Rugby - a town and school you must visit

In my last blog I told you I was heading off to Rugby yesterday. It didnt quite work out like that as instead of 4 buses turning up only three did. They called for volunteers to delay their trip until today and as it was pouring down I thought it would be worth a gambol that the next day would be fine. Today at 7:30 we set off for Rugby in weather promising some sunshine. It took just two and a half hours by coach to get to Rugby and by the time we got there the sun was shining. Not warm but the sun was shining. We were taking in hand by guide. The groups were small - just 18 but it soon became evident why the limit on numbers. Our first stop was at the School Shop where we were presented with a special All Black supporter goodie bag. Apparently the only team at the current RWCup to go to Rugby has been the All Blacks. They did a haka on the playing field and locals responded with their own haka. NZ is held in such high regard and the Rugby town folk think we are the country most committed to the traditions of the game. We then squeezed ourselves into the School Museum where there was all sorts of memorabilia. It was very cosy in the Museum and quite hard to get photos but I tried to get a view. We then walked to the school itself. On the way we saw topiary shaped as Rugby Balls. Specially cultivated in Italy and delivered in time for the World Cup. The school is fascinating. Built by private grant for the boys of Rugby and initially was free. The locals thought because it was free perhaps it was suspect and in the first few years there was only 5 - 20 boys. You do have to pass a local entry exam and our guide (who was a teacher at the local Grammar School) he didn't sit it as his parents didn't think he was bright enough to pass the entry exams. For those of who are teachers reading this eat your heart out - there are 800 students with a Teacher/pupil ratio of 1 - 8! The cost today for boys and girls who are non residents of Rugby the cost is Forty thousand pounds per year and the school is fully residential with some amazing houses (gracious English manors really) surrounding the school on every boundary. The new quad (built 300 years ago) was supporting the most amazing ivy in Autumn Colours and was quite spectacular. The school chapel is very intimate but does sit all the students. It was built just after the Church of England/Catholic disputes in Britain and the architect was asked to bring back into an English chapel some beauty. He has done this superbly and the stain glass windows are a sight to see. I then wandered around the town and the Webb Ellis Museum which was at the back of the Rugby Shop. It is a pale reflection of the Palmerston North Rugby Museum and the town is only now thinking about how they can rehouse the collection in more appropriate surroundings. Because it is England even the gardeners have entered into the spirit and there was quite a stunning garden rendition of the Webb Ellis trophy on a busy street intersection. After finding some lunch in the town we re-boarded the bus and headed back to London arriving around 5:30 pm. The trip exceeded my expectations as I did not expect to find such a grand old school with heaps of history the foundation of our game.