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A Dragon's Tale: Betjeman's Happy Havens at the Dragon School and Trebetherick.
You probably know that John Betjeman spent some of his formative years right here in North Cornwall and also at school in North Oxford.
In 1917, young John arrived at the Dragon School, not as a stranger, but amongst friends. The Lynam family, close friends from his Trebetherick holidays, had a strong connection to the school. "Hum" Lynam, a senior master soon to become headmaster, became a kind of uncle figure, and his children, Joc and Audrey, were John's classmates. Indeed the Lynam's stayed at Cliff Bank, the house that today has the unhappy honor of being next door to that of the British Foreign Secretary. The house is an interesting one with many Dragon connections even today. Tom Gover, brother to another Dragon Headmaster "Guv", still lives there as does the cheerful poet of the Polzeath Spar...but that's another story for another post.
Anyhow, Joc, became the headmaster of the Dragon (J. H. R. Lynam ("Joc"), headmaster of Dragon School 1942–1965) and I remember as a child meeting him and playing a 3-aside coin game in the Cliff Bank kitchen on a table facing friends like the Woodcocks, Hendersons and Womersleys, who all had Prep School and Oxford connections. I did too because my father was "another" headmaster who spent most of the holidays with his own children down in Cornwall. A place, that in those days, a schoolteacher could afford to buy a house.
The Dragon School, known affectionately as "Lynam's," offered a stark contrast to Betjeman's previous experience of school and indeed to what he was to find at Marlborough College later on. It was a compassionate environment for the time, focusing on poetry and memorization, nurturing John's future talent. His days were filled with drawing, writing, and bicycle adventures with "Tortoise" Haynes, a master who instilled in him a passion for photography and Norman churches – a love evident in Betjeman's later work.
The Dragon school fostered John's creativity in many ways. He won a prize for recitation, and his friendship with Ronald Wright sparked a shared enthusiasm for churches and religion.
Despite the joy of the Dragon School, John wasn't thrilled when his family moved to Chelsea. He missed the open spaces of Hampstead Heath, but there were silver linings. Chelsea brought him closer to Ronald for London explorations via the Underground. He also began building his impressive architecture and church book collection, encouraged by his supportive father, Ernest, whose importance it would seem to us all was that it was he who brought John to Cornwall in the first place. Staying first at a boarding house called "The Haven" and then in 1932 Ernest built the substantial holiday home "Undertown" which John finally inherited and then sold so that he could buy "Treen", the more modest house opposite in Daymer Lane where he eventually died.
The Dragon School experience provided John with a strong foundation, not just academically, but by nurturing his artistic curiosity and love for exploration – qualities that would shape his future as a celebrated poet.
As students return to school for the summer term it is perhaps worth remembering what the author of "The Importance of Being Earnest" said: "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."
Some of life's most valuable lessons are learned outside the confines of a classroom for sure and the Dragon School perhaps knew this ahead of the game and hopefully still does!
To add to this already rather long and complicated story, in the early 1900s, Flora Sturt, a talented artist, found herself sketching on the steps leading down to Polzeath beach. On the steps she started to chat with "Skip" Lynham the Headmaster of the Dragon at the time of WW1 who offered her a job on the spot. Little did she know, fate would lead her to become a teacher in Oxford for many years, filling a gap left by a departing teacher, Tom Higginson, who tragically lost his life in World War I.
Flora's innovative approach went beyond traditional textbooks. She introduced outdoor sketching classes, after-tea art sessions, and even a "Society of the R.A.'s" where students showcased their work. These initiatives sparked a lifelong love for art in many students, including John Betjeman, who spent countless afternoons with Flora at the Ashmolean Museum, absorbing knowledge and honing his artistic talents.
Let's hope that this summer term presents an opportunity for both teachers and parents to encourage a more holistic approach to learning by taking children out of the classroom to places like North Cornwall!
A two hour guided walk around Trebetherick might just foster a love for exploration and seeing the world differently that makes going back to school OK! As Wilde reminds us, the most valuable lessons are often the ones we discover ourselves. The Dragon School's legacy, with its emphasis on artistic exploration like Flora Sturt's, serves as a prime example of this enduring truth.
Tempting the Fates, drew attention to the WW2 barbed wire defences now appearing in the retreating sand dunes near Brea Hill.
These photos show the anti tank defences at Pentireglaze Haven and Polzeath which were laid in the United Kingdom in 1940–1941, as part of the effort to strengthen the country's defences against a possible German invasion. Dragon's teeth (German: Drachenzähne) are square-pyramidal fortifications of reinforced concrete that impede the movement of tanks and mechanised infantry. The idea was to slow down and channel tanks into killing zones where they could easily be disposed of by anti-tank weapons.
Not sure if the young Major General Dare Wilson’s command extended to Polzeath from Padstow but William Sheils shares his memories of WW2 times in Polzeath at that time:
“My family lived at 'Bryher' New Polzeath. I went to Hoiliday House School, Harry Edwards was the Headmaster. He lived with his wife and children in a cottage at Porteath Farm. What better place could there be to grow up. I still keep in touch with Melville Coad, we were at school together, his father was the local butcher. We had some great times; apart from the evacuees, the war never came to Polzeath.
I do remember the 'Dragons Teeth' tank traps in the village and the scaffolding that stretched across the beach. After the war, German POWs were used to take them down.”
Goblins Gold in the form of the wonderous moss that lines the walls here even where the light levels are very low. The beautiful moss in this cave can focus whatever light there is so effectively that photosynthesis powers life amongst the darkness.
Is there gold under Brea Hill? Perhaps not the gold you’d be looking for but a moss that’s so good at catching limited light that it has tiny lenses to focus any that enters the shaft and can survive where no other plants can. Schistostega pennata, also called goblin gold, Dragon's gold, or luminescent moss is known for its glowing appearance in dark places. To be honest I don’t know if there’s any there but I think there should be and maybe a goblin or two! The other mosses are particularly beautiful and it’s well worth a short climb to have a look at them next time you’re passing on the beach below. If, like me, you are interested in mosses you'll love the beautifully written book "Gathering Moss". Goblins Gold from the book features in this excellent article... https://www.themarginalian.org/.../gathering-moss-robin.../
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