T H E
New look for Sibford houses
Every pupil at Sibford belongs to a ‘house’ and throughout the year there are various events at which the houses compete against each other ... the most notable being the annual sports day which takes place in June. This year saw the houses undergo an image make-over and four new banners were produced, featuring original paintings of the notable characters after whom the houses are named. The project was coordinated by head of Expressive Arts, Mike Spring, who produced three of the paintings. The fourth, of Fridtjof Nansen, was produced by visiting pupil Alice Englert, who came over from Australia to spend a term at the school. Mike Spring explains the rationale behind the designs: “In designing the new house banners, I was keen for them to work on several levels: as an image, as a colour cue and as a bold graphic of the house initial and name. “The images were reduced to a series of tonal areas in order to simplify the detail and to create a ‘house style’ for all four banners. I chose to incorporate a strip of associated tones as a balance for the lettering. “For ease of identification, I chose a
bold, sans serif font. Where there was a choice of image, I tried to select the face which best evoked the qualities for which they were best known ... Clark’s leadership, Gillett’s humble devotion, Fry’s philanthropy and social responsibility and Nansen’s determination. “The banners have been printed on PVC so that, if required, they can be used out of doors.”
stories
Cyrus Clark Quaker, boot maker and member of the Temperance Society.
Clarks are well known for their shoes … but how did the business start?
Back in 1821 Cyrus Clark, a Quaker farmer from Street in Somerset, set up a tannery business producing sheepskin rugs. But it wasn’t until 1825 that the idea of shoe production first came to mind. Cyrus’ brother, James, was busy working at the tannery when, among
the sheepskin rugs, off-cuts and cast-offs that were piling up, he had a brainwave: ‘Slippers!’ ... and the rest, as they say, is history. A few stitches, and a few years later, the sheepskin slipper was born. It was the very first Clarks shoe and the opening chapter in a remarkable story that continues to unfold. Cyrus built his first factory in 1829 and the company’s
Quaker ethos made provision for workers’ housing, education and leisure activities. Meanwhile, Cyrus’ keen social conscience ~ he was an active member of the Temperance Society and preferred employing people who had signed the pledge ~ kept the village of Street ‘dry’ for many years.
Clarks shoes continue to be manufactured to this day and, although the factory in Street closed in 2005, the town continues to remember its heritage. In 1993 the first purpose-built outlet shopping scheme in Britain was opened in Street, appropriately named Clark Village.
24 / The Sibfordian
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