Blasts from the Past: School uniform

Boaters, blazers, caps and ties – what do you remember most about wearing school uniform? We have a small collection of items of uniform – as well as a couple of Old King's Club blazers – in the archive. Fresh life has been breathed into some of these recently. A small group of Rushmere pupils, with an interest in the history of the school, have spent part of their lunchbreaks in the archive, carefully lifting caps and blazers out of their boxes and then, quite literally, trying them on for size. There was genuine interest amidst the laughter (the clown-like humour of wearing clothing several sizes too big does not diminish with the passing of generations, it seems). When was uniform introduced at the school? Who had to wear boaters and when? Why were the rugby caps made of velvet? Why are the blazers so itchy (most are not lined)? When did the junior school uniform become a darker shade of red? These were just a few of the questions put to me.

Although some of the fabrics are a bit worn, given the age of most of the uniform it is in remarkably good condition. Which means the pupils can try things on, whilst supervised at least. As such, uniform is a brilliant entry point for ‘hands-on history.’ Which is why I am so keen to fill the gaps in the school archive. At present, we do not have any of the junior school or senior school blazers which were worn every day, only those associated with sports teams. I do not think we have any house ties. Do you have anything lurking at the back of a wardrobe that you would be willing to donate? Or any photographs of you and friends in uniform – or just memories of wearing it – that you would be happy to share? If so, please do get in touch at archive@kcs.org.uk.

Lucy Inglis | School archivist