Following weeks of exceptionally hot, dry weather, with England and Wales confirming the driest July on record, landscapes have been transformed across the UK, and Trent's grounds have been no exception. Despite the continued care and expertise of our Grounds Team, weeks of hot, dry weather have left the fields scorched.

Yet as the grass has faded, an extraordinary piece of Trent's history has emerged.

For perhaps the clearest time in living memory, the footings of the school's original cricket pavilion have become visible beneath the parched grass, revealing the exact footprint of a building that disappeared almost a century ago.

Although few today would know where the pavilion once stood, it occupied a prominent position on the Main Field, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, serving generations of Trent cricketers before being replaced in 1933 with a single storey building, the footings of which can also be seen. 

Our archive preserves wonderful glimpses of the pavilions during their lifetime.

One photograph, taken in 1897, shows Masters and their wives gathered outside the pavilion. Among them is Abraham Shuker, Senior Master at Trent, founding member of the Old Tridents Society in 1903, and the man whose name lives on today in Shuker Boarding House (centre right, sitting with his wife).

An even earlier photograph from 1888 captures the Old Boys' cricket team assembled in front of the pavilion, while members of the school cricket team look on from the pavilion balcony behind them.

In 1933 the original pavilion was replaced by a single storey building, officially opened in the summer term for the Trent College vs Old Boys match and attended by Headmaster Mr. Geoffrey Bell (1927-1936) with guests Sir Thomas and Lady Augusta Inskip and Sir Thomas' brother, the Bishop of Barking.  

Newspaper clipping of new pavilion, 1933

This pavilion was replaced in 1989 by the Stansbury Pavilion, named in honour of the School Bursar Commander Chris Stansbury (Trent College 1973 - 1990).  Constructed in an entirely new location, overlooking the 1st XI cricket square, the Stansbury Pavilion sat on the site now occupied by the Prince Obolensky Building. Many Old Tridents will have fond memories of summer afternoons spent around the pavilion located at the end of the Beech Avenue, between Bottom Field and Turner Field, which became the centre of school cricket for many decades.

Fun fact: In the summer of 1989, in front of the newly opened Stansbury Pavilion, three Centuries were scored in one game by Trent cricketers, Jon Evans (Shuker 1982-89), Ian Birch (Wright 1984-89) and Tom White (Wortley 1982-89)!

The prolonged dry weather has revealed more than just the footings of the school's first pavilions. Looking across Turner Field, outlines of the school's original four cricket practice nets have also become visible, hidden beneath the surface until the conditions exposed them once again.

The final photographs show how dramatically the grounds have changed over just a few weeks as the prolonged heatwave has taken hold.

While everyone will be hoping for some much-needed rain in the weeks ahead, this remarkable summer has briefly uncovered a fascinating reminder that the history of Trent is not only preserved in photographs and archives but is still written into the very landscape of the school itself.

If you remember the Beech Avenue Pavilion and/or the Stansbury Pavilion, or have memories of playing cricket on these grounds, in particular the game with three scoring centuries, we'd love to hear your stories.

Please get in touch: alumni@trentcollege.net or share your story in the comments.