This film is part of Free

Aysgarth School Sports

Ancient Greek states battle it out in shorts on the playing fields of Aysgarth

Non-Fiction 1953 15 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Yorkshire Film Archive

Overview

It’s post-war Britain, but little has changed at Aysgarth Preparatory School for Boys in North Yorkshire. Here they continue preparing for a place in a top public school through athletics, gymnastics, rugby, cricket and football. Then, on to winter, and its sledging, skating, ice hockey and, of course, snowball fights.

Aysgarth preparatory school was founded in 1877, and has been sending pupils to top public schools and colleges, like Harrow School, Radley, Sedbergh and Eton, ever since. Its system of Houses – Athenians, Corinthians, Spartans and Thebans – as illustrated here, was clearly designed to foster the classicism of the elite, as well as the emphasis on physical and sporting prowess. Among the post war beneficiaries are Olympic rower and gold medallist Matthew Pinsent and adventurer and environmentalist Robert Swan.