The RadSoc Archives talks kicked off the 2025 season by looking at Radley College in the 1960s. The event brought together a lively crowd, including former dons alongside plenty of their former pupils and the talk was guided by College Archivist, Clare Sargent.
The sixties are remembered as an era of rebellion and transformation: in society, science and the arts. But did these revolutions cause ripples on College Pond?
Clare began the discussion by introducing some of the key events and themes which formed the background to the decade: the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), debate around the Common Market (EEC), the rise of television and film, the assassination of JFK and the Space Race.
Our gathered attendees were quick to join the conversation, and we heard how new ‘mop top’ haircuts, Morris Minors (light enough to be carried into Hall in an impressive instance of high jinx), and contraband transistor radios made their way into the College.
Former don Michael Meredith discussed the flourishing drama scene at Radley, which was notable both for the outstanding quality of the performances put on and also the willingness to tackle notoriously difficult plays. Old Radleians on the call reflected on the technical craft of staging such performances and fondly recalled both the Marionette Society and the Dons’ Plays.
The 1960s saw a number of campus developments – new classrooms which, while considered state-of-the-art, were not particularly attractive and were, by all accounts, stuffy in the summer and chilly in the winter. A new athletics track was installed in 1962 and included a water jump which seemed to rival the swimming pool, built in 1961.
Clare shared photographs of the College Fire Brigade and a fire drill exercise which involved boys being lowered out of windows using rope. A former head of the College Fire Brigade shared a story about successfully putting out a chip fire in the kitchens using new equipment. This is, of course, no longer a responsibility given to current boys!
The decade saw the founding and flourishing of many clubs and societies: the Archaeology Society which initiated some important local digs, the Meteorology Society which set up a weather station on the top of Mansion, and the Film Society which won national awards and recognition.
The talk was extraordinarily lively thanks to the willingness of our audience to take part and share their own memories. These events continue to help us form an enduring oral history of the College, adding real-life experiences to the documents and photos that we have in the Archives. We encourage the Radley community to continue sharing their stories with us.
We extend our thanks to all who participated, particularly to our former dons Michael Meredith and Hamish Aird, and to Clare Sargent for leading the discussion.
A recording of this event is available below and can also be accessed via the Radley Then & Now playlist on YouTube and as a podcast on Spotify.
Our next Radley Then & Now event will take place in May looking at every boy’s favourite Radley institution: Shop. If you have memories that you would like to share on this topic, we would love to hear from you.
If you would like to share your memories or have suggestions for future events, please email us: radsoc@radley.org.uk.
