Year 7 Scholars Explore 1860s Mottingham and More During First Twilight Session of the Term
The Year 7 Scholars had their first “twilight” session of the term, led by School Archivist and Geography teacher Mr Andrew Beattie. Beginning in the classroom, the students were taken back to the Mottingham of the 1860s. Using maps from the time, they compared the school—and its then very rural surroundings—with how things are today. Where has the “Smithy” in Mottingham Village gone? How convenient it must have been not to face the challenge of crossing Grove Park Road! Many people may not have known that what is now Mottingham Station was once Eltham Station—but why and when it changed was something the students were able to explore.
Leaving the classroom, the group moved outside—not quite into the baking sun of the previous week, but still with suitable weather for cloud study.
After investigating the mysteries of the Stevenson screen, the group ventured to the far reaches of the school site to examine the hard engineering of the River Quaggy. Along the way, they identified various clouds, complete with Latin names and translations (the late afternoon sky featured mainly stratocumulus clouds, with some cirrus clouds at higher altitudes). It was a fascinating session that combined different disciplines and, as with all aspects of the Scholarship Programme, aimed to enthuse and encourage thinking beyond the syllabus.
