1940s: Nan and Arthur Harrison: Kilquhanity's Jubilee
Teachers
Nan Harrison
After a year of wartime, the idea of coming to help John to start a school on Summerhill lines was exciting, especially as my family on both sides were from Galloway. I was born in Castle Douglas and reared in Ayrshire, so I had a feeling of home coming. This was a bit upset by my first meeting that day with John's proposed partners, Felix and Argyll, I suppose it would be called a culture shock now. But Arthur was there too, having been enlisted to help in cleaning up the house, and he was reassuring.
Then next day John arrived with Morag and small Neill, and life became normal since they were old friends. It had been an act of faith, for my six year old son, Beris, was the first pupil and not a paying one except for my work. At first we all worked just for our keep, later for five shillings a week, and finally by the time Arthur and I left about five years later, it was up to ten shillings.
The first school tradition was soon made in the Hallowe'en party, always my favourite, maybe because it also celebrated Morag's birthday and mine. That first New Year party was mainly memorable for the effect Argyll's sloe gin had on everyone! Then the first spring brought the thrilling sight of masses of snowdrops and then the little daffodils all over the grounds, such riches. I sent off shoe boxes of each to my town bound parents.
Of course the first visit by A.S. Neill was also memorable. He said he envied us being at the start of a school project, with all the idealism that reminded him of his own early days. He told funny stories in his lovely voice, the only stories I have ever remembered. But his theory that perhaps we were pacifists because we disliked our fathers seemed wide of the mark. Besides Neill, an early New Year celebration brought Chris Grieve and Jankel Adler and that certainly stands out for exciting talk, song and poetry, though I had known Chris and Jankel already in Glasgow.
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The first senior group was one that I feel must have been hard to beat at any time in the school's long history. As well as Michael Grieve, there were Jackie Gordon and Ian Richardson, both coming to us from Dartington, Val Mitchison from Carradale and Hilda Higgons from a pacifist community in Yorkshire; great debaters all, and quite intimidating really. Then the three Black children were a strong group. Their parents took strong interest in the school and their lives were quite changed by it I'm sure. Jimmie Black helped in financial matters, being a banker.
I was housemother to a group of boys that had at its core my son Beris, Mac Black and Eric Jamieson, the Three Musketeers, I think they called themselves. This job was a pleasure, though I was sorry no girls of the right age turned up. I was also in charge of the library, and became very good at discovering bargain books to augment it. Later I did all the school washing too, by choice, liking a job I could do on my own. No washing machine then, nor have I ever wanted one. My centre was the Blue bathroom, a peaceful haven.
The work was tiring but we seemed to have lots of energy then, even for table tennis for hours after the children were asleep. For the first time I enjoyed a competitive game. Bill and Arthur were experts and the pace furious. Bill always hoped to convert Morag and me to team games but he never managed that. One of his few failures I imagine. He was a great person in the school in so many ways, acting, singing, teaching English and math's, as well as being expert in games of all sorts.
Also he was universally loved for his fairness. Personally I found even washing up with him a real pleasure, enlivened by sea shanties in the tiny pantry. Kate came later, and her German classes for staff mainly by the way of songs that I still remember so well, were also a pleasure. So were Arthur's classes in carpentry and wood carving. One day a huge tree fell, nearly reaching our fragile garage home, and it happened one day when I'd just run round there for something during break; most scary. It turned out to be a walnut tree, and this set Arthur off on a most unexpected wood carving career. Such activity with the children, and some staff wanted to learn too.
This garage, opposite byre, Arthur made good to live in but I always missed having a real fire, and only achieved this much later when we moved into the nursery for an impending birth. Before that, though, I recall the time waiting for Morag's child to be born upstairs in the top flat. A midwife had moved in and visitors were barred. At last John ran down to announce it was a girl and was to be called Val; either for the day or after Val Mitchison, I never really knew which.
What a pleasure it was to get to know Naomi Mitchison then. Her books were great favourites of mine, especially The Corn King from which I had chosen my son's name, Beris. I told Naomi this shyly, and she said, "I did wonder" and seemed pleased.
Tne hot summer afternoon, I recall I was the only staff member around - because of a long night discussion people had decided to have naps - not a usual situation. So I had to entertain a young officer, an Englishman, Hilton Stowell, who appeared, having just gone through the ordeal of opting out of the army and declaring himself a pacifist. He came to work in the school later and there met Jessie Grant who had come for the New Year party with Jankel Alder. Over washing up of the New Year glasses it seems she and Hilton fell in love. They were such different types. Jessie was a great asset to the school, and the only person I have met who could study Russian grammar while doing vegetables.
The only things I did not enjoy were the weekly Saturday night dances - the only person in all the school's history who didn't, I expect - and the porridge.
In spite of later complications I wouldn't have missed going to help at the beginning for anything. Once would have to write a volume to cover all the memories adequately. It is difficult to believe how long ago it all happened.
Arthur Harrison
Kilquhanity, a small private school in Galloway, has changed the lives of many people, and in my own case restored my faith in education. From a shipyard background in Tyneside it was my ambition to be a teacher, and having taken an arts degree at Durham University I took a teaching diploma and did a year's student teaching, which convinced me I'd rather starve than teach.
A Franciscan organisation, The Brotherhood of the Way, otherwise the Tramp Preachers, were holding meetings on Newcastle Town Moor, basing their teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, with its emphasis on pacifism and anti-capitalism and I was happy to throw in my lot with them and live by this gospel, holding meetings at market places and street corners, mainly in Scotland. Through Mrs White of the Peace Pledge Union I heard that help was needed to prepare Kilquhanity House to become a school.
Peace Pledge Union Poster
I went down to give practical help, cleaning and painting, and was there when John's American partners arrived. Shortly after I was asked to join the staff and as pupils gradually arrived, my interest in teaching revived.
Later on I found the teaching so satisfying that I refused to be directed to work on a neighbouring farm and for doing this eventually went to prison in Dumfries, for what was to be a year but was later shortened to three months. I always remember the kindness of our local village bobby, Tom Tait, who even paid my bail on one occasion and who also showed great sympathy to Dorothy Nadin, another staff member who had to go to prison in Glasgow as a conscientious objector.
Though, later, near the end of the war, we decided to move down to another and much bigger progressive school in Kent, started at the same time as Kilquhanity, and years after that came on a holiday visit to the school in the Cotswolds where by then Bill and Kate were working and accepted an invitation to join the staff there, liking the look of the countryside so much, never regretting the decision in spite of some difficulties afterwards.
I always remember the Kilquhanity period as a happy and creative time when we made many good friends. Now it is a pleasure when to return to Galloway, though Bill is sadly missed.
The two essays above appears in this booklet published in 1990.
This photograph appears at the end of Arthur Harrison’s contribution in the Jubilee booklet. - There are three adults – Argyll appears on the right wearing glasses – could the other two in the middle be Nan and Arthur Harrison?
