A BRIEF HISTORY OF DULWICH IN 10 OBJECTS This adapted piece was originally written for the Alleynian in the summer of 2025 when William was in Y13 at the College. “When I was asked to write this piece I was initially interested in how I could contrast the image of today’s Dulwich College with that of the one Edward Alleyn founded all those years ago in 1619. However, in the process of researching and selecting the objects for this article, I realised that there is very little difference behaviourally between us and the boys who have walked the College grounds for hundreds of years. I have tried my best to show this in this article. I also hope to show that even the most seemingly irrelevant objects can tell us so much about history, and even ourselves. To quote the brilliant movie, The Holdovers: “if you truly want to truly understand the present, or yourself, you must begin in the past. You see, history is not simply the study of the past; it is the explanation of the present.” William Bradley (20-25)”
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Donation of James Caird - Date: 1922 After completing his heroics in the James Caird on the Imperial Trans-Arctic expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton still wanted to return to the frozen south. Sadly, Shackleton passed away during the Quest expedition due to a heart attack and as a fitting tribute, his friend, John Quiller Rowett offered the James Caird to their old school, Dulwich. This letter shows the receipt of the offer which was accepted, although the boat did not arrive until 1924, when the Shackleton memorial building was created, and it is now in the Science block.
The Cornflower Said to be Edward Alleyn’s favourite flower (a wreath of blue cornflowers was laid on his tomb in 1907) it was adopted by the school at some point during the 19th Century for its blue hue. It was traditionally worn on Founder’s Day and occasionally by OAs at dinners. Perhaps one day the cornflower will make a return to the official school uniform?
Foundation site document Alleyn had no children of his own and amassed a great fortune. He wanted to found a school. When he asked permission, he was initially turned down because the government wanted his wealth to go to them. We know from Alleyn’s diary that he was not discouraged after this, so he wined and dined Sir Francis Bacon (the Lord Chancellor) in an effort to achieve his wish. Finally, permission was granted and so this document was the original foundation deed of Alleyn’s establishment. Date: 13 September 1619.
1st edition of the Alleynian Technically the very first Dulwich College school magazine was a short-lived publication unimaginatively called ‘Dulwich College Magazine’, which ran for 12 editions between 1864– 1865. Then, after a hiatus, a new magazine, The Alleynian was launched in February 1873 and has been published ever since, coming in many formats. The one you are reading is the 713th edition. Date: February 1873.
The First Folio Published seven years after Shakespeare’s death, this is the reason why we all have to study Shakespeare in school (thanks a lot, First Folio!). The Folio was the first full official collection of William Shakespeare’s plays which included such hits as The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Julius Caesar. The book was incredibly important in securing Shakespeare’s legacy and therefore makes it a beloved book. Although there are still 200 copies of the Folio that still exist, this one is incredibly important (according to Mr Witts) as it is only 58% completed. The pages ripped out indicate the popularity of each play at the time, tragedies were the most the popular plays in the Restoration period and the comedies and histories, which the college were left with, were not as entertaining. Date: 1623
Upper School House Cup After the standard of participation in sport had declined during wartime, the Master, George Smith devised a new “House system” which was announced in the March 1920 edition of the Alleynian. The whole College was divided into six Houses: Drake, Grenville, Marlowe, Raleigh, Sidney and Spenser (Howard and Jonson were added in the 1980s). Approximately 100 boys were in each house. At the end of the year, the Cock House Cup (a rather unfortunate name) was awarded to the house with the highest number of points across the year. In 2011, this was changed, and the Steve Hoyle Shield was commissioned. It was named after Steve Hoyle, who was Master of the House system for many years at the College. The shield is awarded, each year, in the final joint assembly of Years 12 and13, to the House which has accumulated the most points over the course of the academic year, over 46 separate competitions.
First All-School Photo The first all-school picture was taken in 1919, only a couple of months after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Many of the teachers still wore their military uniforms. In total there are 691 boys in the picture. Date: October 1919.
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