LangdonSchool.com has been setup by ex-pupils pledged to support Langdon School's ambition of becoming one of the country's most successful schools. This is also a place to get in touch with your old school friends from Langdon School.
The views expressed do not represent those
of Langdon School itself.
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The Editor, Terry Sinclair, offers his Close-Up View on an issue that matters to him and many thousands of others with a positive interest in the reputation and future of Langdon School. You can email him with your views at Editor@langdonschool.com
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The symbols of any organisation represent its personality. Think of Coca Cola and you can picture the famous logo. Think of Langdon School and the most powerful reference point is its campus and ClockTower. That is no accident, it's the very reason the ClockTower was designed and built.
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The Langdon ClockTower represents more than just time. It represents our times. It also represents Langdon School's unique history and character, marking it out from every other school in the country.
Once it was removed, the school lost its focal point, it no longer has anything that uniquely identifies it. It is faceless. Those that truly understand the importance of how any organisation presents itself, will agree that to destroy any of the organisation's symbols is a serious mistake. Take New York's Twin Towers, they were a powerful symbol of the city of New York, and, it could be argued, capitalist freedom throughout the world. These are the symbols the misguided terrorists very carefully targeted, killing many people, including themselves, in order to destroy.
I am not directly comparing the Langdon ClockTower to the NY Twin Towers, but Langdon's ClockTower was undoubtably a unique piece of early British modernist architecture that actually deserves to be restored. Its like does not exist anywhere.
If Langdon School is serious about raising standards it must build an image and campus to match. Newham is rapidly developing into an area that people will want to live and work in. Those people need local schools that they can put their complete trust in. In the same way people will use a public library that is well designed and inviting. They will choose to send their children to a school that gives them a clear impression of its good character, direction and desire to achieve the highest standards possible. The Langdon ClockTower could once again reach out to the community to declare that Langdon has a spirit and enthusiasm to educate the local children to the highest standards possible.
The time is now right to ensure that Langdon's profile is elevated in Newham and beyond. Underpinning the 'Tower Block' building is long overdue, this would solve the immediate problems that have beset Langdon's 'Tower Block' buildings for decades. It would also enable the rebuilding of the Langdon ClockTower.
There are some who would have you believe that rebuilding the Langdon ClockTower is a folly. They under-estimate how important the unique structure was, and how important it could be again to Langdon's heritage and standing. 'Big Ben' has suffered from exactly the same problems with subsidence in its history, however it was unthinkable that demolition would ever be the answer. There is a strong will to restore the Langdon ClockTower. Together, we can make it happen.
Having put the case for the rebuilding of the Langdon ClockTower it must be made absolutely clear that the restoration should not take away a single penny from the schools own budgets - indeed, surely it is now time to increase those budgets as much as we can. Every penny spent on building improvements at the school will be an investment worth making. Rebuilding the Langdon ClockTower is a positive step forward for the profile of the school, the current pupils and the community in general.
You could do your bit to support this campaign, even if it is just a simple email message of support to RebuildTheClockTower@LangdonSchool.com
Terry Sinclair, LangdonSchool.com Editor
Email: Editor@langdonschool.com
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