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History

Why study History?

In his classic of military history, The Face of Battle (1976), Sir John Keegan (himself a former King's pupil) wrote that the historian "… ought also to get away from papers and walk about his subject wherever he can find traces of it on the ground …"

Exploring the past through travel is certainly a good reason for studying history - an ambition that we encourage all King's historians to fulfil.  And there are many other excellent reasons for studying history at King's …

  • Developing a better understanding of the present by learning about the key events that have shaped our modern world
  • Achieving skills of critical awareness about the reasons why historical events have taken place
  • Weighing up the evidence and reaching balanced conclusions about a wide variety of human issues
  • Learning to communicate ideas and arguments clearly and effectively both in discussion and on paper
  • Realising that there are many different viewpoints about the past and understanding the need for tolerance
  • Enjoying the opportunity to find out more about people in all walks of life and what motivates them


The department is on the first floor of the History and Science Block.  There are three classrooms, two seminar rooms, and a specialist history library.  Data projectors and PCs are in all classrooms, and an IT suite of 20 PCs is nearby.  The department is particularly rich in resources, with full collections of the Illustrated London News and Punch Magazine at the top of the list.  Former pupils and members of staff have generously donated a large number of books and magazines in recent years.  The new library , opened in 2011, also contains an excellent range of books about a variety of historical topics.

Many recent King's historians have gone on to study history at leading universities as well as related degree subjects such as war studies, politics, archaeology and law;  and history has also provided an excellent basis for careers in areas such as law, public relations, business, publishing, teaching, civil service, psychology, accountancy, the armed forces and broadcasting (and many others besides).

King’s historians in 2009-11 have gained places at leading academic institutions, including Brasenose College Oxford, Queens' College Cambridge, King's College Cambridge, King's College London, Royal Holloway University of London, Exeter University, Birmingham, Reading, Southampton, Cardiff, Swansea, Newcastle, Oxford Brookes and Warwick.

In recent times King's historians have travelled far afield - St Petersburg, Berlin, Auschwitz, Florence, Rome, Athens, Jerusalem, battlefields of both 1st and 2nd World Wars;  and regular visits have also been made to London (Army Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Tower of London, Banqueting House, House of Commons), Bristol (SS Great Britain) and Portsmouth (HMS Victory, HMS Discovery and the Mary Rose).

In March 2010 former pupil Major Geoffrey Langlands visited the school and spoke about his time as a pupil in the 1930s.  In April 2011 two 6th form historians (Kate Webster and Harry Heal) visited Auschwitz as part of the 'Lessons from Auschwitz' project organised by the Holocaust Education Trust.

The Keegan History Society

The Society exists to promote discussion and lively debate about a wide range of historical matters.  Meetings have been addressed by a variety of outside speakers in recent years, including leading historians Sir John Keegan and Richard Holmes, and ancient historian (and Mayor of London), Boris Johnson.   Sir John Keegan, after whom the Society is named, is an eminent military historian, BBC Reith Lecturer and former pupil of King's.  Sixth form historians also present papers at the Society, including  Oscar Harding on late 20th-century cinema and Lucy Sharp on 'Women in Ancient Rome'.

Former pupils who have visited recently include Paul Barber (speaking about his time in Stalag Luft III – scene of 'The Great Escape'), Kenneth Ambrose (discussing his vivid memories of Emperor Haile Selassie's visits to the school in the 1930s) and Major Geoffrey Langlands who remembered life at King's in the early 1930s.  Major Langlands has recently retired from his position as Headmaster of his school in Eastern Pakistan - at the age of 92.  He featured in an interview with the BBC's Orla Guerin which was broadcast on BBC News in May 2010.  Occasional film evenings have included showings of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin and Riefenstahl's Olympia.

In May 2011 the historian Tom Holland  (Persian Fire, Rubicon, Millennium) opened the new library and then spoke to 6th form historians about his writing and research methods.  In September 2011, as part of the inaugural Taunton Literary Festival, two eminent historians (Sir Ian Kershaw and George Goodwin) visited King's and discussed their recent books - The End and Fatal Colours respectively.

The 2011 Keegan Essay prizes, generously funded by the Joan Sewell Bequest, have been awarded to five 6th form pupils: Oliver Hill, Megan Ameye, William Lumley, David Bidgood and Greg Albery.  Their essays covered topics as diverse as the Moon Landings; the origins of American society; the Treaty of Versailles in 1919; technology in the First World War; and medical advances in the 20th century.  The essays will be published as a Keegan Society booklet.

During 2008-11 A Level historians have published a series of magazines:  The Mysteries of Mother Russia; Gazette d'Histoire and Bulletpoint - covering topics as diverse as opposition to Tsarism in 19th-century Imperial Russia, the reign of Louis IV, the influence of the Crusades on modern Britain, the effect of the weather on the D-Day Landings, and the origins of the Second World War.

A Level history results have continued to be impressive: 100% pass rate at A2, with 85% A*-C grades in 2011.  GCSE History results have been outstanding for many years: 96% pass rate (2011) with 80% A*/A/B grades.

Staff profiles

Head of department Patrick Scanlan's historical interests include the controversial story of the colonial 'Scramble for Africa' (with special reference to Nigeria where he lived as a child), and the steady decline of Imperial Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Recent visits to Berlin and Munich have inspired further research into the much-debated history of Modern Germany and, most recently, he has developed a fresh interest in the histories of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, with special reference to their Mediterranean context.  He is particularly keen on visiting and exploring places connected to the topics that he teaches and, where possible, arranging for pupils to visit those places too.  Whether it is the Winter Palace in St Petersburg during a sub-zero January or the trenches of Newfoundland Park on the Somme during a blisteringly hot July, the experiences are always memorable.

Bob Currie is deputy head and a former head of department.  He loves the colour and human tragedy that runs through 17th century English history.  The singular failures of kings and their rivals in the English Civil War and its aftermath, and the chaos caused by both Charles I and Oliver Cromwell, are remarkable stories.  Few experiences can match the impressive sight of Rubens' ceiling in Charles' Palace of Whitehall and the contrasting sombre statue of Cromwell outside the Houses of Parliament.  Both are essential elements in the annual 6.1 trip to Stuart London.  He also enjoys the contrast of the larger-than-life story of a larger-than-life country, the United States of America.  The opening up of that immense continent with the Gold Rush and the extending frontier, the careless destruction of Native Americans, the devastating split between North and South in the American Civil War and the slow and only ever partial recognition of the civil rights of women, Native Americans and African Americans are as compelling as any in history.

Oliver Lloyd's passion in the classroom revolves around the study of art in its historical context.  He explores this through courses on the Renaissance, the Tudors and Bourbon France.  Beyond the classroom his interests are linked to his archaeological background, with particular reference to the Middle East, especially the Arabian Peninsula.  This has seen him excavating at Kalba in the UAE and Al-Hamid in the Yemen, as well as his own personal exploration of the Levant and Egypt.  On top of this he enjoys reading about 'The Great Game' and early archaeologists on the Silk Road, as well as about Indian and other Asian contemporary issues.  His real passion lies in experiencing history through travel.

Kirsty Davies enjoys a broad range of historical interests, from medieval to modern history.  Thematically, she enjoys looking at socio-economic developments within a variety of cultures.  The study of family, culture and belief in Tudor and Stuart Britain is a special interest.  However, her passion really lies in the 20th century where she has been able to focus on post-war Germany and Britain, leading to her submission of a thesis on social attitudes towards the Marshall Plan.  She has also visited the battlefields of the 1st World War, Ellis Island, Alcatraz, the Pyramids of Giza, Rome and Israel.

Sir John Keegan, Patron of the Keegan Society, has written numerous books on military history.  Here are a few of his many historical insights:

"Good men who exercise power are really the most fascinating of all people."

"The great Chinese classics have always said that it's better not to fight;  that the clever man achieves his ends without violence;  that a battle delayed is better than a battle fought."

"The leader of men in warfare can show himself to his followers only through a mask, a mask that he must make for himself, but a mask made in such form as will mark him to men of his time and place as the leader they want and need."

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