From the village that brings you the unusual and well known Horn Dance, Abbots Bromley School today brings you another amazing sight – Jerusalem Heights!
Every year since 1882 around 200 girls from Abbots Bromley School don veils and cloaks and in height order set off from the school singing “Jerusalem, my happy home” whilst walking down the middle of the village high street to the local church for a commemoration service
This year is particularly special as Abbots Bromley School is celebrating its Commemoration Day and 140th year anniversary where modern meets traditional. Many former pupils from our Alumni Association (The Guild), together with local villagers, parents and staff all gathered in the village to watch this momentous occasion. Whilst the rest of the country had rain, the weather was kind and stopped raining whilst the procession took place.
The celebrations continue throughout S Anne’s weekend with our Alumni Association versus current pupil’s netball match, our Sixth Form leavers being admitted to the Guild during a special service and everyone coming together for S Anne’s supper on Saturday evening.
Executive Head Mrs Victoria Musgrave commented “This is a wonderful and unique time honoured tradition which I am pleased to be a part of. It is important for the school to retain these traditional values whilst thriving in the modern world and I am delighted to be leading the school throughout its 140th year. The girls all sang impeccably and were a credit to the school. I hope this is a tradition which is celebrated for another 140 years.”
HISTORICAL FACTS
The wearing of veils and cloaks by the girls and the Procession through the Village date back to the earliest days of the School. In time past, it was customary for women to have their heads covered when in Church. It would, therefore, not have seemed strange for the girls to attend services with their heads covered. Accordingly, hoods were introduced by Miss Lacon, the first Headmistress (1875-1878). Mrs Rock (a lady from the Village who also taught the girls needlework) made the first hoods which were also worn at every weekday Chapel Service, well before 1900. Miss Roch vividly describes how in those austere early days of Miss Lacon she had to spread the patterns on the landing of S Anne’s House in order to cut the linen correctly.
Before 1876, when the first part of S Anne’s Chapel was ready for use, the girls walked in procession through the Village to the Parish Church for the Sunday Service.
S Anne’s Day was always kept at the end of the Summer Term on 26th July. By 1879, the Commemoration Service was part of that festival. Hymns were sung in procession when the foundation stone of the Nave of the Chapel was laid in 1880. Two years later, in 1882, when S Mary’s was founded, the girls of S Anne’s processed through the village to the new school at Bromley House in Bagot Street, wearing their hoods. On this occasion the Choir wore white cloaks with blue borders.
The hymn “Jerusalem, my happy home” was introduced by the Lady Warden, Miss Coleridge. It was sung for the first time in 1887 but it was the hymn “Forward be our watchword” which was sung by the procession of girls as they entered S Anne’s Chapel.
S. Anne’s Day 1893 marked the opening and dedication of the new S Mary’s building on its present site. The Commemoration Service was held in Chapel, the girls entering as usual singing “Forward be our watchword”. But after the Service, when they crossed the road to the new building, they sang “Jerusalem, my happy home”.
There appears to be no specific reason for the marshaling of the girls by height for the procession. It was not an uncommon practice to do this at schools in the late Victorian period, so it was probably so ordinary as not to merit attention. The earliest photograph of the procession dates from 1905 and the girls are certainly graded by height in that.