LIFE as head of a boarding school doesn’t allow for much spare time. Many live on site and their weekends and evenings merge into the working week. The job is all-encompassing. However, despite these restraints, most recognise the importance of carving out time for themselves. ‘When I became deputy head, I bought a set of golf clubs,’ volunteers Mark Lauder, headmaster of Strathallan School in Perthshire, ‘but when I became head, I bought a cement mixer.’ Mr Lauder grew up in a family that built things, so when he bought a 17thcentury parsonage in Cumbria, he decided to set about the renovations himself, including laying paths and repairing drystone walls. ‘Working on your own house is both an investment and therapeutic,’ he explains.
‘It’s totally different to being a headmaster. It’s more physically demanding and provides a different set of problems to solve and new practical skills to learn. It has its own rhythm and gives time to think away from the tyranny of the diary. I get to experience real learning, which sometimes includes failure,’ he adds, ‘and this reminds me what pupils contend with day to day.’
Unsurprisingly, many hobbies are physical. Ruth Sullivan, headmistress of Sherborne Girls in Dorset, describes herself as ‘the most ungainly runner’ and was once told that, when swimming, she looks like a drowning moth. This has not deterred her from taking on intense fitness challenges in the form of marathons and Iron Man events, however. Her enthusiasm is compelling, citing the atmosphere, sense of achievement and community as her drivers.
Denne historien er fra February 22, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 22, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
