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In 1892, the Evangelical College and School Company Ltd. (established by Francis Wright’s surviving family) took over as Trustees of Trent College and remained its Directors until November 1966 when the School became Trent College Ltd.
Scholarships were established and school was advertised abroad but this was a time of crisis for the School as its roll sank below 50. The Evangelical College and School Company Ltd. were losing money and the School faced the very real possibility of closure. At the same time, an uneasy relationship existed between the Directors and the School’s current Headmaster at the time, The Rev. W H Isaacs, whose headmastership ended in 1895.
Headmaster Rev John Savile Tucker’s ‘reign’ began at a time of impending disaster for the College. He was known as a hard, austere man who did not seek popularity, was often feared but was equally respected, and he certainly turned around the fortunes of the School. It was Tucker who introduced new ideas such as a house system, rugby, hockey and cricket and he quickly brought the school roll up to 200 pupils.
In 1901, Rev G.J.S. ‘Daddy’ Warner joined Trent College as Chaplain and later, Second Master. His was an immensely important contribution to the School, spanning 64 years.
1914 saw the outbreak of the First World War. Of the 531 Old Tridents who served their country, 94 were killed; it was a matter of great sadness for the School.
Tucker was succeeded in 1927 by Headmaster Geoffrey Bell. Trent was about to face the Great Depression, which meant that Bell was restricted in the developments he could carry out at the School. However, during Bell’s Headmastership, the Warner Library was opened (1929) as well as the Cricket Pavilion (1933). Bell was held in high regard by the boys at Trent and was seen as a forward-thinking man, even though the School’s finances were less progressive.
Bell also oversaw Trent’s great unbeaten rugby 1st XI sides of 1932-33 and 1933-34, which included the now-famous Prince Obolensky, who went on to play for Oxford and England and is still remembered as one of the country’s finest rugby players.
Bell left Trent in 1936 for a new Headmastership at Highgate and was succeeded by Ford Ikin, who reported being appalled by the dilapidated state of the buildings that greeted him on his arrival at Trent.
Ikin immediately set about persuading the governors to spend money on sanitation, new beds and decoration, as well as removing the gas lighting that had been criticised in an inspection in 1929. The School was dramatically improved and filled to its capacity.
However, another crisis loomed. Weymouth College, also owned by the Evangelical College and School Company Ltd. was in financial crisis. Ikin received a letter from the Chairman of the Governing Body advising that none of the Masters’ salaries could be paid at the end of the Michaelmas term. He was then advised that both Trent and Weymouth Colleges would have to close as the bank could no longer support their £20,000 overdraft.
As the Headmaster of a modernised school with a full roll, Ikin persuaded the Governors to allow him to contact B G Catterns, a former pupil and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. Catterns encouraged the bank to give Trent a year to sort out its difficulties. The decision was made to close Weymouth College and concentrate on Trent. The immediate crisis was over and Trent was saved.
Despite the losses of World War Two, these were happier years for Trent. ‘Daddy’ Warner continued to be a central figure, held in affection by everyone who knew him. The Governors, including B G Catterns, gave considerable support to the School and Ikin oversaw key building projects including Wortley House (1947), the Ikin Baths and the May Hall (named after Governor, Kenneth May).
Ikin’s later years as Headmaster were affected by ill health but before his retirement in 1968, Ikin and the governors had opened Trent’s doors to day boys (1967), as well as opening the Junior School (1968), which began as Tony Maltby took over the reigns as Headmaster.
Maltby’s tenure as Headmaster saw a period of much-needed rejuvenation at Trent. He arrived at the School at a time when its closure was a possibility once again and instead managed to revive its fortunes beyond anyone’s expectations.
One of Maltby’s first tasks was to oversee the integration of day boys into the School. He lowered the entry age to 11 and over the next five years, the school roll went from 185 to over 400. Consequently, Wortley House was expanded and new buildings were purchased to accommodate the Juniors. The Science Block was completed in 1971, leaving the Kelvin for conversion to a specialised English and Modern Languages facility, including the Melton Theatre Workshop. A sixth form club was also started by Maltby.
Many members of the Common Room were shocked and discomforted by the pace of change implemented by Maltby. He began to move the School away from its old traditions and looked to the future, introducing female appointments in the late 1970s and replacing the Masters’ Common Room ‘clubby’ ethos with a more brisk and business-like approach.
Maltby’s programme of expansion continued throughout his tenure. In 1975, Sixth Form girls were admitted to Trent and the school roll hit a new high in the 1980s at 630. Numbers continued to grow due to the Assisted Places Government Scheme, which also benefited Trent with a rise in academic results from 1984 onwards.
To accommodate the growing number of pupils, Maltby continued to develop the School. The John Sketchley Sports Hall was completed in 1979; Blake House was built in 1981, as was the new Art and Design block; the May Hall was extended to contain the Music Department and the building of a new Biology Centre was begun. Trent was fortunate to have a Headmaster with Maltby’s vision and stamina – when he retired in 1988, he left behind him a different school to the one he had inherited 20 years before.
Jonathan Lee took over the Headmaster’s reigns in 1988. His first priority was to consider new strategies to enable Trent College to meet the challenges that the next decade would bring for independent education. Lee predicted that boarding could go into sharp decline, therefore introducing the concept of Flexible Boarding, which allowed boarders to go home after games on Saturday as long as they attended a Chapel Service, usually held on a Sunday evening.
Over the 1990 summer holidays, the Headmaster instructed all the members of the Common Room to write a paper, entitled ‘Co-education – its place at Trent’. Lee found that 90% of his staff wanted the School to move to co-education at all ages. September 1992 saw the entry of girls aged 11+ and 13+ to Trent.
During the 90s, schools were facing a greater emphasis on league tables and academic performance. Trent’s profile was raised because students were achieving better results than people expected from their traditional view of the School. At the same time, Lee’s implementation of the Sixth Form Programme and the Arts Society, for example, reflected his vision for a more-rounded education in which students were taught valuable life skills as well as academic skills. During this time, Trent also embarked on a major investment programme, one of the largest projects being the Swallow Business Centre.
The School adopted its current three-tier structure, splitting into the Lower School (11+ to 13+), the Main School (13+ to 16+) and the Sixth Form. The Lower School timetable was revised to exclude Saturday morning lessons and a Sixth Form Centre was established in Wortley House, with the philosophy that Sixth Formers should be prepared for their future university experience.
In May 1998, Trent College purchased The Elms Hotel, situated adjacent to the Trent campus. Nine months later, ‘The Elms’ Junior School was opened under Anne Beardsley’s headship. Places at the School were almost immediately over-subscribed, which is why, in 2002, the Upper Elms was opened, essentially doubling the number of available places.
2004 saw the extension and refurbishment of the John Sketchley Sports Hall, as well as the opening of the refurbished Catterns’ Pitch. The Trent Association was also launched earlier this year. Trent’s roll in 2005/2006 stands at about 759 senior pupils and 325 junior pupils.
A book about the history of Trent College, entitled ‘A Celebration of Trent College 1866-2002’ by F.W.B. Leadbetter is now available, costing £20 plus £4.80 for postage and packaging.
To order your copy please Email The Trent Association who will fulfil your requirement.
If anyone has any interesting historical articles, letters, photographs or any information about Trent College or anyone connected with Trent then please contact us or let us have your feedback, suggestions or information.
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