St. Michael's College, Tenbury

The College of St. Michael and All Angels, in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, was a college for boys founded by Frederick Ouseley in 1856 to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral services were performed daily in term time, and the college possessed a fine library. Financial difficulties forced its closure in 1985; the buildings survive as an international school. It has now reopened as a private school specializing in teaching foreign students.

As an additional matter of interest the school buildings were used as set for the 1986 Halloween television movie, The Worst Witch based on the fantasy novel by Jill Murphy starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry.

Musical Library

Supported by friends of Sir Arthur, the Library contained such precious articles as the original score of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Handel's own conducting score for the Dublin premier of Messiah amongst the thousands of scores in its vault. It remained something of a site of pilgrimage for musical scholars until its closure when the library was transferred to Oxford University. The school lends its choral tradition to the decline of choral music in the 1850s where Ousley and others founded the school in a remote location from the influences of London to preserve the grand tradition of English Choral Music.

Arts

Recordings of the choir are still available on CD in back catalogue editions. The school regularly sang some 150 forms of evensong and was the last educational establishment to sing the orders through the week.

In the chapel of the school the choir is separated from the chancel by an ornate gilded screen topped by candles and the choir backed by a full organ, painted in an ornate decoration of St Michael defeating the dragon, a treasure mentioned in a number of books on church organs.

"Rebecca Baty pupil 1972-7": As a pupil in the school until 1977 I was a witness to it fine tradition of choral music and its formidable library. It is also a matter or curiosity that the school "pioneers", a version of the scouts, built the largest candle in the world at one point, a record that they held for some 3 years. The candle itself broke, owing to a bubble in the wax during the burning, which caused a serious fire in the Lady Chapel at the time. John Gray, the then arts master, supervised the construction of the candle and is pictured in an edition of the Guinness Book of Records by the candle.

chool Crest

The crest on the school tie was a red broadsword on a blue background symbolising St Michael's defeat of the dragon by its colour and the two kinks in the sword.

Alumni

The College stills enjoys a very enthusiastic Old Boys (and Girls) society, which has just (2006) celebrated its centenary,. More details about the College and Society can be found at http://www.smcsociety.co.uk