – a few shrugs of the shoulders and a resigned ‘Oh, sheep night again!’ – made no sense. Having gone back to bed, I was reawakened at 7am when, in the words of Alice, things just got curiouser and curiouser. My room overlooked a central green where a land rover advanced to the strains of ‘Sheep may safely graze’; they even had a bleating lamb in tow.

Further conversations over the next day helped to make sense of what I’d seen. The warden of Wantage Hall had boasted in 1928 that, when the gates were closed at 10am, nobody could enter or leave before the next morning. Who could resist the challenge?  Most residents at the time were students of Agriculture with access to livestock. Using their ingenuity, they passed sheep through a ground floor bathroom window and the warden awoke to a small flock safely grazing on the quad lawn.

sheep night
Wantage Hall’s first Sheep Night, 1928

Inevitably, it was going to be difficult to equal the theatricality of 1969. The following year, instead of live bleating, Bridges collaborators opened fire doors so that Wantage warriors could stick cardboard cut-outs of sheep to windows as they advanced through the building. In a reversal of historical roles, Miss Poole, the sub-warden, clearly alert to what was happening, set off in hot pursuit, pulling the sheep outlines down as quickly as they went up.

Bruised Wantage egos were not to be outdone. Sometime later, while Bridges residents were at a formal dinner, they entered the building with the mission to remove as many toilet rolls as possible while the meal was in progress. It fell to the president of the JCR, one Sheila Chipchase, to sheepishly break the news to Miss Poole who instructed her to undertake a survey of the building and report back. On receiving the news that only 4 rolls remained, Miss Poole, totally unfazed, replied: ‘Well, make arrangements for distribution!’

The RAG today

Since the 1960s, rag week as we knew it has been rebranded and events take place throughout the year. According to the Students’ Union website:

‘Reading Raising And Giving (RAG) is the official fundraising body at The University of Reading. As a student-orientated society, we work to fundraise for a variety of charities, locally and globally, as well as engaging widely with the local community. To do this, we provide students with exciting events and experiences, from themed union nights to hitching across the country and into Europe.’

So, the same emphasis on charity and fun, but marked differences in format. Who knows what tales there will be in years to come!

Sheepless
Wantage Hall Quadrangle (without sheep), published in Childes (1929).
Note

Viv Edwards is Professor Emerita of Language and Education at the University of Reading where she was a student in the Department of Linguistic Science between 1968 and 1976.

Sources

Childs, W. M. (1929). A note on the University of Reading. (University of Reading Special Collections, History Collection).

Holt, J. C. (1977). The University of Reading: the first fifty years. Reading: University of Reading Press.

The Rattler, the Unofficial Organ of the Students’ Union, October 1930. University of Reading.

The Discipline Book

The Discipline Book is a bit of a mystery. It can be found at the bottom of a box of papers about women students:  documents about the requirement to wear hats, their volunteering for social work, rules in women’s halls, boat racing for women and regulations about contact between the sexes.

Shows front cover

The book is an impressive and expensive-looking volume with its embossed crest, gold lettering, and an elegant lock. It bears the name of The University Extension College Reading, and looks as though no expense was spared to record the misdemeanours of its students.

Shows side view

Nevertheless, the contents are a disappointment. Only the first page contains any entries, all dated June 1900. By this time the Extension College no longer existed, having become Reading College in 1898. On this single page are the names of a mere seven students. Five of them had committed the sin of breaking the ‘10.30 Rule’, arriving late at their accommodation; one had failed to sign a register; and a certain Miss Sheppard, the only female, had been reported by Miss Sealey for ‘irregularity and idleness’ (see below for further details).

Shows first page
The first page of the Discipline Book

The only other information is on a loose sheet dated May 1902. It refers to two male students, Messrs Evans and Thomas. The writing is hard to decipher, but lateness was again an issue as well as ‘going out in the evening with girls’. It was feared that this might ‘lead to trouble’.

Shows the loose sheet
A loose sheet inserted into the Discipline Book

I don’t know who filled in these entries. Was it the Principal? The Censor? The Vice-Principal? The Master of Method? They do, however, reflect issues of student discipline that remained a concern for staff and students for many years to come.

J. C. Holt’s official history of the University of Reading records the changing nature of the general regulations for students and the specific rules and customs for halls of residence between 1921 and 1973. They deal with matters such as compulsory attendance at Sunday worship, wearing academic dress, smoking, ‘lights out’ and curfews. The 10.30 rule (10.00 on Sundays) was still in force in Wessex Hall in the 1920s. In women’s halls in the 1930s no student was allowed to leave the premises after hall dinner without the warden’s permission, though there were some privileges for ‘senior students’. All visitors had to leave by 6.00 pm and men could not enter student rooms without the warden’s permission. At Wantage Hall in 1930:

Guests (men) may be entertained at meals in the Hall or at tea in rooms, if due notice has been given…. Ladies are not admitted to the precincts of the Hall unless the permission of the Warden has been obtained. When such permission has been granted, the visit must terminate before 7.0 pm.

Institutions varied considerably and the conflicts in universities and colleges during their early days are documented from a women’s perspective by Carol Dyhouse: confrontations between students and wardens over regulations that sometimes seemed more suited to a boarding school than higher education. In some places, the need for chaperones could hinder women’s access to the library, college societies and even tutorials, and the penalties for contravening rules about contact between the sexes could be severe.

Who were Miss sealy and the delinquent students?

The College Calendar of 1899-1900 lists Miss Sealey as Teacher of Needlework (Diploma, Gold Seal, London Institute, Registered Teacher of Needlework, City and Guilds Institute). Miss Sealey ran an ‘evening’ class that took place on Thursdays and Saturday mornings and was typical of the many technical, commercial and craft courses run by the College at the time. The syllabus consisted of:

Cutting out from diagrams and making simple garments. Drawing diagrams on sectional paper. Repairing underclothing and household linen.

I assume that Miss Sealey also had other responsibilities which is how she came into contact with Miss Sheppard. The only person with that name in the examination lists is a Daisy Sheppard who studied English Literature while training to be an elementary school teacher between 1899 and 1901. I assume this was in the Day Training section. If this is her true identity, she passed her first year (Division 2) and her second and final year (Division 3) despite her ‘irregularity and idleness’.

As for the male students:

    • Mr Judd (10.30 Rule: ‘Excuse: midnight train to Town. twice. no leave‘). Edward Thomas Judd was awarded the Associateship in Agriculture in May 1902.
    • Mr Mansfield (?) (10.30 Rule: ‘This the 2nd time. I have sent for him.‘). I can find no record of this student despite trying different spellings.
    • Mr John (10.30 Rule: ‘Went for a walk after 10.30.‘). David W. John passed the Board of Education Certificate Course (Primary Division)  in 1901. He was successful in College Associate examinations in Fine Art (‘Drawing freehand’ and ‘Drawing with chalk upon the blackboard’),   English and History,
    • Mr K. C. Johnson (10.30 Rule: ‘Very late: theatrical rehearsals.’). Kenneth C. Johnson passed in ‘Geology and Physical Geography and in Agriculture (Soils and Crops)’ in 1900.
    • Mr E. C. Childs (Not signing a register: ‘Forgot.‘). Edward C. Childs was another Primary Education student who qualified in 1901. He passed a wide range of College Associate examinations: English, Mathematics, Fine Art, Greek, Latin, Philosophy, French and Geography. He continued his studies at Reading and obtained an external BA from the University of London in 1902.
    • Evans (‘going out in the evening with girls’, etc.). Walter O. Evans went on to complete the Associateship in Letters in (English Literature, History, Geography, Maths, Education) with a Class II, Division ii pass.
    • P. Thomas (‘going out in the evening with girls’, etc.). Three Thomases are mentioned during this period, but this is Powell Thomas who passed the Associateship Examinations in 1903 (English & History – both with Distinction, and Education).
Post Script

I wondered whether Edward Childs was related to William MacBride Childs (then Vice-Principal; later Reading’s first Vice-Chancellor) but I can find no reference to him in Hubert Childs’s biography of his father.

Sources

Childs, H. (1976). W. M. Childs: an account of his life and work. Published by the author.

Dyhouse, C. (1995). No distinction of sex? Women in British universities, 1870-1939. London: UCL Press.

Holt, J. C. (1977). The University of Reading: the first fifty years. Reading: University of Reading Press.

Reading College. Official Gazette. No 2. Vol. I. January 3rd 1902.

Reading College. Official Gazette. No 12. Vol. I. August 20th 1902.

Reading College. Reports to the Academic Board, 1899-1900 and 1900-01.

Reading College. Calendar, 1899-1900.

University College, Reading. Official Gazette. No 18. Vol. I. December 24th 1902.

University College, Reading. Official Gazette. No 28. Vol. II. August 26th 1903.

University of Reading Special Collections. Uncatalogued papers relating to women students. Reference UHC AA-SA 8.