Items of Interest

Items of Interest

From time to time we feature artefacts of special interest or particular relevance

Articles

timber

1541 Timber

An English oak timber, one of several items ‘displayed’ in one of the East Wing’s fireplaces. It was part of the original School building of 1541, removed during a renovation project in 1975. With tr…

pearkes info

Pearkes Sword Award

The Pearkes sword was presented to Berkhamsted school's O.T.C. in December 1919 by Old Berkhamstedian Lt.Col. G R Pearkes VC, DSO, MC. Originally known as the Pearkes Challenge Sword, it was awarded …

william the conqueror

William the Conqueror

In 2016, J. Culverhouse OB Adders 1963, commissioned a bronze of William the Conqueror to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The bronze was loaned as an exhibit and displ…

Bottle of Relish

A Story of Relish

Robert Goodall established a chemist’s shop in Leeds in 1853 and five years later partnered with two chemists, William Powell and Henry Backhouse. They began to make relish from a family recipe and b…

A British Hero of the Holocaust

A British Hero of the Holocaust

A British Hero of the Holocaust. An auction lot came to the attention of the Old Berkhamstedians in early November. Noonans Mayfair auction house were offering for sale a collection of medals; cata…

Stumped

Stumped

This decorated cricket stump was dropped off at my office just before the summer holidays (see photo gallery below story). It has been split in two, with hinges at each end to allow it to fully open,…

Randigal Rhymes

Randigal Rhymes

A gift from Newcastle New South Wales to Berkhamsted, the latest addition to the OB publications collection. Entitled ‘Randigal Rhymes and later poems’ by J. J. Garland OB Cox's 1959. It is a compila…

hand fives

Hand Fives Cup

A recent find in the East Wing tank room, this lovely old cup was brought to the archive by a member of the caretaking team. It stands nearly ten inches tall and is engraved on every available space…

Carvell medals

J E M Carvell medal collection

A follow up to the story entitled ‘A British Hero of the Holocaust’ dated December 2023, which tells of the school's successful bid at auction for a collection of medals belonging to Old Berkhamstedi…

inkwell

A dainty inkwell

I am cataloguing this lovely donation as a dainty inkwell; but if anyone knows of its' true purpose, please get in touch and I will adjust the records accordingly. A very recent donation from Mr W T…

arcadian jug r.s.

Arcadian addition

Pulled from a jacket pocket, as a donation at the recent OB's A.G.M; this Arcadian ware jug joins the collection we have on display in the Exhibition room. The small collection features the school cr…

Girls' school flag

Girls' school flag

A large, embroidered flag with the Girls' school motto and image of Katherine Incent, in gold on a green background…….but can anyone tell me when the flag was flown, where the flagpole was located an…

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