In April 2025, Roger Crabtree (TR 1976-81) returned to the Precincts for a tour of King's, accompanied by Joanne, and their beloved dog, Athena. They enjoyed a full tour of the School, including inside Tradescant House where they were greeted by Rob Harrison (current Tradescant Housemaster). 

Roger shared with us a house photo from 1978, which he kindly gave to our school archives. While we have a number of house photos, this particular photo has helped us fill in a gap in our records. In the second row from the bottom, Mike Wetherilt (Tradescant Housemaster) and his wife, Prue, are pictured in the centre in the light coloured jackets. Mike joined King's in 1964, as a Biology teacher and went on to be housemaster of Plender - a waiting house on the London Road. In 1976, he became the founding housemaster of Tradescant House. 

Highlights from the 1978 school year for Tradescant House include:

• 2nd in the first round of the academic challenge
• 2nd in the Inter-House chess championships
• 3rd in the Inter-House small bore shooting competition with 256 points

The December 1978 issue of Cantuarian describes a "mixed term for Tradescant." However, 1979 appeared to be a stronger year for the house. The Cantuarian issue for that year reads: "Tradescant has had a good term and has enjoyed sport, music and academic pursuits. [...] In music we enjoyed some success in that we reached the finals of the House Song." 

You can explore the Cantuarian archive by registering or logging in to our website here.

2026 Reunion

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of Tradescant House and Broughton House! To celebrate, we warmly invite all former boarders of these Houses to return to King’s on Sunday 8 March 2026. Join us for a weekend of tours, drinks, Sunday lunch, and the chance to reconnect with Housemasters, Housemistresses, and fellow OKS friends. You can book your ticket online here.

Not all donations to King's are monetary - often they’re photos or mementos from your days at King's that bring the past to life. If you have something that you would like to donate to the archives, we'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch with the Development Office via email: community@kings-school.co.uk