Dean Hoyle came to Oxford planning to give a talk about Lent but, at the last minute, decided to tell us about life at Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is a royal peculiar, a church which is under the direct control of the Monarch and so the appointment of the Dean is the Sovereign’s personal choice. He talked to us about the preparations for the Late Queen’s funeral. He was told that the likely audience for the event would be Four Billion, approximately half the population of the world, a rather larger congregation than was seated before him in the Cathedral this morning! It was the largest security operation ever mounted anywhere and one for which the Abbey, and indeed London, had ten days to prepare.

He pointed out that every building had its own story – and the story of Westminster Abbey is more colourful and interesting than almost any other. It was a building in which there were very many contrasts. It contains the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I alongside that of her Cousin Mary Queen of Scots whom Elizabeth had executed. It has the tomb of Archbishop Ussher who believed, after a study of biblical sources, that the world had been created in 4004 BC while there is also a memorial to Stephen Hawking who had a very different interpretation of the creation of the world. Despite their differences, the Abbey contains them all and the Dean wished to stress the importance, particularly in a world where there is much division, of coming together. Buildings such as the Abbey and Christ Church Cathedral were able to act as places where people of different beliefs could come together.

At the end of the service a number of boys gathered round the Dean to ask him questions. In the course of the interrogation, he told the story of how, during the Coronation, he had been privileged to be inside the screens during the most sacred part of the ceremony, and the part hidden from public view, that of the anointing of the King with Holy Oil. One can only imagine what an extraordinary and historical moment this must have been. It was he too who had to carry the Crown before handing it over to the Archbishop of Canterbury and indeed, he confirmed that it was pretty heavy. We are very fortunate that The Dean was able to afford us all so much time.

There are still a few places left for the tour of the Upper Library at Christ Church on Thursday 27th March. Do think of booking your ticket – the splendid and kind Head Librarian Gabriel has said that she will put out a few treasures of the library not normally seen by the public for us to look at.

This afternoon I attended the Forms 3 and 4 concert. It was a delightful and inspiring occasion. What was so striking was the way in which the music that the pupils played so fully mirrored their characters. There was the boy who was so keen to get going that he rushed into the piece way before Miss Biddell (on the piano) was ready! There was the lyrical calmness of a soothing melody as well as a staccato gallop which had us all bouncing with energy. The class songs at the end were charming. One was about a crocodile – “He wouldn’t say no to a body like yours!” we were warned. Certainly I will not be rushing to Egypt! Meanwhile, the second song was entitled potatoes! It was written for CCCS and contained another warning – when eating potatoes check them for worms! All of these warnings were conveyed with appropriate seriousness!

It was while I was talking about warnings at the end of the concert, that I learnt an important piece of information. A boy put up his hand. “Yes?” I asked. He responded, “When we were practising this song, Ms Biddell told us to look at the wolf (in the Christ Church Coat of Arms prominently displayed on the wall in the hall) and imagine that it was Mr Murray!” I am not certain what effect imagining that the wolf was me was supposed to have, but certainly the singing was wonderful! I am delighted that I can sometimes be of use to my excellent colleagues, even in absentia.