AOSA ANNUAL REPORT 1999

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THE WEATHER VANE

Sue and Neil Fox purchased the weather vane, which used to be located on the top of ‘A’ Dorm, at the Sale of Chattels in October 1997. They made a request for further information about their purchase which appeared on Page 24 of the 1998 Annual Report and were very pleased, as a result, to receive a letter from Dorothy Newby (Danby) and a phone call from Michael Bell.

A further delightful surprise, with reference to the weather vane, came in Joe Tillott’s address as our new President during the 110th Annual General Meeting in July 1998...

 ‘Titch and I were two of a long line of meteorological Curators who recorded daily, in addition to temperature, pressure and rainfall, the wind direction as registered by the weather vane above ‘A’ bedroom. Why no-one became suspicious over the years when the end-of-term summaries stated that, summer and winter, the prevailing wind was invariably from the east, is a complete mystery. After all, Miss Wells had taught us that the prevailing wind in this country is from the south-west.

One day early in 1939, I went into the Metalwork Shop and found Mr. Clayton dismantling the badly corroded remains of our weather vane which, from its condition, had been rusted up for years - with its arrow pointing slightly south of east! Within a day or two, he had constructed an entirely new one with a magnificent copper arrow which rotated freely on a lightly grease-packed ball-bearing, well protected from the elements. I looked for it yesterday, but it has gone! 

At this juncture, there was a buzz of excitement around the Meeting House and Wendy Smith told the surprised Joe who the new owner was. (As he had been much preoccupied since the arrival of the Annual Report and in the run up to the Summer Reunion with the preparations for his speech, Joe had not read of the appeal by Sue and Neil). He was delighted to learn that the weather vane had found a good home. 

Later, Joe sent me the following article by A. L. Stapleton which appeared in the ‘Beckside’ in the Spring Term of 1939 and which gave further information about Sue and Neil’s weather vane.

The Weather Vane.  When repairs were being done to the roof of ‘A’ bedroom, it was necessary to dismantle the weather vane. It was found that the arrow was perished and that, owing to the rusty condition and the tilt of the standard, it could not have been registering correctly for some time. Our weather report this time says “the prevailing wind has been in an easterly direction, and we wonder, without looking into the fact further, whether such reports have been usual and whether our records have been inaccurate.

Now the standard has been erected truly and Mr. Clayton has made, in the metal workshop, a beautiful copper arrow, carefully balanced and able to turn on a ball-bearing.

The original of this vane used to grace the summit of the buildings of Rawdon School, and when Mr. Richard Swain, who for many years was associated with that School, knew that Rawdon was migrating to Ayton, he said, pointing with his stick, “I want to see that on the Rawdon Block at Ayton. That is why the vane came to Ayton in the year 1921.

The present arrow will certainly give longer service than the one that was originally put there.

A. L. Stapleton

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