The majestic Neolithic Mound stands at the centre of our campus and has long been a special place for this community. As well as casting its inspirational shadow over our daily lives, the Mound plays a ceremonial role at the College and on Friday 10th October, the Shell continued the College’s tradition of ad Montem, which translates as “to the Hill”.
In a ceremony of welcome to mark the start of their time at the College, the Shell processed in their houses, dressed in house colours, from the Memorial Hall paved forecourt to the bottom of the Mound and then began the ascent around the gently inclining half-mile spiral path. When all the year group were on the Mound, a formal photograph was taken by drone from the Chapel side.
The Mound has had a varied and prestigious history: carbon-dated to 2300 BC, it was an important part of the Neolithic Stonehenge landscape. The Normans built a Castle here, using the Mound as the Motte, which became a Royal Castle under King John and Henry III. It was also the property of all six of Henry VIII’s wives. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Mound was the visual focus of a great English formal garden. Local folklore records it as the burial place of Merlin.
Since our site became a school in 1843, it is believed that the Mound has played a role in occasions of investiture and celebration throughout the early part of the College’s history. Indeed, there is a fascinating painting from the mid-nineteenth century hanging in the Master’s Lodge showing pupils processing around the Mound in what is thought to be the appointment of scholars.
Over the last 25 years, thanks to the remarkable legacy of Eric Elstob (C2 1956-60), the Mound is being carefully restored to its former glory with the support of the Mound Trust and Historic England. This restoration work is allowing the College to reconnect with the history and significance of the Mound and is facilitating more safe access for this type of milestone event.
It was a crisp autumnal day and the ceremony was a real spectacle which we hope will form a treasured memory for the Shell of 2025.
